Nearly fifty years ago, Don Reid and Harold Reid sat down together one night in Texas and wrote a song about something both brothers understood better than most people: where songs come from.
The song was called “Some I Wrote.” At the time, it was another creation from two brothers whose music had already touched countless lives.
Neither brother could have known that nearly half a century later, those words would become the title of a new musical in their hometown of Staunton, Virginia.
And the place chosen for that musical held a remarkable connection to the brothers’ childhood.
But when the production finally opened in October 2026, only Don Reid was still here to witness the homecoming.
One Night in Texas, Back in 1977
By 1977, The Statler Brothers had become one of country music’s most recognizable vocal groups. Don Reid, Harold Reid, Phil Balsley, and Lew DeWitt had spent years traveling, recording, and entertaining audiences across America.
Somewhere along that journey, during a night in Texas, Don Reid and Harold Reid wrote “Some I Wrote.”
The idea was simple. The brothers wanted to explain how songs are born, why certain memories become music, and how everyday experiences find their way into lyrics.
The Statler Brothers recorded the song for the 1977 album Short Stories. “Some I Wrote” also became a country chart hit.
Decades passed. The Statler Brothers continued recording, touring, and making television appearances before retiring from live performances in 2002.
Harold Reid died on April 24, 2020, at age 80.
Yet the song Don Reid and Harold Reid wrote together in Texas still had another chapter waiting.
A Musical Brings the Songs Back to Staunton
On October 15, 2026, a new stage production titled Some I Wrote: A Musical Story of the Songs of The Statler Brothers premiered at ShenanArts in Staunton, Virginia.
The production was adapted by Jeff McDaniel and Cori McDaniel from Don Reid’s book, The Music of The Statler Brothers: An Anthology.
Rather than simply performing the group’s greatest hits, the musical explores the memories and experiences behind the songs, using local performers to bring those stories to life.
The response from fans was extraordinary. All eight scheduled performances sold out before opening night, and people from 24 states were traveling to Staunton for the production.
For Don Reid, seeing the music return to Staunton was deeply personal. But there was one detail about the theater that made the experience especially meaningful.
The Stage Where Four Young Men Once Chased a Dream
In an interview published October 15, 2026, Don Reid revealed something many longtime fans might never have known.
The very stage being used for the new musical was the same stage where The Statler Brothers had performed as teenagers in a local Lions Club talent show.
Long before Grammy Awards, national television appearances, and sold-out concerts, the young singers had stood on that small-town stage, sharing music with neighbors and friends.
Now, decades later, Don Reid could sit in the audience of that same auditorium and hear a new generation celebrating the music that followed.
Don Reid remembered growing up along the streets of Staunton, riding bicycles near Gypsy Hill Park, attending Saturday morning movies, and spending time at Wright’s Dairy Rite.
Those memories never disappeared when The Statler Brothers became famous. Staunton remained home throughout the group’s career.
The songs traveled around the world. The people who wrote them never forgot where they came from.
The One Person Don Reid Wishes Could See It
In the same 2026 interview, Don Reid spoke proudly about the younger members of the Reid family continuing the family’s musical tradition.
Wilson Fairchild, featuring Langdon Reid and Wil Reid, has carried the family name into another generation of country music. Jack and Davis Reid are also building their own musical careers.
Don Reid described the pride and fulfillment that come from watching those younger musicians succeed.
And Don Reid acknowledged something especially touching: Don Reid often wishes Harold Reid were still alive to enjoy the achievements of the younger generations alongside him.
It was not a dramatic farewell or a carefully prepared public tribute. It was a brother expressing how much another brother is missed during life’s happiest moments.
In 1977, Don Reid and Harold Reid wrote a song about how music begins.
In 2026, that same song returned to a Virginia stage connected to their earliest days as performers.
Harold Reid was no longer there, but the music, the memories, and the family tradition had survived.
And for anyone who grew up listening to The Statler Brothers, perhaps that is the most meaningful part of this homecoming: the voices have changed, but the songs still belong to the people who remember them.