Introduction
THE DYING MAN WHO HEARD A VOICE AND SAID, “THAT’S THE ONE”
In 1982, a life-changing moment began not in a recording studio or a crowded Nashville office, but in the mountains of Virginia, where a young singer named Jimmy Fortune was performing at a ski resort.
At the same time, Lew DeWitt—the unmistakable tenor voice and founding member of The Statler Brothers—was facing a heartbreaking battle with Crohn’s disease. The illness had taken a devastating toll on his health and made it increasingly difficult for him to continue touring with the group he helped build.
The easy path would have been to search the country for a famous replacement.
But Lew DeWitt was not looking for a famous name.
He was listening for a voice.
When he heard Jimmy Fortune sing, he recognized something special. The young man from Nelson County, Virginia, possessed not only the vocal ability to carry the demanding tenor parts, but also the humility, warmth, and sincerity that matched the spirit of The Statler Brothers.
According to Jimmy, Lew’s belief in him opened a door he never could have imagined.
A young musician who had been playing small venues was suddenly asked to stand beside some of country music’s most respected voices.
It was not just an opportunity.
It was a responsibility.
Jimmy entered a place that many fans believed could never truly be filled. Instead of trying to become another Lew DeWitt, he honored the man who came before him while bringing his own heart and songwriting talent to the group.
Over the years, Jimmy would write some of The Statler Brothers’ most beloved later hits, including “Elizabeth,” “My Only Love,” and “Too Much on My Heart,” proving that Lew’s faith in him had been well placed.
What makes the story unforgettable is not simply that one singer replaced another.
It is that a man facing the hardest chapter of his own life chose to make sure the music he loved would continue.
Lew DeWitt did not choose a star.
He chose a voice.
A voice that would carry the harmony forward for decades.
And every time Jimmy Fortune stepped to the microphone, a small part of Lew’s faith was still singing beside him.