British guitarist analyses The Statler Brothers harmonious delights live in 1967!
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- Опубликовано: 28 мар 2020
- Tonight we're going back to 1967 to take a look at The Statler Brothers!
Original video - • The Statler Brothers: ...
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Fil, I live in Staunton, VA which is the hometown of The Statler Brothers. They are the pride of our town. Thank you for giving them a shout out
Having lived in Wink Texas at a very early age I know exactly what you mean.... =^>
I live in Staunton too! Hey neighbor!
I don't live there, but I know the area well from stopping there on annual trips to UVa Medical Center with my daughter. We would either stop at the Golden Corral in Waynesboro on Lew Dewitt Blvd., or at the Shoney's or the Cracker Barrel in Staunton.
I'm from Bedford. I saw these guys for my first concert at the Salem Civic Center. So cool watching our state's native sons.
You always know a real Virginian if they pronounce “Staunton” correctly. 😄
I shared this video about a year ago on my FB wall and Statler Brothers fan site. I am Lew's youngest daughter and I want to THANK YOU, for taking the time to do this review and all of your wonderful thoughts! Rest in Peace daddy! Oh and Fil, I'm a fan of you too... :) I started watching your channel when I came across this video.
Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Shannon DeWitt
Thanks Shannon! No problem! ☺
@@wingsofpegasus you know what would be just as cool... a segment on Spinal Tap 😄 🤣 😂
Mrs. Shannon, your father had the SWEETEST tenor voice I've ever heard. I loved his solo work after he quit touring with the Statlers. He wrote some great songs and again what a beautiful voice! When they recorded "Pass Me Not" and your father sings those stunning high notes I still, after all these years, get chills and tears. I hated that he suffered so much from Crohn's disease and I can't imagine how much that must have been hard for him and also for you as a family. I just want you to know The Statlers, and your father, gave me some of the only joy I knew as a kid and i still love their music to this day. Your father always struck me as a kind and good man. He was most definitely a country music legend, but I imagine he was every bit as wonderful a person and father. God Bless you for sharing. I miss your Dad's voice. I just wanted to share that your father touched lives and brought life saving joy and hope to people, especially me, and he is loved and will never be forgotten!!! God bless you and your family! Thanks for sharing him with us!
@@StoptheInsanityofRegressivism thank you for your kind words 🙏 he is missed dearly every day!
They're harmonies are unmatched. Grew up listening to these guys.
Same for me.
I have the pleasure and privilege of playing music with Lew Dewitt's eldest son , Denver.......
@@johndemas831 excellent!
Well... matched certainly if not humbled by the Byrds and The Association, etc. 😏
Sadly, we lost Harold Reid on April 24th. He left behind a lifetime of hits and laughter and will never be forgotten. :)
The Statler Brothers voices are easily recognized in Johnny Cash's *"Daddy Sang Bass":*
"Daddy sang bass" -- Johnny Cash
"Momma sang tenor" -- June Carter Cash
"Me and little brother would join right in there" -- the Statler Brothers
Actually, though June later sang it with Cash, many times, in concert, the female singer who sings "Momma sang tenor" on the "Daddy Sang Bass" recording is Jan Howard.
@@highnrising true!
Another Johnny Cash connection: they got to record Flowers on the Wall because Cash suddenly decided to go out for lunch during a session and the studio people said: you have until he gets back to cut a single. They did Billy Christian (which was supposed to be the A side) and Flowers on the Wall which Lew had just written. He taught it to the "brothers" and they recorded it with whichever musicians had not gone to lunch the same time that Cash did. A mark of them is that they stayed with Cash for quite some time after they became successful because they thought they owed it to him. I recommend the book that Don and Harold wrote.
When I hear this I see Bruce Willis driving the Honda.
Influenced legions of American artists like Alabama, Gatlin Brothers, The Imperials, The Bellamy Brothers, etc. Good one Fil.
Actually the oak ridge boys have been around since the 1940's. Just not this current line up. The current line up has been around since the 1960's.
@@lisacook9482 Whoops Thx . Corrected above. Cheers.
Country music singers before the Statler's usually made their mark on a top heavy individual entertainer ( sometimes with their second ) the Stats broke that mold and paved the way for the success of many other groups .
My 2nd favorite song by the Statlers. The 1st is "I'll Go To My Grave Lovin' You" from 1975, written by Don.
One of the songs they recorded with Johnny Cash (and Mother Maybelle & the Carter Family) was "Daddy Sang Bass". Again, great harmonies.
My favorites from the Statler Bros are “Elizabeth” and “I’ll Go To My Grave Loving You”.
I'll go to my grave loving you...such an awesome song. Can you just imagine playing that song and then George Jones's song "He Stopped Loving Her Today" back to back. You'd need a box of tissue ;)
Check out “Susan, when she tried”, “I’ll go to my grave(loving you)” & “Bed of Roses.”
Susan When She Tried is an awesome song! Elvis Presley covered it on his "Today" album.
I think their four greatest novelty songs, and possibly the best of all their songs, are "Class of '57" and "Do You Remember", "The Movies" and "Whatever Happened To Randolph Scott".
Clever rhymes abound in these four tribute songs. The 1st to the stereotypical high school class (a traditional song that is played on countless high school graduation days celebrations).
The 2nd, a tribute to an abundance of early to mid 20th century childhood and teenage iconic pop culture references. Possibly my favorite song by them since my own childhood.
The 3rd and 4th songs, a tribute to the movies of our lives. The last one to famous movie cowboys.
Their song with the most pathos, and probably the greatest message, is "More Than A Name On A Wall" (or "Name On A Wall). I'm not sure which name it goes by. About a mother trying to say goodbye to her boy who was lost in Vietnam, praying at the Vietnam War Memorial wall.
All great songs, and some of my favorites as well!
The Statler Brothers also recorded the hit song Charlotte's Web, which appeared in Smokey and the Bandit part II. This song has been used to memorialize Burt Reynolds after his passing in 2018. I always get goosebumps when I listen to it, as it's so touching.
The Blackwood Brothers were Elvis' favorite gospel group when he was young.
This kind of beautiful harmonious singing is shamefully obscure in todays music climate. No auto-tune in sight here. I don’t know about you , but it makes me happy.
Haha!! I was thinking of this song today while we're all all cooped up, alphabetizing our spices! I had no idea how amazingly successful they became...great capsulizing their career and what made this one so much fun!
Don't know his name ..didn't a musician redo this song in the early 90's that was really good.
@@mevrammcoyoteV8f150 Eric heatherly
Very successful, they're the most awarded act in country music
Great video. One important thing you left out in your summary of the group's history: Lew DeWitt, the writer of "Flowers on the Wall" and the tenor and guitar player here, became ill with Crohn's disease in the early '80s and could not tour and had to leave the group. He was replaced in 1983 by Jimmy Fortune. The Statler Brothers' last three #1 hits, which you mentioned, "Elizabeth," "My Only Love" and "Too Much on My Heart" came out in 1984-85 and were all written by Fortune, and he also sang lead on those recordings. In fact, Fortune is so dominant on those recordings that they sound more like Jimmy Fortune and his 3 back-up singers than a musical quartet.
After experiencing some improvement in his health, Lew DeWitt put out a few albums and performed as a solo artist in the mid '80s--but his health problems returned and he died in 1990 at age 52.
Fantastic song. And what a great pick as we are all in solitude at home these days.
Agreed! :-)
They were so young! I was familiar with them when they were older.
They were always good. Thanks, Fil.
ALRIGHT! STATLER BROTHERS!
Back in the 70's and 80's I wore out 2 of their cassettes playing them in the car everywhere I went. Many years later, I'm driving my grown son(who loves heavy metal and rap) somewhere and this song came on the radio. He said, "HEY! I REMEMBER THIS SONG, MOM! It was on a cassette you played all the time. I loved that cassette!" Go figure.😁
Those lyrics are priceless-“playing solitaire til dawn with a deck of 51”: totally pointless since you’ll never win without a full deck-but it doesn’t matter! Tongue in cheek fun!😎
Not "pointless" at all. The line points to boredom, loneliness and desperation.
@@shurshot2764 exactly. The pointlessness is the point.
I always looked at the progression of country groups in this order: Stadler Brothers > Oakridge Boys > Alabama. Between those 3 bands, they pretty much dominated all other country bands of the period. All of them had a gospel background. Its shamefull that it took them that long to get in the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Stadler Brothers were regular guest on Hee Haw back in the day. The one that sings bass is really funny. You made a great choice when you picked this band to review.
Sadly, the bass, Harold Reid of The Statler Brothers, died on Friday April 24th, 2020 at the age of 80 years old from kidney disease. What a loss.
Not trying to be disagreeable, just hoping to learn something. As far as I can find in all my reference materials, they only appeard on Hee Haw two times. Once with Lew DeWitt and once with Jimmy Fortune. (Actually, the time they appeared with Lew, Jimmy was in the band playing guitar.)
As for Johnny Cash, yes, they were a part of The Johnny Cash show for 8 1/2 years, beginning in 1964.
My mom loved these guys. I remember hearing this song (as well as other Statler Brothers songs) played in our house when I was a little kid and I am 55 now!
MY DAD LOVED THIS SONG
My parents loved them too.
I've been in exactly one fan club in my life, and it was The Statler Brothers. Great harmonies and great songs. Sitting here wondering how I even joined a fan club in the '80s, pre-internet. But I remember getting signed photos in the mail occasionally from them.
Same here!
I was right there with ya!
They actually never had a Fan Club. Do you mean you subscribed to their newsletter? That's what they had instead. They also sent out Christmas cards each year.
@@kevinfan726 They had a fan club, or someone had one for them. I'm talking in the 80s. I guess it could've been a newsletter, but I remember getting signed pictures in the mail.
Thank you Fil,loved the Statler Brothers so much ,exquisite harmony and they were great right up until they retired..RIP HAROLD
Fil, my musical taste was almost exclusively electronic music until I found your channel. Thank you.
👍
I appreciate your vast knowledge of music. Even though I listened to music my whole life, you talk about things I never heard or thought of. So I come back. Lol
Agree with everything you said, I will just add this to the equation, there's quite a few of us old Nashville hopefuls that discover through Fil why we didn't make it. Some of us even learn that now we're kind of glad we didn't.
👍
Our wedding song was “My only love”. 33 years ago.
I'm not a country listener at all but my mom had a Statler Brothers greatest hits cd and I ended up loving all the songs on it. 'Susan When She Tried' is my favorite songs of theirs.
Yep, same here. Not a country music.fan AT ALL, but I love the Statler Brothers. Most of their songs aren’t heavy on the dobro or steel guitar, as is the case with most country music.
@@carolahb very true. I hated those in country music as well. And though they show up, they're not overwhelming. The harmonies are dominant.
This is so wild. I grew up "having" to listen to these guys. Now I so much appreciate them :) Thx Fil !
The days when quartets were still big in the music scene, especially in the gospel world were awesome. I've read so many times about the all night quartet sing alongs in Memphis, The Statesman, The Blackwoods, The Stamps... Guys like Jake Hess, JD Sumner and Big Chief Wetherington... Amazing voices and harmonies that are being forgotten by time...
I would love to get your take on a bluegrass band, "The Dillards". Some will remember them from their appearances on The Andy Griffith Show as the Darling family, with Denver Pyle and Maggie Peterson.
So funny that the only time the boys spoke was when they were singing.
Bands like The Byrds and The Eagles cite The Dillards as an influence.
Oh my goodness.....my dad's favorite.....brings back memories of him singing this when I was a young girl 😊
Thanks much Fil
MY DAD LOVED THIS SONG AS WELL 💖
Great four part harmonies. I’ll go to my grave loving you....another great. Thanks for the diversity in your selections, Fil.
Hi Fil !!!!
Popular? ... Believe me this song was popular when it came out. I remember the women Folk in their Bonnets and long dresses picking cotton, and they were singing this song. I know this because grandma made me my own little cotton sack and I was out there picking with them.
I remember watching The Statler Brothers on television back then. for those who are not familiar with "Captain Kangaroo" it was a children's television show which aired from 1955 to 1984 weekdays morning. great analysis. great footage of the guys. thanks again and stay safe Fil.
With Mr Green Jeans!😂 ( born in '63- no Sesame St just yet~)
@@allisonyoung4007... or Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,
Allison Young Bunny Rabbit and Mister Moose too-fun memories!😎
And who could forget howdy Duty.
Well, "Britain's Captain Kangaroo" (not ours!!) was exposed as a long time violent child molester and abuser.
My favorite song of The Statler Brothers is "(Do You Know) You Are My Sunhine". 👍👍
Back in the day, they used to do a free concert in Staunton every year for July 4th. Went many times to those shows.
Sadly, I only went to one of their July 4th festivals, back in '91. It was an unforgettable experience!
@@MAMsMom97 I was probably there that year. I'd go back in the late 80's-early 90's. I miss going to Gypsy Hill Park. Back in the day when Staunton was actually booming :) I'm from Buena Vista originally.
I found The Statler Brothers. Thank you! Flowers on the Wall was my introduction to the Statlers, and I still have that 45 rpm when they crossed-over to the top 40. What a treat to know that they truly were great.
👍Hanging in there with you all. Great upbeat vid for us. Thank you, Fil
I don't thiink I remember the Statler Brothers. But yes, I know this song! It brings back my youthful memeories - "smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo - now don't tell me I've got nothing to to do!" This is just how I spend my old days now. Thanks Fil and of course, a belated thanks to the Statler Brothers. That's the spirit!
Love it! Four part harmonies......delicious. 🤘🏻
Great song..Fil has great taste as always..song writer definitely might have been partaking in the seven leafed greenstuff....thanks Fil
I grew up listening to these courtesy of my mom and dad and grandparents. I used to sing this song when I was little. :)
They were so talented. Love them!
Great analysis of their music and very interesting facts about the groups history. I love gospel quartet music, I was lucky enough to see the Blackwood Brothers when James and Cecil were in the group. They also had a great bass Ken Turner who was also a comedic force.
Thanks, Fil. This was indeed s great example if country throwing some humor into potentially "crying in your beer" breakup song. I love the lilting melody and doferent vo K
Different vocal rangds. My phone is umforgiving at going back to fix typos. Just a fun song Nd succinct!
Yes... There are way too many "I got tears in my beer from crying over you" songs out there.
Another surprise! These guys were a favourite of my mom's when I was little. I have to ask you Fil, how are you able to keep all of that information in your head like that! Dates, names, record labels, etc? You make EVERY genre of music interesting!!
Thanks!
And there we have it! Yes, you do Fil. This was fantastic. In the 1960's Saturday afternoons were filled with country music shows and being in Knoxville, TN, they were on at hour house. The Statler Brothers were one of the groups we watched, so this song is one of those memories. They were great and had such great harmonies! Thanks so much Fil!
My mother’s favorite group. I grew up listening to their music. We played her favorite “I’ll Go To My Grave Loving You” at her memorial service (nearly 12 years ago). I wish she were here to enjoy not only this video, but all of your videos with the variety of music you’ve covered. She would love them and you just like I do.
Thanks!
Awesome! Your ear is amazing and your thought process throughout is beyond reproach . A true analysis of the performances. Thank you!
👍
My Father took my Sister and I to see the Statler Brothers in concert in 1976. Great music and laughs.
That song beat out the Beatles for the Grammy.
Hi Fil. Many thanks for this analysis. Always loved the Statler Brothers. My particular favourites are Class of 57, Monday Morning Secretary, Your Picture in the Paper, Too Much on my Heart, More Than a Name on the Wall and We got Paid by Cash. The latter says much about their relationship with Johnny Cash and his integrity that they never had a contract, just a handshake in the years they worked with him. Thanks again Fil
Fil, one heck of an analysis from one heck of a group!!! I can't remember if you mentioned it. The baritone was a first cousin of Don and Phil.
Finally, I wanted to mention that here in the USA there are Southern Gospel schools held usually in the summer. People go there to learn much of what you talked about in this analysis.
Sorry but Don and Harold are brothers phil and lew were childhood friends of Harold
Lived in Staunton VA....know Don Reid (a brilliant song writer) before the Statlers three part harmony was just a part of country music but four part harmony was very rare. It’s sad that they retired...and actually stayed retired!!!!
There is something very special when siblings, have the talent of singing great music! Have you heard of The Lennon Sisters? Their harmonies are amazing! Of course, there is a genetic correspondence within their voices that make the magic! I really appreciate your analysis! Thank you!
ESPECIALLY THE EVERLY BROTHERS😍😍😍😍😍😍
Michael Wallingford The Everly Brothers and Beach Boys sang great harmony too.
Only 2 of them are brothers
@@elaineteut6508 You are so right! I do not deny the many family groups that have such great harmony. I believe that was the point I was making. I just used the Lennon Sisters because i had just listened to their beautiful song, "In This Very Room," as it was performed in The Crystal Cathedral, many years ago. As a Kentuckian, i am very familiar with The Everly Brothers. I grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, home of Rosemary and Betty Clooney. i taught in both Maysville, and in Augusta, Kentucky, home of George Clooney. It just would not be practical to state every good family where siblings did such a great job singing. So Elaine, you are absolutely right. Thank you.
Quality find. They slipped under the radar on me until now.
Also. Nice WIngs of Pegasus guitar intro.
Thanks!
THANK YOU FIL😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I LOVE this song. Always have. But I assumed they were a 1-hit wonder. Obviously, I watched MTV...not TNN! Now I need to check out their other work. Thanks!
They were far from a one hit wonder
That's funny...the Statlers were huge stars, several gold records when country acts didn't really get those.
I'm not a country music fan, but the Statler Brothers are always a great listen.
This song is a very accurate picture of depression and/or other emotional problems many face. Whoever wrote the song captured this very well back in the day. Anyway, love these guys, always have since I was a kid in the 70s. They only got better with age, too!
Respect for all the research you did for this video.
As you stated correctly Phil is singing the harmony between the bass(Harold) and the lead(Don), interestingly enough, Phil can actually sing quite a bit higher than Don and can go up in that tenor range(highest i've heard him sing in chest was an A4). You can also hear in this song that for the final line "Dont tell me, i've nothing to do" Phil actually sings Lew's part there and Lew sings Phil's part an octave higher. For some songs Phil would sing the harmony between Don and Lew. And Don on the other hand has quite the lower range aswell, when you'd hear him talk you think he would be the bass singer.
The Statler Brothers always had such a great time singing together. I grew up listening to them as well. Thank you Fil:)
The greatest harmonies in country music! Growing up I was into metal and hard rock, but my parents listened to these guys all the time. I always enjoyed their t.v. show. They always seemed to have so much fun on it! Thanks for featuring them...brought back good memories!
I love Jimmy Fortune and without at all taking anything away from him, NO ONE had a voice like Lew DeWitt. What a great song and what a great group! I love that we have their fantastic music we can still listen to but it makes me sad to think that I will never hear a NEW song by the Statlers.
A bit of trivia: When "Bed of Roses" was released there were many country stations that would not play it because it was about a lady of the evening and they didn't like the line "She took me in and wiped away my childhood, this woman of the streets, this lady Rose." Those same stations would not play "Wake Up Little Suzy" by the Everly Brothers because it said, "We both went fast asleep, now we're in trouble deep" and the insinuation that they had (literally) slept together that night did not please the censors and they would not allow it to be played. Oddly, some stations also refused to play "The Pill" by Loretta Lynn because it was about birth control!
Hi Fil! I LOVE the Statler Brothers...listened to them a lot in the sixties! One of the best quartets ever! I have their music on cassettes still! I was excited to see you do them! I love it you are eclectic with your music! I can easily go from these guys to Queen, ABBA, Cliff Richard...all in one afternoon! I will never understand people who only listen to one genre! Fil you just give us so much different music...always excited to see who you are covering! Not trying to just butter you up, but you do make me feel I go to music class everyday! Thanks professor! Hugs from a mom! ✌️
BTW....I remember the one..You Can’t Have Your Kate, and Edith too...funny song!
Yes ... Fil takes us all to school with every analysis.
My dad and grandfather knew them, Very nice, funny, and genuine people.
Thank you; I had forgotten about these guys. Now, though, I can't hear this song without seeing that scene from Pulp Fiction playing in my head!
I don't know what is more fun - watching you break out in a big smile or breaking down the songs musically!
12yo.so lucky... My eyes still roll back in my head
My favorite Statler brothers song! I was little girl back then. That makes me an old girl now. Great job Fil!💜
Thanks!
I grew up with the Statler Brothers as they were a favorite of my folks. 👍🏻
Grew up with these guys! If this is the 1960’s that means it’s the original founding members. Later one of them had to retire for health reasons, and was replaced with another singer.
lou dewitt died and was replaced by jimmy fortune
@@bellesmom238 1982.
I’ll Go To My Grave Loving You - one of my favorite songs.
📻🙂
I had the privilege of seeing these gentlemen in concert a couple times(one they recorded for a record). They put on the best concerts. Besides being amazing singers they were hilarious and made sure you left with a smile in your heart and on your face!! 💜🎶
Love this tune and of course those harmonies
Great video. From my home state of Virginia.greatest country band of all time. Harold will surely be missed. Shame this younger generation barely knows who they are. Check out another song they did called “Sheanandoah”. Wonderful harmonies. Rest In Peace Harold. God bless them.
Love the Statlers! Their ranges made for some great harmonies. Thanks, Fil, for this informative analysis!
Like many people I first became aware of this song from the movie Pulp Fiction. Great song and great harmonies. It also fun hearing them mention Captain Kangaroo.
I got a kick out of mentioning Captain Kangaroo as well, used to watch him religiously as a kid. I wonder if Fil knows who he is as he was off the air before he was born.
That was my Dad's favorite song. He always cracked up.
RIP to the great Harold Reid. The Statler’s were part of the music of my childhood. I remember my parents watched their show on TV every week.
"Smokin' cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo...." ok, I was 10 then and had smoked cigarettes and yes, Cap before going to school five years before. song fits todays news. I was thinking about this song weeks ago.
Captain Kangaroo lived one town over from me. His house was visible from the main road and I thought it was so cool that he had his own tennis court.
The only group that had hits in the 60`s 70`s 80`s and 90`s played up until 2004
I thought it was cool they stayed together ( even when a couple had to retire) until the whole group retired. They were friends, brothers, and singers. Loved them. And not in the least very very talented
I am not a musician, but I enjoy your videos--not just for the music, but because whether you are talking about a pop, rock, country, blues, singer/songwriter, you always find something positive and useful to say. This appeals to me. I read an article in The Guardian yesterday, in which the son of Miles Davis said: "What I discovered about him was how he could break down what was going on in any musical performance - and find something to take away from it. I remember once watching a heavy metal show on MTV, and when Slayer came on, I thought, “Dad’s going to hate this.” He watched for a bit and then said, “Huh. That drummer is really laying it down, isn’t he?” Then he just walked away."
Man, this is what I love about the bands that you look at! This is stuff from my childhood and just great to remember.
Love the statlers
Bruce Willis was singing this while he was driving in Pulp Fiction.
This song is performed so upbeat . a great light bright energy . I think going from the two to three and then four singers makes it more interesting.
Yaaaay well done Phil,these were an amazing group loved them..2of them are brothers
Love The Statler Brothers !
I remember listening to them when I was a kid. Always loved their harmonies!
They were my first concert. Opening act was Barbara Mandrel.
Same here...1979, I believe.
I first heard this on the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction, Tarantino has always added wonderful old songs to his soundtracks
I also grew up listening to them. I particularly liked listening to those harmonies. I like that in the chorus it sounds like they slip into a minor key -know it was variation on the original key. It added more interest to the song. At that time, their harmonies were head and shoulders above the rest.
Fil, thank you for this! We love the Statler Brothers, and you are so knowledgeable about all of this. Amazing!
I grew up with these guys they were one of my favorite quartets. Well musicians in general because they have amazing chemistry and they worked together so well.
Stuck at home,counting flowers on the wall,watching Captain Kangaroo on television -- these dudes foresaw the Corona virus!