Don Reid’s Stunning Admission: How Jimmy Fortune Quietly Saved The Statler Brothers at Their Most Vulnerable Moment
For fans of The Statler Brothers, their harmonies felt eternal—seamless, strong, and rooted in tradition. But behind the polished performances and beloved hits, there was a moment of real uncertainty in the early 1980s, when the group faced what Don Reid now calls “the most fragile turning point in our history.”
In a candid interview shared during a recent country music retrospective, Don Reid opened up about something he’s never publicly said before: Jimmy Fortune didn’t just join The Statler Brothers—he saved them.
It was 1982. Lew DeWitt, the group’s original tenor, was struggling with chronic health issues from Crohn’s disease. After years of pain and valiant effort, Lew made the difficult decision to step down. The loss of his voice—and his presence—left a void that felt impossible to fill.
“We didn’t just lose a voice,” Don said. “We lost a brother. We weren’t sure how to keep going.”
The group quietly auditioned new singers, unsure if the chemistry would ever return. Then came Jimmy—young, unknown, and from nearby Nelson County, Virginia. His audition wasn’t flashy. He stood with quiet confidence, singing “Elizabeth” with a purity and heart that stunned them all.
“We knew in that moment,” Don recalled. “Not only could he sing—but he understood the soul of what we were. He didn’t try to be Lew. He just brought himself—and somehow, that made everything whole again.”
Jimmy joined the group officially later that year. What followed was a second golden age for The Statler Brothers: “More Than a Name on a Wall,” “My Only Love,” and countless other hits bore his unmistakable tenor. Fans embraced him immediately. And yet, for decades, the group rarely spoke publicly about how close they came to walking away.
“People think we were always steady,” Don said. “But there was a moment when we didn’t know if we had a future. Jimmy gave us one. He gave us a second life.”
For Jimmy, who often downplayed his contribution, Don’s words come as a deeply moving tribute.
“I don’t think he ever realized how much he healed us,” Don added. “But we did. Every single night.”
Now, years after The Statler Brothers retired in 2002, and with Harold Reid’s passing in 2020, Don felt it was finally time to tell the truth—not as a headline, but as a thank-you.
“Jimmy didn’t just step in. He lifted us up when we were broken. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
In sharing this long-held truth, Don Reid not only honors Jimmy Fortune’s legacy, but gives fans a deeper understanding of the heart behind the harmonies. Sometimes, salvation doesn’t arrive with fanfare—it walks in quietly, sings with soul, and gives you the courage to go on.