Singer. He was the original tenor for the Statler Brothers, an American country music, and gospel vocal group. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, he formed a musical group with high-school friends Harold Reid, Phil Balsley and Joe McDorman. When McDorman left the group, he was replaced by Harold's brother Don. The group was called the Kingsmen until another group by that name had a 1963 #2 Billboard hit, "Louie Louie." From then on, Harold, Phil, Don and Lew were the Statler Brothers. Harold and Don wrote most of the group's songs, but Lew wrote some as well, including the group's first hit, "Flowers on the Wall." Afflicted with Crohn's Disease since adolescence, he retired from the Statlers in 1982 with Jimmy Fortune filling the tenor spot from then on. Lew made a brief comeback from 1985 to 1986 as a solo artist, but illness again took its toll; he died at the age of 52 at his home in Waynesboro, Virginia, where his widow keeps his ashes.
Singer. He was the original tenor for the Statler Brothers, an American country music, and gospel vocal group. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, he formed a musical group with high-school friends Harold Reid, Phil Balsley and Joe McDorman. When McDorman left the group, he was replaced by Harold's brother Don. The group was called the Kingsmen until another group by that name had a 1963 #2 Billboard hit, "Louie Louie." From then on, Harold, Phil, Don and Lew were the Statler Brothers. Harold and Don wrote most of the group's songs, but Lew wrote some as well, including the group's first hit, "Flowers on the Wall." Afflicted with Crohn's Disease since adolescence, he retired from the Statlers in 1982 with Jimmy Fortune filling the tenor spot from then on. Lew made a brief comeback from 1985 to 1986 as a solo artist, but illness again took its toll; he died at the age of 52 at his home in Waynesboro, Virginia, where his widow keeps his ashes.
Bio by: Collins Crapo
Inscription
"IN MEMORY OF"
Gravesite Details
Lew DeWitt is not actually buried at the cemetery, only memorialized
Family Members
Advertisement
See more DeWitt memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
