The Statler Brothers
Flowers on the Wall

THE REVIEW

A masterpiece of Country Music. The Statler Brothers can rightfully be regarded as one of the cornerstones of '80s Country music, practically unknown in Italy but almost an institution of the genre in the United States. We find ourselves in the mid-'60s, when the group became known thanks to the great Johnny Cash, who hired them to participate repeatedly in his broadcasts.

The group was originally composed of Don Reid, a very, very distinctive voice who generally took the lead at the microphone, then Harold Reid, Phil Basley, and Jimmy Fortune, who joined after the death in 1990 of one of the founders, Lew DeWitt, and was the youngest of the quartet. This debut, named "Flowers On The Wall" after its biggest hit contained within. It is indeed the title track, the first of the lot, for which we also have a video that, for the standards of the time, can be considered official, preserved on YouTube. 12 songs, alternating sweet sentimental ballads with actual manifestos of a genre never truly forgotten and always alive within true enthusiasts. The group would later give us other great pieces, such as "Oh Shenandoah" (which is, however, an arrangement of a traditional song) and also "Bed of Rose's" from 1970 or "New York City." It's worth noting that the title track became one of the top 5 country songs of that year, for me, in the top 5 of all time. Short, concise, rhythmic, and with that country feel of the United States that stays in your eyes for at least a day. Try it to believe it.

When you listen to the Statler Brothers, you can't help but imagine the vast American countryside prairies that bring to mind those '70s films or the areas where "Murder, She Wrote" roamed. There you have it, an all-American flavor that seems now erased by city pollution and work chaos. In short, it seems strange, but you have the sensation of being nostalgic for an era and situation never experienced.

It seems the Statler Brothers wandered until 2002 in modest venues with their musical repertoire, a modestly remarkable career of a truly remarkable group, worth rediscovering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s8nRL2bPCU