The Statler Brothers
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| The Statler Brothers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Staunton, Virginia, USA |
| Genre(s) | Country |
| Years active | 1955 – 1982; 1982 – 2002 |
| Label(s) | Columbia (1966 – 1969) Mercury (1970 – 2003) |
| Website | www.statlerbrothers.com |
| Members | |
| Don Reid Harold Reid Phil Balsley Jimmy Fortune |
|
| Former members | |
| Lew DeWitt | |
The Statler Brothers are an American country music vocal group founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia.
Despite the band's name, just two of its four members are brothers, and none of them are named "Statler." The band, in fact, named themselves after a brand of facial tissue[citation needed] (they have joked that they could have turned out to be the Kleenex Brothers).[citation needed] Don Reid sings lead and is the younger brother of Harold Reid, who sings bass. The other members are baritone, Phil Balsley and tenor, Jimmy Fortune, who replaced original Statler Lew DeWitt in the early 1980s due to the latter's ill health.
Since forming, the Statler Brothers have released over 40 albums.[citation needed] They received Grammy Awards in 1966 and 1973.[citation needed] Two of their best-known songs are "Flowers on the Wall", their first big hit, and the socially-conscious "Bed of Rose's".[citation needed] In the 1980s, the Statlers were a mainstay on CMT, where their videos were shown regularly. During the 1990s, they hosted The Statler Brothers Show, a weekly variety show on the cable television channel The Nashville Network. Throughout their career, much of their appeal was related to their considerable ability for comedy and parody that they frequently interspersed into their musical act; they were frequently nominated for awards for their comedy as well as their singing. They recorded two comedy albums as "Lester Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys," and one-half of one side of the album "Country Music Then and Now" was also devoted to satirizing small-town radio stations' Saturday morning shows.
The Statlers are now semi-retired, having completed a farewell tour in 2002. Harold, Phil, and Don continue to reside in their hometown of Staunton, Virginia. Fortune has relocated to Nashville, where he is pursuing a solo career. He has released two albums as a soloist. The Statlers continue to be the most awarded act in the history of country music.[citation needed]
Don has authored or co-authored three books since the Statlers' retirement in 2002. They are Heroes and Outlaws of the Bible, Sunday Morning Memories, and You'll Know It's Christmas When... He and Harold co-wrote a history of the Statler Brothers, published in 2006.
- Flowers on the Wall, 1966, Columbia Studios
- The Statler Brothers Sing the Big Hits, 1967 Columbia
- How Great Thou Art, 1969, Columbia
- Bed of Rose's, 1970, Mercury Records
- Pictures of Moments to Remember, 1971 Mercury
- Innerview, 1972, Mercury
- Country Music Then and Now, 1972, Mercury
- Country Symphonies in E Major, 1973, Mercury
- Carry Me Back, 1973, Mercury
- Thank You World, 1973, Mercury
- Sons of the Motherland, 1974, Mercury
- Alive at the Johnny Mack Brown High School, 1974, Mercury
- The Best of the Statler Brothers (Triple Platnum), 1975, Mercury
- The Holy Bible: Old Testament (Gold), 1975, Mercury
- The Holy Bible: New Testament (Gold), 1975
- Harold, Lew, Phil, and Don, 1976, Mercury
- The Country America Loves, 1977, Mercury
- Short Stories, 1977, Mercury
- Entertainers On and Off the Road, 1978 Mercury
- Christmas Card (Platinum album), 1978, Mercury
- The Originals (Gold), 1979, Mercury
- The Best of Statler Brothers Rides Again (Gold), 1979, Mercury
- Tenth Anniversary (Gold), 1980, Mercury
- Years Ago, 1981, Mercury
- The Legend Goes On, 1982, Mercury
- Today (Gold), 1983, Mercury
- Atlanta Blue (Gold), 1983, Mercury
- Pardners in Rhyme, 1984, Mercury
- Christmas Present, 1985, Mercury
- Four for the Show, 1986, Mercury
- Radio Gospel Favorites (Gold), 1986, Mercury
- Maple Street Memories, 1987, Mercury
- The Statler Brothers' Greatest Hits Volume III, 1988, Mercury
- Live and Sold Out, 1989, Mercury
- Music, Memories, and You, 1990, Mercury
- All American Country, 1991, Mercury
- Words and Music, 1992, Mercury
- Gospel Favorites (Gold), 1992, Mercury
- Home (Gold), 1993, Mercury
- A 30th Anniversary Celebration (box set compilation), 1994, Mercury
- The Statler Brothers Sing the Classics, 1995, Mercury
- Pulp Fiction, 1995 (Contributor)
- Showtime, 2001, Mercury
- Amen, 2003, Mercury
- Farewell Concert, 2003, Mercury
Categories: Articles needing additional references from November 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since November 2007 | American country music groups | American country musicians | Musical groups with siblings | People from Staunton, Virginia | People from Virginia | Grammy Award winners | Country quartets