The Statler Brothers

The Statler Brothers were an American country music, gospel, and backing vocal group for Johnny Cash. The quartet was founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia. Originally performing gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen. 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) are actual brothers and none have the surname of Statler. The band, in fact, named themselves after a brand of facial tissue they had noticed in a hotel room (they joked that they could have turned out to be the Kleenex Brothers). Don Reid sang lead; Harold Reid, Don's older brother, sang bass; Phil Balsley sang baritone; and Lew DeWitt sang tenor before being replaced by Jimmy Fortune in 1983 due to DeWitt's ill health. DeWitt died on August 15, 1990, of heart and kidney disease, stemming from complications of Crohn's disease. 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." The group remained closely tied to their gospel roots, with a majority of their records containing at least one gospel song. They produced several albums containing only gospel music and recorded a tribute song to the Blackwood Brothers, who influenced their music. The Statler Brothers also wrote a tribute song to Johnny Cash, who discovered them. The song was called "We Got Paid by Cash," and it reminisces about their time with Cash. The Statler Brothers started their career at a performance at Lyndhurst Methodist Church near their hometown of Staunton. In 1964, they started an eight and a half year run with Johnny Cash as his opening act. This period of their career was memorialized in their song "We Got Paid by Cash." They were featured regularly on Cash's hit show The Johnny Cash Show on ABC. The show ran from 1969-1971. Due to their expanding career the Statlers left Cash's entourage in 1972 to pursue their own careers. They left Cash on good terms.

Two of their 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 TNN, where their videos were shown regularly. Also on TNN, between 1991 and 1998, they hosted their own show, The Statler Brothers Show, a weekly variety show which was the channel's top-rated program for its entire run. Their songs have been featured on several film soundtracks. These range from "Charlotte's Web" in Smokey and the Bandit II, to "Flowers on the Wall" in the crime dramedy Pulp Fiction.

Throughout their career, much of their appeal was related to their incorporation of comedy and parody into their musical act, thanks in large part to the humorous talent of Harold Reid; they were frequently nominated for awards for their comedy as well as their singing. They recorded two comedy albums as 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.

They earned the number one spot on the Billboard chart four times: for "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine?" in 1978; "Elizabeth" in 1984; and in 1985, "My Only Love" and "Too Much on My Heart." Since forming, the Statler Brothers have released over 40 albums. The Statler Brothers purchased and renovated their former elementary school in Staunton, and occupied the complex for several years. The complex consisted of offices for the group, a small museum and auditorium, as well as an adjacent building which 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 building which has been converted back into a school. In 1970, the group began performing at an annual Independence Day festival in Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton. The event 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. The group disbanded and retired after completing a farewell tour on October 26, 2002. Balsley and the Reid brothers continue to reside in Staunton, while Fortune has relocated to Nashville, where he is continuing his music career as a solo artist. He has released three albums as a soloist. The Statlers continue to be the most awarded act in the history of country music. Since the Statlers' retirement in 2002, Don Reid has pursued a second career as an author. He authored or co-authored three books: Heroes and Outlaws of the Bible, Sunday Morning Memories, and You'll Know It's Christmas When.... He and Harold Reid co-wrote a history of the Statler Brothers titled Random Memories released in February 2008. 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. They have also been called "America's Poets" by Kurt Vonnegut