Statler Brothers (elected 2008)
Career Achieved National Prominence Between World War II and 1975
(Second of Two Acts in this Category)
Photo: courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Statler Brothers achieved a familial sound well-suited for their catalog of songs reflecting everyday life and family values, even though only two of its members were true siblings. As teenagers, baritone vocalist Phil Balsley (born Aug. 8, 1939), tenor vocalist Lew DeWitt (born Mar. 8, 1938) and bass vocalist Harold Reid (born Aug. 21, 1939) formed a church group in their hometown of Staunton, Va. in 1955. Don Reid (born June 5, 1945), Harold’s younger brother, joined the group as lead singer in 1960 and they christened themselves the Kingsmen. The group began singing Country Music with their tight, gospel harmonies and built a following in the region. Because another group called the Kingsmen were popular around that time, the quartet changed its name to the Statler Brothers after a box of Statler tissues.
In August 1963 the group performed at an event headlined by Johnny Cash. Early the next year, Cash decided to add a male harmony vocal group to his touring ensemble and the Statler Brothers were invited to audition on March 9 in Canton, Ohio. Cash then asked them to perform with him that night and worked up several numbers with the group. The initial performance went well, so Cash invited them to join the tour and they remained with him through 1972, working all of his television shows, concert dates and recording sessions. Years later, Marshall Grant of the Tennessee Three would become the Statler Brothers’ representative.
Signed to Cash’s label home Columbia Records, the Statler Brothers had their first hit in 1965 with the DeWitt-penned hit that would become their signature smash, “Flowers on the Wall.” Their performance of this song earned the quartet a Grammy Award in the all-genre category for Best Contemporary Performance - Group (Vocal or Instrumental), even beating The Beatles. They also won a second Grammy Award that same year for Best New Country & Western Group.
The quartet moved to Mercury Records in 1969, where they remained for more than two decades. Their first single for their new label home was 1970’s “Bed of Rose’s” written by Harold Reid, which became a Top 5 hit. This song was the first success in a long relationship between the Statler Brothers and their new producer, Mercury VP Jerry Kennedy. Kennedy would continue to produce the group throughout their career, even after he left Mercury Records to form his own production company.
In 1970, the Statler Brothers also created one of their most loved events with their annual Happy Birthday U.S.A. Fourth of July concert, parade and community celebration. The event, held in their hometown of Staunton until it ended in 1995, was a top tourism draw for the area and always featured one of Country Music’s top artists as a special guest performer. All proceeds from the event were given to local charitable organizations.
The early ‘70s was a successful time for the Statler Brothers as they hit the Top 40 repeatedly with songs such as “Carry Me Back,” “Do You Remember These,” and “Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?,” all written by Harold and Don Reid. Their hit “The Class of ’57,” another Reid brothers composition, which author Kurt Vonnegut once suggested should be considered as a new National Anthem, earned the group their third Grammy Award in 1972 as Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
The group challenged itself by creating several concept albums. The Statler Brothers Sing Country Symphonies in E Major, released in 1972, was structured like an orchestral performance complete with an “intermission.” In 1974, they released the tongue-in-cheek Alive at the Johnny Mack Brown High School under their comic alias of Lester “Roadhog” Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys. And in 1975, they simultaneously released Holy Bible/Old Testament and Holy Bible/New Testament, fulfilling a long-time dream of recording a project celebrating their Christian beliefs.
The Best of the Statler Brothers was released in 1975, featuring their Top Five hit, the Don Reid-penned “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You.” The quartet continued their streak during the next few years with Top 10 hits “The Movies” (written by DeWitt) and “I Was There” (written by Don Reid), before achieving their first No. 1 single with “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine” (written by the Reid brothers) from their 1978 album Entertainers…On & Off the Record.
The Statler Brothers celebrated 10 years with Mercury Records in 1980 with the release of 10th Anniversary. The album featured their hits “Charlotte’s Web” (their song from the film “Smokey and the Bandit II,” in which they also appeared), “Don’t Forget Yourself” (written by Don Reid) and the autobiographical “We Got Paid By Cash” (written by the Reid brothers) that celebrated their history as well as their musical mentor.
By the early ‘80s, DeWitt, who had suffered with Crohn’s Disease since his youth, was in failing health. Jimmy Fortune (born March 11, 1955 in Williamsburg, Va.) was asked to temporarily replace him on the road in late January 1982. DeWitt’s health never improved enough for him to return to touring on a fulltime basis, so he departed the band with Fortune assuming his position fulltime in August of that year. After a few years out of the limelight, DeWitt released two solo albums, On My Own (1985) and Here to Stay (1986). While working on a third album, he passed away due to heart and kidney failure on Aug. 15, 1990 at the age of 52.
Fortune quickly lived up to his name. He wrote the group’s second No. 1 hit “Elizabeth,” on their 1983 album Today, and then followed that with two more No. 1 hits: “My Only Love” (from 1984’s Atlanta Blue) and “Too Much On My Heart” (from 1985’s Pardners in Rhyme). Fortune also wrote their Top 10 hit “Forever” from 1986’s Four for the Show and co-wrote their last major hit, the No. 6 charting “More Than a Name on the Wall” from 1988’s The Greatest Hits.
As the group continued to tour and record albums, they decided to expand their reach into television. The Statler Brothers were no stranger to the medium, having been regulars on ABC’s “The Johnny Cash Show” from 1969-1971. During the ‘80s they had also hosted a string of successful, award-winning syndicated television specials including “An Evening with the Statler Brothers,” “Another Evening with the Statler Brothers: Heroes, Legends and Friends” and “A Statlers Christmas Present.” With that experience behind them, “The Statler Brothers Show” launched on TNN in 1991 as a weekly, hour-long variety series. It quickly became the most popular show on the network and ran for seven years, reconnecting them with longtime followers while building a new generation of fans. “The Statler Brothers Show” was a popular booking for the biggest Country artists of the day as well as legends.
In 2002, the Statler Brothers announced their retirement from the road and gave their farewell concert at the 10,000-seat Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va., not far from Staunton. One year later they released the concert on CD and DVD, as well as a new gospel album, Amen. The group then settled back to enjoy their well-earned retirement.
The RIAA has certified the Statler Brothers with 10 Gold albums (Atlanta Blue, Entertainers…On & Off The Record, Radio Gospel Favorites, Holy Bible/New Testament, Holy Bible/Old Testament, Pardners in Rhyme, 10th Anniversary, The Best of the Statler Brothers Rides Again Vol. 2, The Originals, and Today) signifying 500,000 sales each; one Platinum album (Christmas Card) signifying one million sales; and one triple Platinum album (The Best of the Statler Brothers) signifying three million sales.
For more than 40 years, the Statler Brothers were among the most honored acts in Country Music. Among their awards are: nine CMA Awards for Vocal Group of the Year (1972-1977, 1979, 1980, 1984); three Grammy Awards (1965 Best New Country and Western Group, 1965 Best Contemporary Performance by a Group and 1972 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group); three American Music Awards for Country Group of the Year (1979-1981); and 48 Music City News Awards, including 26 Vocal Group of the Year Awards (1971-1982, 1984-1994, 1996, 1997) and 3 Entertainer of the Year Awards (1985-1987). In 1994, a monument was presented to the Statler Brothers and installed in Gypsy Hill Park in appreciation by the Happy Birthday U.S.A. Committee and the City of Staunton. The group was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
The three surviving original Statler Brothers currently live in Staunton with their families. Balsley still goes to the Statler offices every day, remaining involved in the group’s day-to-day operations. Don Reid has written a number of books: Heroes and Outlaws of the Bible, Sunday Morning Memories, and a book with his two sons Debo and Langdon, You Know It's Christmas When.... He and his brother Harold have collaborated on the group’s memoir, The Statler Brothers: Random Memories, which will be released Feb. 19. The Reid family musical legacy has continued as Don’s son Langdon and Harold’s son Wil formed the Country Music duo Grandstaff. Meanwhile, Fortune moved to Nashville and released several solo albums, including When One Door Closes (2003), I Believe (2005), and Feels Like Christmas (2006). And while only two of the group are siblings, all of its members remain as close as brothers.
Official Website: http://www.StatlerBrothers.com/