On a very hot July 4th in 1970, the Statler Brothers hosted their first “Happy Birthday, U.S.A.” concert on one of the baseball diamonds in Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton, Virginia. The concert was all about God, Mom, Apple Pie, and Old Glory.
In 1977, I remember buying my first Statler Brothers’ album, “The Country America Loves.” I eagerly read the liner notes on the back cover hoping to catch an inside glimpse of the famous country music artists.
Statler Don Reid wrote about their annual July 4th concerts, “Our show is free to the public and doesn’t cost them a cent unless they want to eat a hot dog or let their kids take a pony ride or enjoy any number of events that take place over the two-day event.” He continued, “Every year is special to us when it comes to America, and if that sounds corny, then we’re the first to admit that we’re the biggest ears on the stalk.”
For the next 25 years, the Statler Brothers together with some of their friends in country music would play a free concert during their July 4th “Happy Birthday, U.S.A.” celebration in Staunton. The show was set up at the John Moxie Memorial Stadium, and the festivities grew to attract people from every state in the country, forming crowds up to of 100,000 or more every year in their hometown of 25,000.
After 25 years of providing the free concerts, sadly, in 1994 the Statler Brothers performed their last “Happy Birthday, U.S.A.” concert.
The people of Staunton and Statler Brothers fans from all across the nation supported the concerts every year, and didn’t want the concerts to end. Residents of Staunton endeavored to keep the celebration alive. They changed the name to “America’s Birthday Celebration” and worked hard to bring other country music stars to the concert.
It just wasn’t the same. They still had the pony rides and the hot dogs, but they didn’t have the Statler Brothers, and that made all the difference.
The event turned into a small-town celebration, which was fun, but lacked the broad appeal of the previous 25 years.
A few days ago, I read where Wil Reid and Langdon Reid, the duo of Wilson Fairchild and sons of Harold and Don Reid of the Statler Brothers, will be appearing at the 2017 “America’s Birthday Celebration.”
According to the Staunton News Leader, “It’s been a long time coming,” says Langdon. “It’s always been a part of us.”
People are excited. It was said the question, “Will the Statler Brothers return to perform again, too?” has been asked numerous times since the announcement was made last week.
Langdon and Wil Reid say not that they know of now. I personally like to think the Statler Brothers may surprise everyone and show up to do one last song for the good times. One can always hope.
When Brenda and I lived in Staunton, we had heard a story about the Statler Brothers during their touring days. According to residents, the Statlers were performing in a large concert in the Midwest. Unfortunately, a man in the audience suffered a massive heart attack during the performance and passed away.
The Statler Brothers found out the gentleman’s name, visited with his widow and sons, and stayed over an extra day to sing at the man’s funeral.
I don’t know if the story was true or not, but people can relate because they know this was something the Statler Brothers would do.
Don Reid once said the secret to the quartet’s longevity was its continuous efforts to take care of its fans. “We always gave them the best show we could give, sent out a newsletter to keep them informed, and had a staff of six to answer every piece of fan mail, so we had a nice love affair with our fans,” he said. “They, in turn, took care of us. People sometimes get successful and take their fans for granted and think they’ll be in love with you forever, but we weren’t like that. You have to look after your relationships with people on a daily basis.”
And we are so glad they did.
Pat Haley is a Clinton County Commissioner.
