Harold Reid, of the Statler Brothers, died on Friday at the age of 80 after a long battle with kidney failure. He was the bass singer with the group and was so adept at playing the role of the funny, silly member of the Statlers. Harold and Don were the only actual brothers in the Statlers.

The Statler Brothers toured with Johnny Cash from 1963-1971 and performed on many of the famous shows like the concert at Folsom Prison and the concert where Johnny proposed to June in London, Ont. They were managed for a time by Cash’s Canadian manager, the late Saul Holiff.  Their first chart hit was the Grammy-winning “Flowers on the Wall,” written by member Lew DeWitt. Lew left the group in 1983 due to health issues and passed away in 1990. Cash’s longtime drummer, W.S. “Fluke” Holland, played drums on the record. The Statlers were so indebted to Johnny for taking them on tour that they immortalized their relationship in an album cut song called “We Got Paid By Cash.”

The Statlers had 66 singles on the country music charts from 1965-1990, four of them reaching #1, and had their own variety show on The Nashville Network, and won countless awards as well as induction into the Country Music and the Gospel halls of fame.  Not bad for a group from Staunton, Virginia that got their name from a box of tissues.

Condolences to Harold’s family, his Statler brothers, friends and fans.