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The Statler Brothers

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Albums62
Songs283
About Named after a brand of tissues, the four members of the
Statler Brothers did not in fact share a fraternal bond; what
they did share, however, was the distinction of being one of
the most successful vocal harmony groups in the history of
country music. Formed in the group's home base of
Staunton, VA, in 1955, the Statlers were originally a church
trio comprised of bass vocalist Harold Reid (born August 21,
1939), baritone Phil Balsley (August 8, 1939), and tenor Lew
DeWitt (March 8, 1938). In 1960, Reid's younger brother Don
(born June 5, 1945) signed on to take the lead vocal reins,
and the quartet performed gospel music under the name the
Kingsmen.

After arranging a meeting with the promotional department
for a local Johnny Cash concert, the Kingsmen were asked to
open the performance. Cash was so impressed that he
invited the group to join the tour, and after changing their
name to the Statler Brothers, they remained on the road with
Cash from 1963 to 1971. The Statlers signed to Columbia
Records in 1964 and a year later scored a huge country and
pop hit with DeWitt's "Flowers on the Wall," which also lent it's
name to their 1966 debut album. 1967's The Statler Brothers
Sing the Big Hits held true to its title's promise, generating a
pair of Top Ten singles in "Ruthless" and "You Can't Have
Your Kate and Edith, Too."

In 1969, the quartet moved to Mercury Records, where
they remained for over two decades; their first single for the
label, 1970's "Bed of Rose's," was a Top Ten hit. In the same
year, they held their first Fourth of July picnic; for decades,
the celebration remained an annual holiday staple, drawing
tens of thousands of fans each summer. Throughout the first
half of the 1970s, the Statlers remained fixtures on the Top
40 charts thanks to a string of nostalgic singles like
1972's "Do You Remember These" and "The Class of '57,"
1973's "Carry Me Back," and 1974's "Whatever Happened to
Randolph Scott." Their LPs of the period were often concept
records: 1972's The Statler Brothers Sing Country
Symphonies in E Major was whimsically formatted like an
orchestral performance (complete with
sidebreak "intermission"), while 1975's joint release Holy
Bible/Old Testament and Holy Bible/New Testament fulfilled a
long-standing dream to record a gospel project. 1973's Alive
at the Johnny Mack Brown High School, on the other hand,
was a tongue-in-cheek effort recorded under the group's
comic alias Lester "Roadhog" Moran & the Cadillac Cowboys.

The sentimental "I'll Go to My Grave Loving You" was a Top
Five hit in 1975 and was included on the Statlers' first best-of
compilation, released later in the same year. After a series
of Top Ten hits that included 1977's "The Movies" (another
recurring Statler theme) and "I Was There," they earned
their first chart-topper in 1978 with "Do You Know You Are
My Sunshine," from the album Entertainers...on & off the
Record. In 1980 the Statler Brothers celebrated their first
decade on Mercury with 10th Anniversary, which featured the
smash "Charlotte's Web," taken from the film Smokey and
the Bandit, Pt. 2, in which the group also co-starred.

After 1982's The Legend Goes On, DeWitt was forced to
leave the group as a result of Crohn's disease; the illness
ultimately killed him on August 15, 1990. The remaining
Statlers tapped Jimmy Fortune as his successor, and
immediately Fortune earned the group its second number
one with his "Elizabeth" (an homage to actress Elizabeth
Taylor), from the album Today. Their next two LPs, 1984's
Atlanta Blue and 1985's Pardners in Rhyme, were credited to
simply the Statlers; each record generated a number one
hit — "My Only Love" and "Too Much on My Heart,"
respectively — again composed by Fortune. They returned as
the Statler Brothers for the 1986 inspirational release Radio
Gospel Favorites, followed later in the year by Four for the
Show. 1987's Maple Street Memories produced the Top Ten
single "Forever"; 1989's "More Than a Name on the Wall,"
which peaked at number six, was their last significant hit.
They continued releasing albums, however, and in addition to
remaining a popular touring act in the 1990s, the Statler
Brothers also hosted a long-running variety show on TNN.

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