Harold Reid, who sang bass for the Grammy-winning country group the Statler Brothers, has died after a long battle with kidney failure. He was 80.
Reid died Friday in his hometown of Staunton, Va.
The Statler Brothers frequently sang backup for Johnny Cash. Some of their biggest hits included "Flowers on the Wall," "Bed of Rose's," and "Class of 57."
Reid was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and was also a comedian. "His singing, his songwriting and his comedy made generations happy. He has taken a piece of our hearts with him," the group's website said.
Reid and three boyhood friends — Lew DeWitt, Phil Balsley and Joe McDorman — formed the Four-Star Quartet in 1948. The group, later known as the Kingsmen, sang mostly gospel music. McDorman quit and was replaced by Don Reid, Harold's younger brother.
DeWitt once said the group changed its name again because several other acts — all better known — were billed as the Kingsmen. The new name came from a box of Statler tissue, he said.
The quartet switched to country music in 1964, after meeting Cash and joining his road show.
Over the next two decades, the Statlers won three Grammy Awards and were named top vocal group nine times by the Country Music Association.
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