The night before his younger brother’s wedding, Jimmy Fortune received a request that would eventually become one of the most remarkable stories of his songwriting career.
Jimmy Fortune’s brother, Tony, was preparing to marry a woman named Rhonda. The couple had a special request: they wanted Jimmy Fortune to sing a Lionel Richie love song during their wedding ceremony.
There was just one problem. The wedding was the very next day, and Jimmy Fortune didn’t know the song well enough to perform it.
Instead of trying to learn it overnight, Jimmy Fortune suggested something unexpected.
What if Jimmy Fortune wrote an entirely new song for the wedding?
Tony wasn’t sure it could be done in such a short time. But Jimmy Fortune was willing to try.
One Night to Write a Wedding Song
By the early 1980s, Jimmy Fortune was already building a successful career with The Statler Brothers. Jimmy Fortune had joined the legendary country group in 1982, replacing longtime tenor singer Lew DeWitt.
Jimmy Fortune had also begun proving himself as a songwriter. The Statler Brothers had already enjoyed success with “Elizabeth,” a song written by Jimmy Fortune that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart in 1984.
But the song Jimmy Fortune was about to write had a very different beginning.
There was no record company requesting another hit. No producer demanding a new single. No carefully planned songwriting session.
There was simply a brother who needed a wedding song.
Jimmy Fortune went home that night and began working on a love song about two people promising to spend their lives together.
By the following day, the song was finished.
It was called “My Only Love.”
The Wedding Surprise Jimmy Fortune Kept Secret
When Jimmy Fortune arrived at the wedding the following day, Tony was understandably curious.
Had Jimmy Fortune actually managed to finish writing the song?
Jimmy Fortune assured Tony that the song was ready.
Then Tony asked if Tony could hear it before the ceremony.
Jimmy Fortune’s answer was simple.
“No.”
Jimmy Fortune wanted the song to remain a surprise until the wedding itself.
Jimmy Fortune later recalled this exchange during an appearance on Gaither Gospel Hour, explaining how Tony had also asked whether the finished song was any good.
Jimmy Fortune believed it was a good song, but the real test would come during the ceremony.
When the moment arrived for the couple to light their unity candles, Jimmy Fortune began singing the new composition.
It was an especially fitting moment. The unity candle ceremony symbolized two people joining their lives together, and the lyrics Jimmy Fortune had written spoke of lasting devotion.
But as Jimmy Fortune performed, something happened that would become an unforgettable part of the story.
The Brother Who Predicted a No. 1 Hit
During the performance, Tony looked toward Jimmy Fortune and raised a finger to signal a prediction.
Number one.
Tony believed the song Jimmy Fortune had written overnight would someday become a No. 1 hit.
At that moment, it was simply a personal wedding gift. Nothing about its beginnings guaranteed that the song would ever be recorded professionally, much less reach the top of the country charts.
Yet Tony’s prediction would prove remarkably accurate.
The Statler Brothers recorded “My Only Love” for the 1984 album Atlanta Blue, with Jimmy Fortune singing the lead vocal.
Released as a single in November 1984, “My Only Love” steadily climbed the country charts.
On March 9, 1985, “My Only Love” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart.
The song remained at the top for one week, giving The Statler Brothers another major success and Jimmy Fortune another No. 1 composition.
A Wedding Gift That Outlived the Wedding Day
Decades later, Jimmy Fortune still remembered the unusual circumstances behind “My Only Love.”
During a 2025 appearance on Gaither Gospel Hour, Jimmy Fortune shared the story of Tony’s request, the overnight writing session, the surprise performance and the prediction made during the unity candle ceremony.
Jimmy Fortune seemed especially struck by how unexpectedly the whole experience had unfolded.
What began as an alternative to a Lionel Richie song became one of The Statler Brothers’ most memorable romantic recordings.
For generations of country music listeners, “My Only Love” has been a song about commitment, devotion and the promise of growing old together.
But behind that familiar melody is a much more personal story.
It began with a brother asking for a favor, a songwriter accepting an overnight challenge and a wedding ceremony where someone recognized the song’s potential before the rest of the country ever heard it.
And perhaps that is what makes “My Only Love” especially meaningful.
Before it belonged to country music fans everywhere, it belonged to Tony and Rhonda on their wedding day.
For Jimmy Fortune, a simple gift to family had become a song that would remain part of country music history.