Group has success, and tragedy: The Mercury Years, Plus a Tragic Loss (The Statler Brothers)

Even before deciding to test the waters as a solo act, the Statler Brothers had become dissatisfied with their treatment at Columbia Records. They knew Mercury Records producer Jerry Kennedy, who was formerly a session guitarist (he is noted, for among many other works, for the famous guitar run in Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman"), from some session work he'd done with them.

1965 "Flowers on the Wall," by Lew Dewitt
1966 "My Darlin' Hildegard," by Don Reid
1966 "The Right One"
1966 "That'll Be the Day," by Don Reid
1967 "You Can't Have your Kate and Edith too"
1967 "Ruthless"
1968 "Sissy"
1968 "Jump for Joy"
1969 "I'm the Boy, Lew Dewitt"
1969 "O Happy Day"
1970 "Bed of Rose's," by Harold Reid
1970 "New York City," by Don Reid
1971 "You Can't Go Home," by Don Reid
1971 "Pictures," by Don Reid/Lew Dewitt
1972 "Do You Remember These," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1972 "Class of '57," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1972 "Monday Morning Secretary," by Don Reid
1972 "Woman Without a Home," by Don Reid
1973 "Carry Me Back," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1973 "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1974 "Thank you World," by Don Reid/Lew Dewitt
1974 "Susan when she Tried," by Don Reid
1975 "All American Girl," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1975 "I'll Go to My Grave Loving You," by Don Reid
1976 "How Great Thou Art"
1976 "Your Picture in the Paper," by Don Reid
1976 "Thank God I've Got You," by Don Reid
1977 "The Movies," by Lew Dewitt
1977 "Silver Medals and Sweet Memories," by Don Reid
1977 "Some I Wrote," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1978 "Do You Know You are My Sunshine," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1978 "Who am I to Say?," by Kim Reid
1978 "The Official Historian on Shirley Jean Berrell," by Don Reid/Harold Reid
1979 "Here we are Again," by Don Reid
1979 "Nothing As Original As You," by Don Reid
1979 "How to be a Country Star," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1980 "I'll Even Love You Better Than I Did Then," by Don Reid/Harold Reid
1980 "Don't Forget Yourself," by Don Reid
1980 "Charlotte's Webb"
1981 "Don't Wait on Me," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1981 "In the Garden"
1981 "You'll Be Back"
1981 "Years Ago," by Don Reid
1982 "Whatever," by Harold Reid/Don Reid
1982 "Child of the Fifties," by Don Reid
1983 "O Baby Mine"
1983 "Guilty," by Don Reid/Harold Reid
1984 "Elizabeth," by Jimmy Fortune
1984 "Atlanta Blue," by Don Reid
1984 "One Takes the Blame," by Don Reid
1985 "My Only Love," by Jimmy Fortune
1985 "Hello Mary Lou"
1985 "Too Much on my Heart," by Jimmy Fortune
1986 "Sweeter and Sweeter," by Don Reid/Harold Reid
1986 "There Is Power In the Blood"
1986 "Count On Me," by Don Reid
1986 "Only You"
1986 "Forever," by Jimmy Fortune
1987 "I'll Be the One," by Don Reid/Harold Reid/Debo Reid
1988 "The Best I Know How," by Kim Reid
1988 "Am I Crazy," by Jimmy Fortune
1988 "Let's Get Started if We're Gonna Break My Heart," by Don Reid/Harold Reid/Debo Reid
1989 "More Than A Name On A Wall," by Jimmy Fortune/John Rimel
1989 "A Hurt I Can't Handle," by Jimmy Fortune
1989 "Walking Heartache in Disguise," by Harold Reid/Don Reid/Debo Reid
1990 "It's A Small, Small World," by Gary Scruggs/Tom Schuyler
1990 "Nobody Else," by Don Reid
1991 "Remember Me," by John Northup/Gordon Payne
1991 "You've Been Like A Mother to Me," by Don Reid
1991 "There's Still Times," by Don Reid
1991 " Put It On the Card," by Tony Haselden & Stan Munsey,
1992 "Nobody Loves Here Anymore," by Ladonna Brewer Capps
1992 "Same Way Everytime," by Don Reid
1993 "What We Love To Do, by Wil Reid, Langdon Reid

It was also at this time that the group decided to give something back to Staunton, deciding to host a community-wide concert and festival at Gypsy Hill Park, beginning in 1970. The event evolved into Happy Birthday USA.

One thing the above article fails to make clear is that these annual concerts were done completely free. Over all the years they did them, the Statlers made not one penny off them -- not directly, anyway. There was no admission charge. Doing that probably cost them.

The community benefited, though. People would come from all over the country, and local non-profits would piggy-back and pick up a dime or two. So would the motels, restaurants, and everybody else.

I will forever regret that I did not live here then, nor did I ever attend one of these concerts. I know the park. I sometimes take my dog walking there. It's a nice park. Family. Putting 50,000 peple in there would be a lot.

I don't know of any other group of their stature that has done something like that. Maybe one time, but not annually like they did.

The impact they had around here is enormous. Roads are named after them. In Waynesboro, we have Lew DeWitt Drive.

Good music, decent people. Very decent.

Thanks for that information. I live in Virginia also, and I never did get down to Staunton for one of their annual performances, but that did not stop me from admiring them.

I sent a link to the article that was posted here to a friend of mine who was a top rate music industry executive in Nashville for about thirty years. The following is a part of his reply.

" I too loved The Statlers and one of my fondest memories in Nashville was hanging out at their hotel on West End and showing cowboy movies on the side of a building across from their hotel. They used to collect old cowboy movies and they couldn't get it big enough in their room so Harold just opened the door and there was a big white building across the parking lot from their hotel and they used that as their screen. As you rode down West End Avenue and looked up in the air, there was the Durango Kid, Hoppalong Cassidy, Lash Larue, and others from the Old West compliments of The Statler Brothers! They were really super nice guys and funny to be around.

Thanks for directing me to the site. Enjoyed visiting it and checking in on them. Really hated it when Lew had to leave the group and later passed away but Jimmy stepped right in and did a great job."

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