The country music world is in mourning today over the death of Harold Reid, who sang bass for the Grammy-winning group the Statler Brothers. He passed away on Friday at the age of 80 after a long battle with kidney failure.
Fox News reported that Reid’s death was confirmed by his nephew Debo Reid, who said he passed away at his home in Staunton, Virginia.
“He leaves a large and loving family and millions of fans who remember his stage and TV antics with smiles and cherish his music that will live with the ages,” Reid said of his uncle.
The Statler Brothers often sang backup for Johnny Cash, and their biggest hits included 1965’s “Flowers on the Wall” and 1970′s “Bed of Rose’s.” Reid himself had been inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and he was also a comedian.
“He is and will always be loved by his family, friends and millions of fans,” a statement released on the band’s website said. “His singing, his songwriting and his comedy made generations happy. He has taken a piece of our hearts with him.”
Reid and his three childhood friends Lew DeWitt, Phil Balsley and Joe McDorman made the Four-Star Quartet in 1948. The group, which later changed its name to Kingsmen, mostly performed gospel music. McDorman eventually left the group and was replaced by Reid’s younger brother Don.
The group later changed its name again after finding that many other groups were using the name Kingsmen. The came up with the name Statler after seeing it on a box of Statler tissue. It wasn’t until 1964 that the group switched to country music after they met Cash and signed on to join his road show. Success quickly followed, and over the next twenty years, the Statler Brothers won three Grammy Awards and were named top vocal groups nine times by the Country Music Association.
Jimmy Fortune, who later joined the Statler Brothers as the group’s tenor, said that Reid had been battling kidney failure for years before his death.
“He told me, he said, I’ve been a blessed man, I’m ready to go whenever the Lord calls me, so I knew he was ready, and I know he knew where he was going,” Fortune told WHSV.
Fortune added that he will never forget Reid’s sense of humor and stage presence.
“I never got tired of watching Harold get up [on stage] and just act crazy and get laugh after laugh after laugh. He had people eating out of the palm of his hand,” he said. “The same joke you could hear it over a hundred times and you would still laugh as hard as you did the first time.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
Read more at UpliftingToday.com:
Lori Loughlin Gets Amazing News From Judge as She Scores Huge Court Victory
Brad Pitt Struggles to Hold Back Tears as He Surprises His Longtime Makeup Artist With a Home Makeover
Prosecutors Drop Bomb on Lori Loughlin in College Admissions Case
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Steve Gruber.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.