In 2007, Wil Reid and Langdon Reid were invited to perform a Statler Brothers song at a Hall of Fame ceremony honoring their fathers. The invitation seemed simple enough. After all, The Statler Brothers had spent decades recording songs that country music fans knew by heart.
But Wil Reid and Langdon Reid had another idea. Rather than choose one of those familiar hits, the two cousins decided to write something their fathers had never heard before.
What began as a family tribute would become one of the most meaningful songs Wil Reid and Langdon Reid ever performed. And a year later, the cousins would have the extraordinary opportunity to sing it at another Hall of Fame ceremony.
Growing Up as Sons of The Statler Brothers
Wil Reid is the son of Harold Reid, the unmistakable bass singer of The Statler Brothers. Langdon Reid is the son of Don Reid, the group’s lead vocalist and one of its principal songwriters.
For Wil Reid and Langdon Reid, country music was part of family life long before either cousin began performing professionally.
In a 2017 interview, Langdon Reid remembered childhood summers spent traveling with The Statler Brothers. The cousins sometimes rode the tour bus and watched performances from the side of the stage. Those experiences gave Wil Reid and Langdon Reid an unusually close view of the music, humor, and friendships that defined the group.
By 2002, The Statler Brothers had retired from touring after a remarkable career that included Grammy Awards, country hits, television success, and decades of sold-out concerts.
Five years later, another honor was approaching.
Trying to Put 40 Years Into Three and a Half Minutes
When The Statler Brothers were selected for induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007, Wil Reid and Langdon Reid were invited to take part in the ceremony.
The cousins could have performed a beloved Statler Brothers classic. Instead, Wil Reid and Langdon Reid wanted to give Harold Reid and Don Reid something personal.
Langdon Reid later explained the challenge in a 2017 interview with Digital Journal. The cousins attempted to capture approximately 40 years of The Statler Brothers’ music, achievements, and contributions to country music in a song lasting only about three and a half minutes.
The result was a new composition titled “The Statler Brothers Song.”
The title was straightforward, but the meaning was deeply personal. Wil Reid and Langdon Reid had grown up hearing the songs their fathers wrote. Now the younger generation had written a song about the men who made those musical memories possible.
Wil Reid and Langdon Reid performed the tribute at the 2007 Gospel Music Hall of Fame induction. The song also became part of the cousins’ own musical identity.
A Second Hall of Fame Ceremony — and an Unexpected Joke
On June 29, 2008, The Statler Brothers were honored again, this time during the Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony in Nashville.
Wil Reid and Langdon Reid, then performing under the name Grandstaff, returned to perform “The Statler Brothers Song.”
But before the music began, Wil Reid brought a familiar piece of Statler Brothers humor into the occasion.
According to an account published in CMA Close Up magazine, Wil Reid joked that getting into the Hall of Fame required selling millions of records. Wil Reid then reminded the audience that the cousins’ song would be available on iTunes.
Langdon Reid interrupted, objecting that the sales pitch was inappropriate for such a distinguished ceremony.
Wil Reid delivered the punch line: “Somebody’s got to go to work.”
The exchange was a fitting family moment. The Statler Brothers had always balanced memorable music with quick wit, and the younger Reid generation was carrying that tradition forward.
Yet beneath the humor was a genuine tribute. Two sons were honoring the fathers who had helped shape country music, using a song created specifically for that purpose.
What Harold Reid and Don Reid Thought of the Song
The surprise accomplished what Wil Reid and Langdon Reid had hoped.
In a 2009 statement released by Yell Records, Harold Reid described the family’s reaction:
“We were blown away by it.”
Don Reid offered an equally meaningful assessment:
“It’s everything a tribute song should be.”
Those reactions gave the composition a significance beyond either ceremony. Harold Reid and Don Reid had spent years writing and performing songs that touched audiences. This time, the music had been written for Harold Reid and Don Reid themselves.
In 2017, Wil Reid and Langdon Reid included “The Statler Brothers Song” on the album Songs Our Dads Wrote, alongside nine Statler Brothers compositions written by Harold Reid and Don Reid.
The arrangement made a beautiful statement about the family’s musical history. Nine selections celebrated the fathers’ songwriting. The final song allowed the sons to express their gratitude.
For Wil Reid and Langdon Reid, “The Statler Brothers Song” was more than another recording or concert performance. It was a chance to tell Harold Reid and Don Reid, through the same language the family had shared for decades, how much that musical legacy meant.
And perhaps the most remarkable part of the story is that Harold Reid and Don Reid were there to hear it.