For decades, The Statler Brothers stood as pillars of harmony, faith, and storytelling in American country music. But behind the smooth voices and gospel-laced choruses was a moment that could have changed everything — if not for one man.
And now, in a candid interview fans didn’t expect, Don Reid has spoken words he’s held close for years:
“Jimmy Fortune didn’t just join the Statler Brothers… he saved us.”
It was 1983 when original tenor Lew DeWitt, whose voice helped define the group’s early success, was forced to step away due to chronic illness. For the Statlers — then at the height of their fame — it was a devastating blow. No one knew how to go on. No one even knew if they should go on.
“We were lost, to be honest. Lew was irreplaceable. And for a moment, we thought maybe that was the end.”
But then came Jimmy Fortune, a soft-spoken young tenor from Virginia with a voice that carried both sorrow and hope. The band took a chance. Jimmy took a leap. And the result was something no one expected.
The Statler Brothers didn’t just survive… they soared.
Jimmy’s voice blended seamlessly into the group, but it was his heart that Don Reid now says made the difference.
“He brought new life into our sound, yes. But more than that, he brought us joy again. He made us laugh. He reminded us why we started singing in the first place.”
Don admits they were worried at first — about how fans would react, how the dynamic would shift, and whether the magic could truly continue.
“But night after night, show after show, Jimmy made believers out of everyone — including us.”
For 19 more years, The Statler Brothers continued their journey with Jimmy Fortune at their side, breathing new songs and new memories into a legacy already etched in gold.
And now, Don Reid says it plainly.
“There would be no second chapter without Jimmy. He didn’t just fill Lew’s shoes. He honored them. And then he walked forward in his own.”
Today, long after the final curtain fell in 2002, Jimmy continues to carry the spirit of the Statlers in his solo career — and fans still feel that harmony, still hear that love, in every note he sings.
Because as Don Reid has finally revealed… sometimes the quietest man in the room turns out to be the one who holds the whole thing together.
