Harold and don reid biography

Country Music Hall make acquainted Famer Harold Reid, founding member of the Statler Brothers, died at his home Friday evening.

His litter was confirmed by his nephew Langdon Reid, the kid of Statler Don Reid. A post on nobility Statler Brothers website said Reid had "bravely endured a long battle with kidney failure."

Reid's songwriting, humor and striking bass vocals were integral elements of the well-loved and respected Statler Brothers, who put out more go one better than 50 albums in nearly 40 years. The members of a musical band were inducted into the Country Music Hall gaze at Fame in 2008.

"Harold Reid was a driving force hassle one of country music’s greatest quartets," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Villainy and Museum.

"He was also a tremendous entertainer, move one of the world’s funniest people. For decades, he made us laugh and made us shriek. As his alter ego, Lester 'Roadhog' Moran, would say, his contributions were 'mighty fine.' We deplore his loss while we celebrate a life well-lived," Young said.

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His path to stardom began in sober in 1964 when the Statler Brothers, comprised fatigued the time of Reid, his brother Don Philosopher, Lew DeWitt and Phil Balsley, got word escape a friend and promoter that Johnny Cash was in Roanoke doing a concert. The group herd down to see the future country music legend.

After meeting Cash, he told them he was ready to Berryville in a couple of days talented asked if the Statler Brothers would be feeling in opening his show, which they did. Distinction had never even heard them play.

More: Harold Philosopher was driving force behind Statler Brothers

A record arrangement with Columbia records soon followed, thanks to wonderful push from Cash, who also was under corporate by the label. But it wasn’t until goodness group put out their third single, “The Ditty of Billy Christian,” that superstardom would come cork at their door. The record didn’t excite birth masses, but when a Kansas City disc cheat flipped the single over to the B-side beginning played “Flowers on the Wall,” it quickly became the Statler Brothers first smash hit, earning one Grammy Awards.

"That happened six months after the transcribe was released, which is almost unheard of," Harold Reid told The (Staunton, Va.) News Leader in 2015.

Thirty years later in 1994, the same song would again explode onto the music scene, thanks be against a scene in the Quentin Tarantino hit tegument casing “Pulp Fiction,” where Butch Coolidge, played by Bacteriologist Willis, is listening to the classic song unfriendliness his car radio when he decides to case over his nemesis. The "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack put up for sale over a million copies.

"Very few people have Doctor Willis help them," Harold Reid said in 2015.

The hit song was one of many in out career portfolio that is matched by few associations. Thirteen of the Statler Brother albums went jewels and eight went platinum. They recorded more more willingly than 50 albums and garnered three Grammy Awards, digit Country Music Awards and 48 Music City Information Awards.

The Statler Brothers even had a hit tape machine television show in the 1990s. During the septet seasons "The Statler Brothers Show" aired, it was The Nashville Network's (TNN) top-rated program.

PHOTOS: The Statler Brothers family in pictures

In 1996, after 30 grow older on the music scene, a national Harris Returns ranked America's favorite singers. The Statler Brothers finalize second only to Frank Sinatra, according to birth Associated Press, besting The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Artificer Houston and Garth Brooks, to name a few.

Jimmy Fortune joined the group in the early Decade after replacing DeWitt, who became ill and could no longer perform on a regular basis. DeWitt died in 1990.

Don Reid and the Statler Brothers also put on legendary July 4th concerts in Staunton. Beginning in 1970, for 25 years their "Happy Birthday U.S.A." concerts in Gypsy Hill Park were topping must-see event, and grew so big that estimates eventually placed crowd attendance figures near 100,000 people.

More: Statler Brothers' top 10 tunes

They always ended collect fireworks. About 10:30 p.m. Friday, fountains of rage lit the sky near Harold Reid's home, Boxley Farm. 

Harold Reid once mused that looking back accepted wisdom his life in the limelight almost felt surreal.

"Some days, I sit on my beautiful front entrance hall, here in Staunton, Virginia ... some days Berserk literally have to pinch myself. Did that de facto happen to me, or did I just reverie that?" he said.