The four members of the American country and gospel vocal group – brothers Don and Harold Reid, Phil Baisley, and Lew DeWitt – have been much-loved for years. So it’s no surprise how The Statler Brothers songs remarkably stand the test of time.
The Statler Brothers actually started their career in the middle of 1950s, delivering a blend of immaculate harmonies and a good amount of humor. However, the quartet only became renowned to thousands of fans following their recurring appearances on The Johnny Cash Show on ABC TV.
RELATED: The Statler Brothers: America’s Poets of the 1960s
As a result, the group was able to release 40 exceptional albums that helped them receive countless major awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music, as well as three Grammy Awards. From 1972 to 1977, they were also consecutively named CMA’s Vocal Group of the Year – and they even did it three more times from 1979 and 1984.
Truly impressive, isn’t it? So, without further ado, we’re bringing you The Statler Brothers‘ greatest hits. Check them out below.
1. “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine”
After eighteen albums and twenty-seven country hits, the group earned their first of four No. 1 hits on the country chart – thanks to “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine,” which stayed atop for two weeks.
2. “Elizabeth”
When singer Jimmy Fortune joined the Statler Brothers, he wrote his first hit, “Elizabeth,” which is rumored to be written about Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor.
3. “The Class of ’57”
The bittersweet, nostalgic song looks back at what came out to be for the fictional high school graduates from fifteen years earlier, wherein the four singers took a solo turn, playing the parts of various classmates.
4. “Do You Remember These”
In “Do You Remember These,” the group reminisced about the good times brought by the 1950s popular culture in the form of a list song.
5. “Bed of Rose’s”
Written by Harold Reid, “Bed of Rose’s” tells the sad story of a young, orphaned man in a small town who is forced to beg in the streets.
6. “How to Be a Country Star”
This one is a piece of light-hearted advice to listeners, saying that if they sounded like any of the real-life artists name-checked in the song, fame and glory are surely waiting.
7. “The Official Historian On Shirley Jean Berrell”
The uptempo ballad recollects on various life details of the eponymous Shirley Jean Berrell, a woman whom the narrator knows really well – except for a single detail, her current whereabouts.
For You
8. “Don’t Wait on Me”
The Statler Brothers delivered their message clearly that there’s no going back for this ex-couple. In fact, their reunion will only be possible “when the sun wakes up in the west and lays its head down in the east.”
9. “Flowers on the Wall”
The Grammy-Award-winning song, “Flowers On The Wall,” tells the poignant story of a man who has been left lonely and nearly unconscious by the one he loves.
10. “You’ll Be Back (Every Night in My Dreams)”
The song was originally released by Johnny Russell and later covered by Conway Twitty, but The Statler Brothers’ version turned out to be the most recognized one – peaking at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
11. “More Than a Name on a Wall”
Jimmy Fortune co-wrote “More Than a Name on a Wall” to pay tribute to our servicemen who keep our country free. The song narrates a mother visiting the Vietnam Wall to see her son’s name, who “died for God and Country.”
12. “Too Much on My Heart”
The song was the group’s last of four No. 1 hits on the country chart, and it tells the heartbreaking tale of a man whose relationship is about to come to an end.
13. “Hello Mary Lou”
“Hello Mary Lou” has been a hit to music artists Johnny Duncan and Ricky Nelson in the early 1960s. The Statler Brothers brought the song back to the charts over two decades later, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
14. “Charlotte’s Web”
Released as the first single from the album 10th Anniversary, “Charlotte’s Web” peaked No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song was also a part of the 1982 action-comedy film Smokey and the Bandit II soundtrack.
15. “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You”
Written by Don Reid, “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You” was released as the first single off their 1975 compilation album. It was based upon Harold Reid’s song called “He Went to the Cross Loving You”.
Some More of The Statler Brothers Songs You Need To Listen
The Statler Brothers’ music continued soaring high until the late 1980s. Here are some more of our favorites.
So, there you have it, The Statler Brothers songs that made the quartet one of the most successful vocal harmony groups in country music history.
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