THROUGH THE LAST CHAPTER OF HIS LIFE, HAROLD REID FACED KIDNEY FAILURE WITH THE SAME QUIET STRENGTH THAT HAD DEFINED HIM FOR DECADES. After a career that produced 58 Top 40 hits, countless unforgettable performances, and a voice that became the foundation of The Statler Brothers, he accepted each day with gratitude rather t

IN HIS FINAL YEARS, HAROLD REID WAS DIAGNOSED WITH KIDNEY FAILURE. FOR YEARS HE FOUGHT IT — 58 TOP 40 HITS BEHIND HIM, THE STATLER BROTHERS RETIRED, AND A BASS VOICE THAT WAS SLOWLY GOING QUIET. “I’ve been a blessed man. I’m ready to go whenever the Lord calls me.” At the time, Harold was … Đọc tiếp

THE STATLER BROTHERS STEPPED AWAY FROM JOHNNY CASH’S TOUR IN 1972 — AFTER EIGHT YEARS SHARING STAGES WITH HIM FROM FOLSOM PRISON TO NATIONAL TELEVISION. Two years later, Lew DeWitt and Don Reid wrote a song that simply said “thank you” to the people who stayed. And the soaring tenor that carried those words would never be heard the same way again.

THE STATLER BROTHERS LEFT JOHNNY CASH’S ROAD SHOW IN 1972 — AFTER 8 YEARS SINGING BESIDE HIM FROM FOLSOM PRISON TO THE ABC NETWORK. 2 years later, Lew DeWitt and Don Reid wrote a thank-you letter to every audience that had believed them without Cash standing beside them. Lew sang the high tenor. Nobody ever … Đọc tiếp

THE STEADFAST FAITH THAT GUIDED PHIL BALSLEY’S LIFE AND MUSIC

THE QUIET FAITH BEHIND THE VOICE: PHIL BALSLEY’S UNTOLD SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Behind Phil Balsley’s rich baritone lies something deeper than musical talent — a quiet, unwavering Christian faith that shaped every note he ever sang. The Statler Brothers’ story actually began in church, not on a Nashville stage. In 1955, four young men from Staunton, … Đọc tiếp

THE STATLER BROTHERS KNEW THE PERFECT MOMENT TO SAY GOODBYE — AND THEY NEVER LOOKED BACK.

THE STATLER BROTHERS’ LAST BOW — A MASTERCLASS IN KNOWING WHEN TO LEAVE On October 26, 2002, four men from Staunton, Virginia walked onto the stage of Salem Civic Center for the last time. After 38 years on the road, The Statler Brothers — Harold Reid, Don Reid, Phil Balsley, and Jimmy Fortune — sang … Đọc tiếp

There are songs that climb the charts, and there are songs that quietly find a permanent place in people’s hearts. The Statler Brothers never expected this gentle ballad to become the one listeners would treasure for a lifetime.

THE STATLER BROTHERS NEVER IMAGINED THIS QUIET SONG WOULD BE THE ONE PEOPLE CARRIED WITH THEM FOREVER  When The Statler Brothers first sat with this song, it didn’t feel like anything special. There was no grand message waiting inside it, no soaring chorus, no dramatic turn meant to stop you in your tracks. It was … Đọc tiếp

IN 1978, GEORGE JONES HEARD THE SONG AND SAID, “NOBODY’S GOING TO BUY THAT SAD THING.” TWO YEARS LATER, IT CHANGED HIS LIFE.

GEORGE JONES TOLD HIS PRODUCER “NOBODY WILL BUY THAT MORBID SON OF A BITCH” — THEN IT BECAME THE GREATEST COUNTRY SONG EVER WRITTEN When George Jones first heard this song in 1978, he hated it. He thought it was too long. Too sad. Too dark for radio. “Nobody’ll buy that morbid son of a … Đọc tiếp

ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2003, INSIDE A QUIET CHURCH IN HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE, FOUR VOICES ROSE ONE LAST TIME FOR THE MAN WHO HAD CHANGED THEIR LIVES NEARLY FORTY YEARS EARLIER.

HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE. SEPTEMBER 15, 2003. FOUR MEN IN DARK SUITS STOOD UP IN A CHURCH FULL OF LEGENDS AND TRIED TO SING GOODBYE TO THE MAN WHO HAD PUT THEM ON HIS TOUR BUS IN 1964 AND NEVER REALLY LET THEM GO. The Statler Brothers had been Johnny Cash’s opening act for eight years. He … Đọc tiếp

A SINGLE HANDSHAKE FROM JOHNNY CASH CHANGED FOUR YOUNG MEN’S LIVES FOREVER.

JOHNNY CASH HIRED THEM WITH A HANDSHAKE. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT LASTED A LIFETIME… In 1964, four boys from Staunton, Virginia showed up at the Roanoke Fair with nothing — no record deal, no manager, no connections. They sang an imitation of “Ring of Fire” — Harold sang Cash’s deep voice while the other three mouthed … Đọc tiếp