When Harold Reid died on April 24, 2020, the Statler Brothers had been retired from touring for nearly eighteen years. Their records were still being played, their harmonies were still familiar to millions, and their place in country music history was secure.
But something remarkable had happened during Harold Reid’s final years. Don Reid, the group’s lead singer and Harold’s younger brother, had been writing a book about their decades in music. As each chapter was completed, Don sent it to Harold.
Harold read and approved the entire manuscript before the book was published.
That detail became one of the most meaningful parts of a project that was supposed to tell the stories behind the Statler Brothers’ songs.
Two Brothers From Virginia
The Statler Brothers began as a gospel quartet in Staunton, Virginia, during the 1950s. The original group, known as the Four Star Quartet, included Harold Reid, Phil Balsley, Lew DeWitt, and Joe McDorman.
Don Reid joined later, replacing Joe McDorman as lead singer. Harold Reid provided the deep bass voice, while Phil Balsley and Lew DeWitt completed the group’s distinctive four-part harmony.
Despite the name, Harold Reid and Don Reid were the only actual brothers in the quartet.
In 1963, Johnny Cash discovered the group, and in 1964, the Statler Brothers joined Johnny Cash’s touring show. For more than eight years, the quartet traveled with the Man in Black, performing for audiences across America and appearing on national television.
Their breakthrough recording, “Flowers on the Wall,” written by Lew DeWitt, became a major country and pop hit. Other favorites followed, including “The Class of ’57,” “Do You Remember These,” and “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You.”
By the time the Statler Brothers retired from touring in 2002, the group had won three Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Association Vocal Group of the Year awards. The group entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
The Book That Recorded Their Musical Life
After retirement, Don Reid developed a second career as an author. In 2020, Mercer University Press published The Music of The Statler Brothers: An Anthology, a 448-page account of the group’s recorded music.
Don Reid organized the book around the albums and songs the Statler Brothers had recorded, explaining how compositions were selected, written, arranged, and performed.
The book also preserved stories that listeners could never have known simply by hearing the records.
One involved Johnny Cash taking a lunch break during a recording session. While Johnny Cash was away, the Statler Brothers recorded two songs, including “Billy Christian” and “Flowers on the Wall.” The latter became one of the most recognizable recordings of their career.
Other memories included meeting heroes such as Gene Autry and John Wayne, and singing “How Great Thou Art” at the home of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
For Don Reid, these weren’t just stories about famous people. They were memories of a musical life shared with friends, fellow performers, and family.
Why Harold’s Approval Mattered
In a March 2021 interview with PBS’s Write Around the Corner, Don Reid explained that Harold Reid had not been well enough to write the book alongside him.
Instead, Don Reid sent each completed chapter to Harold Reid for review. Harold read and approved every chapter before passing away.
In the book’s memorial to Harold, Don described their relationship in simple terms:
“We were brothers, best friends, business partners, and confidants.”
Don Reid also explained that Harold Reid’s agreement with the memories recorded in the book was important. After so many years of shared experiences, Don wanted the story to reflect what both brothers remembered.
It wasn’t simply a matter of getting the dates and song titles right. The stories belonged to a partnership that had lasted through decades of recording sessions, television appearances, concerts, and decisions made together.
The Farewell Came Years Earlier
On October 26, 2002, the Statler Brothers performed their final concert in Salem, Virginia, not far from their Staunton hometown.
The decision ended their touring career, but not the brothers’ relationship or their connection to the music.
After Harold Reid died at age 80 in April 2020, Don Reid published a personal remembrance describing Harold’s humor, character, faith, and lifelong companionship.
Don recalled a relationship in which personal and business disagreements could be discussed and resolved. The brothers had shared much more than a microphone.
On August 3, 2020, just over three months after Harold’s death, The Music of The Statler Brothers: An Anthology was published.
One Last Story They Shared
Don Reid’s book was not written as a response to Harold Reid’s death. The work was already underway while Harold was alive, and Harold participated by reviewing the chapters.
That distinction makes the story especially meaningful.
The book preserved more than forty years of recorded music, including the familiar hits, overlooked album tracks, recording sessions, friendships, and moments of humor that shaped the Statler Brothers’ career.
And before those memories reached the public, Harold Reid had the opportunity to read them.
For country music fans who grew up listening to the Statler Brothers, the recordings remain the most familiar part of the legacy. But behind those recordings was a partnership between two brothers who spent much of their lives making music together.
Don Reid told the stories. Harold Reid helped make sure those stories were right.
It was one final collaboration between the brothers, completed before anyone else opened the book.