The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers for Johnny Cash.[1]
Originally performing Southern gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen.[2] In 1963, when the song "Louie, Louie" by the garage rock band also called The Kingsmen became famous, the group elected to bill themselves as the Statler Brothers. Despite the name, only two members of the group (Don and Harold Reid) were actual brothers and no member had the surname of Statler. The group actually named themselves after a brand of facial tissue they had noticed in a hotel room (they later quipped that they could just as easily have named themselves "the Kleenex Brothers").[3] Don Reid sang lead; Harold Reid, Don's older brother, sang bass; Phil Balsley sang baritone; and Lew DeWitt sang tenor and was the guitarist before being replaced due to ill health by Jimmy Fortune in 1981.[4]
The band's style was closely linked to their gospel roots. "We took gospel harmonies," said Harold Reid, "and put them over in country music."[2] Most of their albums contain at least one gospel song, and they produced several containing only gospel. They also recorded a tribute song to The Blackwood Brothers, who influenced their music. The song "We Got Paid by Cash" was written by the Statler Brothers as a tribute to Johnny Cash, who discovered and mentored them.[2]
Career
Early in the group's history, before the group named themselves The Statler Brothers, Joe McDorman was their lead singer.[5]
The Statlers began their career at a performance at Lyndhurst Methodist Church near their hometown of Staunton, Virginia, under the name The Four Star Quartet.[2] In 1964, they started an eight-year run as Johnny Cash's opening act and backing vocalists.[3] This period of their career was memorialized in their song "We Got Paid by Cash." They were featured regularly on The Johnny Cash Show, his ABC hit show that ran from 1969 to 1971. Due to their expanding career, the Statlers left Cash's entourage around the mid-1970s to concentrate on their career, a departure that took place on good terms.
Two of the Statlers' best-known songs are "Flowers on the Wall," their first major hit that was composed and written by Lew DeWitt, and the socially conscious "Bed of Rose's". In the 1980s, the Statlers were a mainstay on The Nashville Network (TNN), where their videos were shown regularly. Also on TNN, between 1991 and 1998, they hosted The Statler Brothers Show, a weekly variety show, which was the network's top-rated program for its entire 7-year run.[6][7][8]
Throughout the Statlers' career, much of their appeal was related to their incorporation of comedy and parody into their musical act, due in large part to the humorous and comedic talent of group member Harold Reid; they were frequently nominated for awards for their comedy as well as their singing. They recorded two comedy albums under the pseudonym Lester "Roadhog" Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys, and one-half of one side of the album Country Music Then and Now was devoted to satirizing small-town radio stations' Saturday-morning shows.
In 1980, the Statler Brothers purchased and renovated their former elementary school, Beverly Manor, in Staunton, occupying the complex for several years. The complex consisted of offices for the group, a small museum and auditorium, and an adjacent building that served as office space for unrelated businesses. A garage was built to store the two tour buses that the group had used for many years. The group has since sold the complex, which Grace Christian Church in Staunton converted back into an academic campus.[12]
In 1970, the group began performing at an annual Independence Day festival in Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton. The event, known as "Happy Birthday USA," lasted for 25 years, and included many country-music figures, including Mel Tillis, Charley Pride, and many others. The event drew as many as 100,000 fans each year. The group also honored their hometown with the song "Staunton, Virginia" on their 1973 album Do You Love Me Tonight.
DeWitt retired from the Statler Brothers in 1982 due to ill health. After a 3-year hiatus, he returned to the music industry as a solo artist until shortly before his death on August 15, 1990, from complications of Crohn's disease, at age 52.[13]
Harold Reid (born on August 21, 1939[14]) died on April 24, 2020, after a long battle with kidney failure, at age 80.[15][16][17]
The group disbanded and retired after completing a farewell tour on October 26, 2002. Balsley and Don Reid continue to reside in Staunton, as did Harold Reid until his death in April 2020; Fortune, though, relocated to Nashville, where he continues his music career as a solo artist, having released three albums under his own name. The Statlers remain one of the most awarded acts in the history of country music.[23]
Don Reid has pursued a second career as an author, having written six books of his own. With his sons Donald II ("Debo") and Langdon, he co-wrote You Know It's Christmas When . . . His brother Harold and he co-wrote a history of the Statler Brothers titled Random Memories, published in February 2008. In 2020, Reid wrote a complete anthology of the Statlers' songs, titled The Music of the Statler Brothers.[24]
Grandstaff/Wilson Fairchild
Wil and Langdon Reid, the sons of Harold and Don, respectively, formed a duo in the 1990s, originally performing under the name Grandstaff. In 2007, Grandstaff recorded "The Statler Brothers Song" as a tribute to the Statlers.
In an interview on Nashville's WSM (AM) on March 25, 2010, Wil Reid said that they decided to change their name to Wilson Fairchild after many people got the name "Grandstaff" wrong during introductions. The name comes from "Wilson," Wil's middle name, and "Fairchild," Langdon's middle name.
Sisters Kim and Karmen Reid (daughters of Harold) also enjoyed a brief stint as a country duo in the early 1980s, which included a guest appearance on an episode of Hee Haw.
Influence
The Statler Brothers have been credited as the first country music act to transfer the genre's nostalgia from a rural to a suburban setting.[9] They have also been called "America's Poets" by Kurt Vonnegut.[25] The bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent often performs with two other members of their band as a quartet in the style of the Statlers, often performing many of the Statlers' hits in their shows. Jimmy Fortune also sometimes tours with Dailey & Vincent.
Lewis Calvin DeWitt Jr. was an American country music singer, guitarist, and composer. He was a founding member of The Statler Brothers and the group's original tenor.
Johnny Cash at Madison Square Garden is a 1969 recording of a Johnny Cash concert at Madison Square Garden. It was released in 2002.
The Johnny Cash Family Christmas is the 41st overall and second Christmas album by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1972. It is his second Christmas album, the first one being the 1963 release entitled The Christmas Spirit. The album includes less original Cash material than its predecessor and contains narrations and dialogue featuring his family and friends, between tracks. In all, three songs were written or co-written by Cash, while two, "Christmas as I Knew It" and "Silent Night", had been featured on The Christmas Spirit. June Carter Cash, Marshall Grant, Tommy Cash, Harold Reid, Larry Butler, Maybelle Carter, Anita Carter, Carl Perkins and Lew DeWitt are among those featured on the album.
The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus is a double album and the fourth gospel album and 45th overall album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1973. It is the soundtrack to the film of the same name released by Twentieth Century Fox.
The Statler Brothers Show was an American television variety show hosted by country music group The Statler Brothers. The show ran for seven seasons from 1991 to 1998 on The Nashville Network (TNN) as part of the network's Saturday night lineup and became the most popular show on TNN, including being the highest rated show in the network's history. The show's theme music is an instrumental of "The Class of '57," one of the Statlers' biggest hits as performed by the Bill Walker Orchestra, which along with the Statlers' band, provided all the music for the show.
Flowers on the Wall is the debut studio album by the Statler Brothers. It produced their debut single "Flowers on the Wall", a Top 5 country and pop hit that year. Members of Johnny Cash's band, the Tennessee Three played on the album, as it was recorded in between takes during the recording of a Johnny Cash album.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2008.
The discography of American country music group The Statler Brothers consists of 37 studio albums, 18 compilation albums, three live albums, 83 singles, and 14 music videos. The group debuted in 1965 with "Flowers on the Wall", a number two Billboard Hot Country Songs and number four Hot 100 hit. Although they never made top 40 on the Hot 100 again, The Statler Brothers continued to chart on Hot Country Songs until 1990, reaching number one with "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine" in 1978, "Elizabeth" in 1984, and "My Only Love" and "Too Much on My Heart", both in 1985.
"Daddy Sang Bass" is a song written by Carl Perkins, with lines from the chorus of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?", and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. It was released in November 1968 as the first single from the album The Holy Land. The song was Cash's sixty-first release on the country chart, going on to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart for 6 weeks and spending a total of 19 weeks there. The single reached No. 56 on the Cashbox pop singles chart in 1969. "Daddy Sang Bass" was also released on the Columbia Records Hall of Fame Series as a 45, #13-33153, b/w "Folsom Prison Blues". The record was nominated in the CMA awards category of Single of the Year by the Country Music Association (CMA) in 1969.
"Do You Know You Are My Sunshine" is a song written by Don Reid and Harold Reid, and recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in March 1978 as the first single from the album Entertainers...On and Off the Record. The song was The Statler Brothers' twenty-seventh country hit and the first of four number ones on the country chart, as well as the group's only number one with original tenor Lew DeWitt. The single stayed at number one for two weeks and spent a total of eleven weeks on the country chart.
"Elizabeth" is a song written by Jimmy Fortune, and recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in November 1984 as the second single from the album Today. The song was The Statler Brothers' 44th country hit and their second number one on the country charts. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of 13 weeks on the country charts.
Bed of Rose's is the fourth studio album by the Statler Brothers and the first one recorded for Mercury Records. One of two singles from the album, "Bed of Rose's" reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
"Don't Wait on Me" is a song written by Don Reid and Harold Reid, and recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in June 1981 as the first single from their album Years Ago. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
"The Class of '57" is a song written by Don Reid and Harold Reid, and recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in August 1972 as the first single from the album Country Music Then and Now. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song was also critically acclaimed with the Statler Brothers winning the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
"A Child of the Fifties" is a song written by Don Reid, and recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in September 1982 as the second single from the album The Legend Goes On. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"How to Be a Country Star" is a song recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers, written by group members Harold Reid and Don Reid. The song – a humorous, tongue-in-cheek advice song that names many of the top country music recording artists of the time, along with a number of classic country artists – was released in March 1979 as the first single from the album The Originals. The song eventually climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that May, and also No. 18 on the Canadian RPM country singles chart.
Christmas Card is the nineteenth studio album and the first Christmas album by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in 1978 via Mercury Records. The group's first Christmas album, it peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
"Whatever" is a song recorded by American country music group The Statler Brothers. It was released in July 1982 as the first single from the album The Legend Goes On. The song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song was written by Don Reid and Harold Reid. It is considered to be one of the rarest hits in the Statlers' catalog, as the Legend Goes On album has never been issued on CD as of 2017, and the song had never appeared on any of the group's compilation albums until 2010 when it was included on the 2-disc edition of their ICON Series release.
Christmas Present is the twenty-seventh studio album and the second Christmas album by American country music group The Statler Brothers. Released in 1985 via Mercury Records, it peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
"The Sons of Katie Elder" is the theme song for the 1965 Paramount western of the same name starring John Wayne. It was written by Ernie Sheldon (words) and Elmer Bernstein (music).
References
↑ Mike Morsch, The Vinyl Dialogues: Stories Behind Memorable Albums of the 1970s as Told by the Artists (Biblio, 2014), pp. 73–76. ISBN9781622492077
1 2 3 4 W. K. McNeil, ed. (2005). "The Statler Brothers". Encyclopedia of Gospel Music. Glasgow: Routledge. p.376. ISBN0-415-94179-2.
1 2 Irwin Stamler & Grelund Landon, ed. (1997). "The Statler Brothers". Country Music: The Encyclopedia. New York: Macmillan. p.459. ISBN0-312-26487-9.
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