THE STATLER BROTHERS
The Statler Brothers (sometimes referred to in country music circles as simply The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia and began their career backing Johnny Cash. (More from Wikipedia)
One thing that has really impressed me in country music is the recent emergence, finally, of genuine country bands – instead of just a singer or singers backed by musicians – like Lady Antebellum and the Band Perry. As I remember it, for seemingly ages, the Statler Brothers, and then Alabama kept winning the Grammy for Best Country Duo or Group simply because there really was no one else doing that.
(January 2013)
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There were also some of the genuinely odd recordings by Lester “Roadhog” Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys. That last was a group that had been invented by the Statler Brothers, and what they tried to do was create a truly bad country music show of the sort that would often play on stations or on stage in rural areas. Hap Hansen hated having to play those routines, since he was afraid that listeners would think that it was he who was playing those terrible songs! (My father Wallace M. Winfree was a big country music fan, but he told me on several occasions that there is nothing worse than bad country music).
(November 2014)
