Country Music Legend of the Week, Statler Brothers [VIDEOS]

The Statler Brothers are an American country music vocal group founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia.

Originally performing gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet. In 1963 they decided 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 group named themselves after a brand of facial tissue they had noticed in a hotel room. They joke that they could have turned out to be the Kleenex Brothers.

Don Reid sang lead and Harold Reid, Don's older brother, sang bass. Phil Balsley sang baritone and Jimmy Fortune sang tenor after replacing original tenor Lew DeWitt in the early 1980s due to the latter'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 , the man who discovered them. The song was called 'We Got Paid by Cash' and it reminisces about their time with Cash.

Two of their best-known songs are "Flowers on the Wall," their first major hit, and the socially conscious "Bed of Rose's." They earned the number one spot on the Billboard chart four times for "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine?" in 1978, "Elizabeth" in 1982, "My Only Love" in 1984, and "Too Much on My Heart" in 1985. Since forming, the Statler Brothers have released over 40 albums.

Flowers On The Wall

Class of '57

I'll Go To My Grave Loving You

How Great Thou Art

More Than A Name On A Wall

Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott

Bed Of Roses - Johnny Cash & Statler Brothers

Do You Know You Are My Sunshine

My Only Love