In 1982, The Statler Brothers faced a daunting reality. Lew DeWitt, the founding tenor whose voice defined classics like “Flowers on the Wall”, was forced to step away due to the debilitating effects of Crohn’s disease. For a group that had spent nearly two decades perfecting one of the most recognizable four-part harmonies in American music, losing a cornerstone voice was a heavy blow.
The young man chosen to fill the void was Jimmy Fortune, a singer from Virginia. In a quiet twist of fate, DeWitt himself had heard Fortune singing at a local ski resort and personally recommended him. Fortune officially took over the tenor role in August 1982, but the veterans soon realized he was capable of far more than just hitting the right notes.
The turning point arrived during a 1983 tour bus ride toward Tulsa, Oklahoma. Brothers Harold and Don Reid decided to screen the classic film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, hoping to share a piece of their home state with the newcomer. Fortune was immediately captivated by the actress on screen.
Later that night, an enthusiastic fan shook his hand and repeatedly told him her name was Elizabeth. The spark ignited. Fortune approached the Reid brothers with a hesitant question: if he wrote a song, would they record it? Instead of dismissing the newcomer, the veterans gave him a simple challenge:
“We’ll record it if it’s good enough.”
Fortune stayed up that night and wrote his very first song. The next day, he played “Elizabeth” for Harold and Don. Their reaction was immediate. Rather than burying the ballad in the background, the veterans made a pivotal choice for their upcoming album Today—they stepped back from the microphone and let their youngest member take the absolute lead vocal.
For a legendary group built on nostalgic storytelling and baritone-driven humor, leaning into a sweeping tenor ballad was a massive stylistic gamble. But the decision shifted their entire trajectory. Released in late 1983, “Elizabeth” rocketed up the charts, officially hitting No. 1 on the Billboard country chart by March 1984.
The success proved that a group with roots in the 1960s could still dominate a rapidly changing era. Fortune would go on to write more No. 1 hits, including “My Only Love” and “Too Much on My Heart”, bringing a fresh, romantic energy that captured a new generation of listeners and led to multiple CMA Vocal Group of the Year awards.
Years later, the story came full circle when the Statler Brothers were invited onto a movie set to sing “Elizabeth” directly to Elizabeth Taylor herself. But the true weight of the song was never just about a famous actress or chart positions. It was about the theaters across the country, where longtime fans who had arrived missing DeWitt’s familiar presence heard those clear, soaring tenor notes taking the lead—and finally exhaled.
The Statler Brothers did not just ask Jimmy Fortune to preserve their past. By stepping back and letting him sing, they trusted him to write their future. The song became the bridge between two eras, proving that a gamble taken in the early eighties could secure a legacy for decades to come.