Introduction
At 70, Jimmy Fortune Finally Reveals Why He Left the Statler Brothers
For more than two decades, Jimmy Fortune stood alongside the Statler Brothers, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in the group’s later years. His soaring tenor, gentle personality, and songwriting talent helped define a new chapter for the legendary country and gospel quartet.
So when the Statler Brothers said goodbye to touring in 2002, many fans wondered what would happen next—and why Jimmy Fortune appeared to move in a different direction.
The truth, however, was not a dramatic feud or a bitter breakup.
The Statler Brothers had simply reached a point where it was time to close one extraordinary chapter.
Fortune joined the group in 1982 after original tenor Lew DeWitt was unable to continue performing because of Crohn’s disease. DeWitt had heard Fortune singing at a ski resort and recommended him to the Statlers. After an audition, Fortune eventually became his permanent replacement.
What followed was more than 20 years of remarkable success.
Fortune quickly established himself as an essential member of the group. He wrote some of the Statlers’ most memorable later hits, including “Elizabeth,” “My Only Love,” and “Too Much on My Heart.” He also co-wrote the emotional song “More Than a Name on a Wall.”
For Fortune, the Statler Brothers were not simply a job.
They were family.
He traveled with Harold Reid, Don Reid, and Phil Balsley for years, performing thousands of shows and appearing on The Statler Brothers Show, which became one of The Nashville Network’s most successful programs. The group eventually earned numerous awards and was later inducted into both the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame.
But after decades on the road, the members began thinking seriously about retirement.
In 2002, the Statler Brothers announced that they would stop touring. Their farewell concert took place that October, bringing nearly four decades of road work to an end. Contemporary reporting described the decision as the group’s choice to retire after years of touring, rather than the result of a dispute among the members.
For Jimmy Fortune, however, retirement did not feel like the end of his musical journey.
Instead, it became the beginning of something new.
After the Statlers retired, Fortune launched a solo career. His official biography explains that he saw the opportunity to continue sharing new music with his fans and released his first solo album, When One Door Closes, in 2003.
The title of that album seems almost symbolic.
One door had closed—but another had opened.
Starting over was not necessarily easy. Fortune later acknowledged that building a solo career meant starting from the beginning again and sometimes accepting smaller opportunities while establishing himself outside the Statlers. Yet he continued writing, recording, and performing.
His musical journey eventually led to collaborations with other singers, including the group now known as Brothers of the Heart.
Looking back, the most important truth is that Jimmy Fortune did not leave the Statler Brothers because he stopped caring about them.
The group itself had reached its natural conclusion.
Fortune simply chose a different path afterward.
And that decision allowed him to preserve the music he loved while creating a legacy of his own.
The Statler Brothers may have taken their final bow in 2002, but Jimmy Fortune never stopped singing.
His story is not really about leaving.
It is about knowing when one chapter has ended—and having the courage to begin another.