Near the end of Johnny Cash’s life, The Statler Brothers visited the country legend at home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. June Carter Cash was there, and the old friends spent time laughing and remembering their years together on the road.
Jimmy Fortune mostly listened. Johnny Cash and the original Statler Brothers had shared a history that began long before Jimmy Fortune joined the group.
As everyone prepared to leave, Johnny Cash stopped Jimmy Fortune and placed both hands on Jimmy’s shoulders.
What Johnny Cash said next would stay with Jimmy Fortune for the rest of Jimmy’s life.
A Friendship That Began With a Handshake
The friendship between Johnny Cash and The Statler Brothers began in 1964, when Johnny Cash met the Virginia quartet and invited the group to join the Johnny Cash touring show.
There was no formal contract. According to Don Reid, the arrangement began with a handshake and lasted eight and a half years.
During those years, Don Reid, Harold Reid, Phil Balsley, and Lew DeWitt traveled with Johnny Cash, appeared on television, and learned the music business from one of country music’s greatest entertainers.
Johnny Cash became more than an employer. Johnny Cash was a friend and mentor whose influence remained long after The Statler Brothers began headlining their own concerts.
But Jimmy Fortune was not part of those early adventures.
The Difficult Decision to Replace Lew DeWitt
In 1982, Lew DeWitt’s health problems forced a difficult change in The Statler Brothers. Lew DeWitt had been the group’s original tenor singer, and the distinctive harmony was familiar to millions of fans.
Jimmy Fortune, a young Virginia musician who had been performing in hotel clubs, was recommended by Lew DeWitt as a temporary replacement.
What began as a temporary opportunity eventually became a permanent position.
Jimmy Fortune understood the responsibility. In later interviews, Jimmy Fortune explained that replacing Lew DeWitt had never been the goal. Jimmy Fortune wanted to help The Statler Brothers continue making music.
Still, not everyone knew whether the group could preserve the sound that had made The Statler Brothers famous.
As Jimmy Fortune would eventually discover, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash shared that concern.
The Song That Changed Johnny Cash’s Mind
After joining The Statler Brothers, Jimmy Fortune began writing songs. One of the first compositions was a beautiful ballad called “Elizabeth.”
The inspiration came from an unusual series of coincidences.
Jimmy Fortune heard a mother calling a little girl named Elizabeth in a grocery store. During a trip with The Statler Brothers, Jimmy Fortune watched the movie Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor. Then a young woman approached the stage during a concert and repeatedly introduced herself as Elizabeth.
The name stayed with Jimmy Fortune.
Jimmy Fortune began writing the lyrics in a hotel room and played the unfinished idea for the other Statler Brothers the following day.
The group recorded “Elizabeth” for the 1983 album Today. In March 1984, the song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country singles chart.
It was an important achievement for Jimmy Fortune. But Jimmy Fortune had no idea what the song had meant to Johnny Cash.
What Johnny Cash Finally Told Jimmy Fortune
Years later, during that visit to Johnny Cash’s home, the truth finally came out.
Jimmy Fortune recalled the conversation in a 2022 interview with Backstage Pass Radio.
Johnny Cash explained that Lew DeWitt had been especially dear to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. When Lew DeWitt left The Statler Brothers, the couple worried that nobody could fill the empty place.
Then Johnny Cash heard “Elizabeth.”
“When I heard Elizabeth, I knew they were going to be alright.”
For Jimmy Fortune, those words meant far more than another compliment about a hit record.
Johnny Cash had watched The Statler Brothers grow from a young gospel quartet into country music stars. Johnny Cash understood what Lew DeWitt meant to the group.
Now Johnny Cash was telling Jimmy Fortune that the future of The Statler Brothers had been in good hands.
Johnny Cash also praised Jimmy Fortune’s talent and expressed regret that the two had not spent more time getting to know one another.
Jimmy Fortune later described that conversation as a memory to treasure.
A Compliment That Meant More Than an Award
Johnny Cash died on September 12, 2003, at age 71. The Statler Brothers had retired from touring the previous October, ending a remarkable career together.
Jimmy Fortune continued performing, recording, and sharing the songs that had become part of The Statler Brothers’ legacy.
In 2013, Jimmy Fortune participated in the Johnny Cash Music Festival at Arkansas State University, an event supporting the restoration of Johnny Cash’s childhood home.
For Jimmy Fortune, honoring Johnny Cash was also an opportunity to express gratitude for the kindness Johnny Cash had shown during that private visit.
Johnny Cash had given Jimmy Fortune something no chart position or music award could provide: the personal approval of a man who had known The Statler Brothers from the beginning.
And it all came down to one song, one conversation, and a few words Jimmy Fortune never forgot.