The Music Of The Statler Brothers

"The Music of The Statler Brothers: An Anthology is an in-depth look at the musical career of The Statler Brothers' forty-year reign as country music's premier group. Lead singer, Don Reid, writes about each song ever recorded by the Grammy Award-winning foursome and gives backstage insight to the writings and the selections of each composition. A songwriter with two-hundred-fifty recordings of music by his own hand and a member of both the Country Music and Gospel Music Halls of Fame, Reid gives meaningful and often humorous insight into the day-to-day workings and trials of the music industry. There has been no other book by someone in the recording business that compares with this song-by-song chronicle. Unique in its content and style, this anthology offers anyone with an interest in the entertainment business more than a glimpse behind the curtain. Covering forty-five albums of original music, this is a must-read for all Statler Brothers fans and lovers of country and gospel music alike"--

Traces the long and successful career of the award-winning country music group, from their early years in the late 1950s until their retirement in 2000.

Cal, Harlan, and Buddy grow up together in a small Virginia town in the years before the second World War. United by age, proximity, and temperament, they get into—and out of—all the trouble that boys manage to find. They even earn a nickname from a local restaurateur who gives the boys their first jobs and plenty of friendly advice. “Uncle” Vic calls them the Mulligans, because they always seem to find a way through a thicket of trouble—family problems, girls, college, war—to success. Cal and Harlan and Buddy have been blessed with second chances. Now it’s 1959, and police lieutenant Buddy receives an early-morning phone call: his friend Harlan, a store owner, has been shot in a break-in. Cal, now a preacher, meets Buddy at the hospital, and together, as professionals and as friends, they begin to unravel what might have happened to Harlan.

Growing up in a small Protestant church in a typical small town may sound quite dull to some folks, but most churches of this sort have plenty of character - and characters! - to give them some excitement. If you’ve ever attended a church like this, you have probably encountered some people and situations just like the ones Don Reid describes in his humorous, sentimental, and very nostalgic book, Sunday Morning Memories. Don Reid, in his wonderfully witty and down-to-earth way: Runs the gamut of subjects from covered dish suppers to family pews to revivals to Vacation Bible School. Reminisces about stray radio signals coming through the PA system, using Sunday school money for purposes other than the collection plate, and skipping church on Sunday night to go to the movies. Reflects on candlelight services on Christmas Eve, Easter Sunrise services, weddings, and funerals. Reminds us to appreciate our church family, our different denominations, our church traditions, and our Lord. Don’s reminiscent stories will remind you of how really wonderful it is to have a church family to help make your own Sunday Morning Memories.

Beginning with Grant and guitarist Luther Perkins's initial introductions to Johnny Cash and the jam sessions that followed, readers will marvel at how their musical inabilities drove these three men to musical greatness. From Grant's humorous story of placing adhesive tape on his bass to learn the notes prior to landing their Sun Records recording contract and witnessing Johnny write I Walk the Line, to his experience of playing with Cash at Folsom Prison, readers are taken backstage into Cash's inner circle.

LIFE LESSONS covers topics of the heart and mind, often with related stories from the Scriptures. Ninety concise and to-the-point chapters speak to everyday topics we all may experience on any given day from dawn to bedtime. In March of 2020, when the Covid pandemic began closing churches and keeping congregations close to home, Don Reid improvised an email lesson and sent it to each member of his Friendship Class on Saturday nights. From these weekly messages, this book was born and developed. There are stories that will transport you back to your youth and then bring you back to the present with a jolt or two of truth. The chapters cover feelings and insights from both secular and Biblical standpoints and often offer a humorous touch to subjects we all enjoy. Whether it is Remembering Dad or Just Like Oscar and Felix or It Was Palm Sunday in Syracuse, you'll find your favorite chapters and read them over and over again. A great book for discussion in any class or book club.

In a recent poll (Harris 1996), the Statler Brothers, country and gospel music legends, were rated second only to Frank Sinatra as America's favorite singers. They are known as the most awarded act in the history of country music and are still going strong after 30 years. Their performances and the songs they write reflect where they were born—in the birthplace of gospel music, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Presented here in a clear format are the expected discography details plus additional information that Statler fans will find fun to read. This work contains the usual session and release information, single and album chart histories, television programs, awards, and indices for song titles, composers, and musicians plus extras such as album notes and Statler proverbs. This is a well-researched, documented, and concise work suitable for scholars and fans alike.