The Songs Traveled the World; Now the Stories Come Back to Staunton: An Interview with Don Reid of the Statler Brothers

Some stories have a way of finding their way home

For decades, the Statler Brothers carried the sounds and stories of Staunton, Virginia to stages around the world, earning a place among country music’s most beloved groups. Yet even as their music reached millions, the place that inspired so much of it remained a constant.

Now, those stories are coming full circle with the world premiere of Some I Wrote: A Musical Story of the Songs of The Statler Brothers at ShenanArts on October 15, 2026. The show is based on Don Reid’s book, The Music of The Statler Brothers: An Anthology, and was adapted for the stage by ShenanArts regulars, Jeff McDaniel and Cori McDaniel.

With fans traveling from 24 states to experience the production, we caught up with Don Reid to talk about the hometown memories woven into the music, the joy of seeing his family’s legacy continue, and what it means to watch songs written decades ago find a new life on the very stage where the Statlers once performed as teenagers.

Where It All Began

The Statler Brothers performed for audiences around the world, but Staunton has always remained part of your story. What is it about this community that has kept it feeling like home, even after experiencing so much of the world?

We were children here in Staunton. We walked her streets, rode our bikes around Gypsy Hill Park, went to school here, went to the movies here every Saturday morning, dated here, and rode around Wright’s Dairy Rite in our old cars. It was and is home in every way imaginable way. I still love just riding down Beverley Street any day or night and seeing all the memories.

When you think back to growing up in Staunton and the early days of the Statler Brothers, what are some of the places, people, or experiences that helped shape who you became? Is there a particular memory that still makes you smile?

So many memories. We got the perfect taste of the All-American-Small-Town charm. It was the ’50s. We were kids and loving every minute of it. You ask for a particular memory. Here’s just one that pops so sweetly in my mind. The very stage and theatre where SOME I WROTE is playing for eight nights to honor the Statlers’ music, was the very stage and auditorium that we sang on and in as teenagers in the local Lion’s Club Talent Show. You can only imagine what that does to the heart, with those kind of memories bouncing off the walls as I sit in those seats today.

So many Statler Brothers songs tell stories about everyday people, shared experiences, and the places we call home. Looking back, how much did growing up in Staunton influence the stories you wanted to tell through music?

I’d say 100%. We wrote about the folks we knew here. The merchants. The kids we went to school with. And by never leaving here, by always living here throughout our career, we had those memories at our fingertips. We didn’t have to remember the old school house or the drugstore on the corner. We were still seeing those places every day, and they were kept fresh in our minds.

The Stories Behind Some I Wrote

ShenanArts is bringing Some I Wrote: A Musical Story of the Songs of The Statler Brothers to the stage for its world premiere right here in Staunton. You’ve seen these songs reach audiences around the world. What does it mean to have these songs and their stories brought to life in the place where it all began?

It is very humbling and emotional. It’s a full-circle kind of experience. We wrote these stories with their roots in Staunton, and then after circling around the world, as you said, they have landed right back where it all began. On any given day I can go to the same movie theater I went to as a kid or eat in the same restaurant or shop the same stores up and down Beverley and Augusta streets. So much has changed but then, for me, so little. It’s like I can step into an old black and white movie of my life any time I want.

The production is based on your book, The Music of The Statler Brothers: An Anthology. What’s been most interesting about seeing those memories and experiences reimagined for the stage, and what do you hope audiences take away beyond the music itself?

I think the play audiences will go away with the same thing I hoped the reading audience did and does-a better understanding of where the songs came from and maybe a new appreciation of the simpler things in life. Kurt Vonnegut called us America’s Poets. You may or may not agree with that, but I certainly do hope we captured a little hunk of the 20th century, preserved it in rhyme, and painted a few nice memories.

The songs of the Statler Brothers often combined humor, heart, and an unmistakable sense of storytelling. Is there a song in the musical that has taken on a different meaning for you over time, or one whose backstory you particularly enjoy sharing?

This question makes me smile, because I would have to say the title song of the play: SOME I WROTE. My brother Harold and I wrote it nearly 50 years ago one night in Texas as a single song telling the world how and why songs are born. And now it is the theme of a play revealing so many of the stories behind our songs. Yes, God makes me smile with these kinds of blessings. He knew all along, even that night in Texas, and is just now letting me in on the story.

A Musical Legacy Across Generations

Your son Langdon and nephew Wil have carried the family tradition forward through Wilson Fairchild, and now Jack and Davis Reid are making their own mark in country music. What has it been like watching three generations of your family find their voices in music?

Watching Wilson Fairchild and Jack and Davis has been one of the most glorious blessings of my life. To say I’m proud of them sounds a little pedestrian and too easy. I am fulfilled by them. They entertain me; inspire me; and they add significantly to the meaning of my life. And to the meaning of the life and career of the Statler Brothers. All the time I wish by brother were here to enjoy them with me. They have kept the music alive and in such a professional and loving way. And then, above all that, they are simply good men. And that means more than the music could ever tell.

The Statler Brothers started Happy Birthday U.S.A. at Gypsy Hill Park in 1970, and more than half a century later, Happy Birthday America continues to bring people together. As the tradition took on special significance during America’s 250th anniversary, what does it mean to see something you helped start become such a lasting part of Staunton’s identity?

I am touched each year by the acceptance and success it still enjoys. The Statlers were always flag-wavers and proud of it. And now that Wilson Fairchild has kept that same flame burning, I simply sit back and enjoy the parade around the park, the shows on the stage and the spirit of the people who seem hungry to have a place where they can salute America without fear of partisan politics deeming them one thing or another. Once upon a time, people understood the difference between politics and patriotism. Happy Birthday America gives us a day to go back and enjoy that time.

You’ve experienced some of the highest levels of success in country music, yet you’ve spent much of your life rooted in the same community where you grew up. Has your definition of success changed over the years?

Yes. Success is the ability to undeservedly enjoy and cherish the simple things God has given you. I may not have given you that same definition when I was twenty-five.

Staunton Through Don Reid’s Eyes

People are traveling to Staunton from 24 states to see Some I Wrote. If you were showing a first-time visitor around your hometown, where would you take them? Are there places you would encourage them to visit, things you’d want them to eat, or experiences you think capture the character of Staunton?

For sure. I have done this many times. First, I drive them down Beverley Street. I point out the Episcopal Church on the right and tell them how Staunton was once the capital of Virginia. Then I tell them to look at the tops of the buildings at the 19th century architecture. And there is the town clock. (I’ve actually been on the roof where it sits.) I point out this is the annual Christmas parade route and how beautiful it is decorated each year. Up that street is the Visulite theater. And down that street was the old Strand theater. And here on the left was the Dixie theater. We went to all of these as kids on Saturday mornings and with our dates as we were growing up. And then took our kids to the very same theaters years later.

Here on top of the hill as we take a left is the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace. And taking another left here is the First Presbyterian Church where Wilson’s father was the minister and where subsequently four U.S. Presidents have worshiped. Mary Baldwin University is on the right as we head to Gypsy Hill Park. A ride around this place is Staunton at its best. Every season is a different story and it is one of the most beautiful places in my memory and in reality. And just over there is where the 4th of July event is always held. And on that little knoll is a nice memorial to the Statlers. Across the street was our grade school that we converted into our office complex and the Statler museum until the day we retired.

On the way back downtown, here is Thornrose Cemetery with graves dating back to early America. And that old building was Dunsmore Business College which I attended. And as we come into the Wharf area, there are four commemorative stools to honor the Statlers, just like we used on all our concerts.

This is my hometown, and I love it!

Learn more about the Statler Brothers and Shenanarts.