Lew had the most pure tenor voice ever. He harmonized so well and his voice blended so perfectly with the other 3. So many tenors are so piercing with their voices and almost dominate the others. Lew's voice was so complimentary and beautiful. Lew was only the lead when he was supposed to.
This is what Gospel and Country Music is all about. The true talent to sing a beautiful song with nothing taking away anything. The Statler Brothers were and will always be a big part of the reason that I love Music, true country and gospel at it's best
I met Don Reid at a Masters V concert in Harrisonburg, VA. He was super nice and very friendly, and very pleased to hear that I had bought their new CD that was just out that week!
First time I heard them sing this song, I was driving. Turned the radio up. The DJ said that is so good, he just had to play it again, and he did. I bought the album that day 😁.
In 1885, Carl Boberg, a Swedish editor and future politician, was walking home in the bayside town of Mönsterås, located on Sweden’s south-eastern coast. A thunderhead appeared on the horizon. Lightning flashed. Thunderclaps shook the air, sending Boberg running for shelter. When the storm began to relent, he rushed home. He opened his windows to let in the fresh bay air, and the vision of tranquility that greeted him stirred something deep in his soul. The sky had cleared. Thrushes sang, and in the distance, the resonant knell of church bells sounded. With the juxtaposition between the roaring thunderstorm and such bucolic calm as background, Boberg sat down and wrote “O Store Gud”-the poem that, through a winding series of events would become “How Great Thou Art.” After being published in a local newspaper, an unknown Swede put “O Store Gud” to the tune of a Swedish folk song, whose name has also been lost to history. In the late 1800s several versions were published, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that “O Store Gud,” which translates literally to “O Mighty God,” hopped the Swedish border. In the first decade of the 20th century the song was translated into German. A handful of years later a Russian version appeared. The first English language version wouldn’t be penned until 1925. But this English iteration, translated by the Swedish-American E. Gustav Johnson, is a far cry from the song we know today. It took another quarter century, a British missionary, and a new translation before the song developed into its now recognizable form. In the early 1930s, Stuart K. Hine, an English missionary, first heard the Russian version of “O Store Gud” while in the Ukraine. For years he and his wife sang the song with locals before he finally sat down and translated it into English. Translation is of course more art than science, and Hine took some liberties, most particularly with the title, which in 1949 he rechristened “How Great Thou Art.” Hine published his English translation alongside the Russian version in Grace and Peace, a magazine that he published and was circulated to missionaries in over 15 countries. The story of “How Great Thou Art” might have ended here, in relative obscurity, were it not for a British-American theologian traveling to India, a singing cowboy, and a popular American evangelist on a self-described crusade. When J. Edwin Orr, a British-American theologian and evangelist, travelled to India in 1954, music was the farthest thing from his mind. He was there to preach. But while there he heard an English version of “How Great Thou Art” sung by a Naga choir from the state of Assam in north-eastern India. He was so impressed by the song he brought it back to America and had it performed at a conference for college students where he was speaking. In attendance at that fateful conference were the children of Tim Spencer, a singing cowboy and actor who had found fame singing in the Sons of the Pioneers alongside Bob Nolan and Roy Rogers. At that time, Spencer owned Mana Music, Inc, a publisher of Christian music. He quickly arranged to buy the rights to the song and then did what all good publishers do-he started pushing the song. As late as 1954, “How Great Thou Art” remained all but unknown in the U.S., but with Mana Music’s backing the song eventually landed in the hands of George Beverly Shea, famed soloist in Billy Graham’s travelling crusade. Graham reportedly loved the song and quickly made it his evangelical crusade’s signature song. Given Graham’s reach, Shea all but introduced the song to the nation. He sang it live on radio, before stadiums filled with thousands of people-and during nationally televised events like the 1957 Madison Square Garden Crusade, which ran for 16 weeks and was viewed by an estimated 96 million people. Then came Elvis. Though Shea and other popular artists like Tennessee Ernie Ford and Loretta Lynn recorded versions before him, Elvis’s recordings-his more restrained studio version from 1967 and his slightly looser live version from 1974, both of which earned him Grammys-are generally considered the canonical versions against which all others are compared. That said, many people today think first of Carrie Underwood’s chart-topping rendition from 2011. Regardless of your favorite recording, when we reflect upon the various chance encounters and serendipitous occurrences that combined to birth “How Great Thou Art” and bring it to prominence, it’s hard not to be awed by the sheer improbability of it all; fate, dumb luck, God’s grace, call it what you will, the path from “O Store Gud” to “How Great Thou Art” is nothing if not unlikely. And still today is sung at Church of Sweden!
My mom always cranked this song every time she listened to the CD's. She was put on hospice on July 27th of 2016. She lived for another 3 weeks, and in the hour of her passing, I played her this song! She went as peaceful as can be! Every sunday, I am in my office, I have her candle burning, along side her Urn, and I play this a couple times.Thank you for all your GREAT music!
First off I'm so sorry for your loss ,I lost my mother in May of 2016 also. I miss her dearly everyday! But 😮I hope you know your mother is in heaven if she was saved and isn't in those ashes. Those are just ashes and that isn't your mother. My sister's had my mother cremated also but to be dead in the flesh is to be alive with Jesus Christ. So she's in her perfectly heavenly body watching over you. I know you burn the candle and actually think you're honoring your mother but that's actually an occult practice and I would warn you against doing that. May God bless you and your family!!
Harmony that can't be matched, never mind will, no one can match a sound like this. I grew up listening to their music and just in complete awe at the harmony they have. Trully one of the greatest bands ever and this is the best version of this song ever.
The Statler Bros are from my home state Virginia. Stauton was a 3 hour drive from where I lived. I love these guys. How Great Thou Art and The Old Rugged Cross was sung at my husband's memorial service. We grew up with these songs and The Statler Bros do a wonderful job with them. They are the greatest.
I miss Lew. All of the guys are super talented, including Jimmy Fortune. However there was just something about Lew . A little touch of sorrow in his voice. Great performer and a criminally underrated songwriter as well.
Just not sure why 668 people would dislike this group or this song. That was my daddy’s favorite song. We played that at his funeral. He was 84 and still sang this song. What an enjoyment these guys gave us. ❤️❤️
My dad loved these guys. I have happy memories of listening to them (and singing along). Sometimes I just have to go back 40-45 years and listen to them.
My father, who has been gone for 16 years used to sing this. It always reminds me of him. He, too, had a beautiful voice. We played this at his funeral. They Statler Brothers sing this beautiful hymn. My favorite version
I miss this group. It is no wonder they were voted the best group of the century. When they retired it broke my heart. Oh, these songs of inspiration......
To Darrell Burnham-amen, b rother, they are my favorite vocal group. I, too , was sad- dened by the fact that they a re no longer performing. Wo uld have loved to meet them in person. It's a tragic sham e Lew suffered from Crohn's Disease. I no doubt he'd've s tayed 'til the end taking the bows they so richly deserve d. As you know Lew person- ally handpicked Jimmy to b- e his successor. Long live th e Statler Brothers!.
This is great. Have never seen this one. No one on this earth can sing this song better than the Statlers. It's wonderful to see Lew looking well. May he rest in peace. Thank you very much for this post. Very much appreciated.
I believe the Statler Brothers have the greatest blend of voices I've ever heard. May God bless them for the blessings they've given so many by using their marvelous voices to glorify Him.
Jo-Ann Mack I never thought they could replace Lou but Jimmy was absolutely awesome! I saw them twice in concert. Once in San Diego then years later at a small community play house with Jimmy and he Nailed this song that they had to do a few more lines over and over. Sat about 5 rows away from them. I know every song they did old and new. This was in Pensacola Florida.
In 1885, Carl Boberg, a Swedish editor and future politician, was walking home in the bayside town of Mönsterås, located on Sweden’s south-eastern coast. A thunderhead appeared on the horizon. Lightning flashed. Thunderclaps shook the air, sending Boberg running for shelter. When the storm began to relent, he rushed home. He opened his windows to let in the fresh bay air, and the vision of tranquility that greeted him stirred something deep in his soul. The sky had cleared. Thrushes sang, and in the distance, the resonant knell of church bells sounded. With the juxtaposition between the roaring thunderstorm and such bucolic calm as background, Boberg sat down and wrote “O Store Gud”-the poem that, through a winding series of events would become “How Great Thou Art.” After being published in a local newspaper, an unknown Swede put “O Store Gud” to the tune of a Swedish folk song, whose name has also been lost to history. In the late 1800s several versions were published, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that “O Store Gud,” which translates literally to “O Mighty God,” hopped the Swedish border. In the first decade of the 20th century the song was translated into German. A handful of years later a Russian version appeared. The first English language version wouldn’t be penned until 1925. But this English iteration, translated by the Swedish-American E. Gustav Johnson, is a far cry from the song we know today. It took another quarter century, a British missionary, and a new translation before the song developed into its now recognizable form. In the early 1930s, Stuart K. Hine, an English missionary, first heard the Russian version of “O Store Gud” while in the Ukraine. For years he and his wife sang the song with locals before he finally sat down and translated it into English. Translation is of course more art than science, and Hine took some liberties, most particularly with the title, which in 1949 he rechristened “How Great Thou Art.” Hine published his English translation alongside the Russian version in Grace and Peace, a magazine that he published and was circulated to missionaries in over 15 countries. The story of “How Great Thou Art” might have ended here, in relative obscurity, were it not for a British-American theologian traveling to India, a singing cowboy, and a popular American evangelist on a self-described crusade. When J. Edwin Orr, a British-American theologian and evangelist, travelled to India in 1954, music was the farthest thing from his mind. He was there to preach. But while there he heard an English version of “How Great Thou Art” sung by a Naga choir from the state of Assam in north-eastern India. He was so impressed by the song he brought it back to America and had it performed at a conference for college students where he was speaking. In attendance at that fateful conference were the children of Tim Spencer, a singing cowboy and actor who had found fame singing in the Sons of the Pioneers alongside Bob Nolan and Roy Rogers. At that time, Spencer owned Mana Music, Inc, a publisher of Christian music. He quickly arranged to buy the rights to the song and then did what all good publishers do-he started pushing the song. As late as 1954, “How Great Thou Art” remained all but unknown in the U.S., but with Mana Music’s backing the song eventually landed in the hands of George Beverly Shea, famed soloist in Billy Graham’s travelling crusade. Graham reportedly loved the song and quickly made it his evangelical crusade’s signature song. Given Graham’s reach, Shea all but introduced the song to the nation. He sang it live on radio, before stadiums filled with thousands of people-and during nationally televised events like the 1957 Madison Square Garden Crusade, which ran for 16 weeks and was viewed by an estimated 96 million people. Then came Elvis. Though Shea and other popular artists like Tennessee Ernie Ford and Loretta Lynn recorded versions before him, Elvis’s recordings-his more restrained studio version from 1967 and his slightly looser live version from 1974, both of which earned him Grammys-are generally considered the canonical versions against which all others are compared. That said, many people today think first of Carrie Underwood’s chart-topping rendition from 2011. Regardless of your favorite recording, when we reflect upon the various chance encounters and serendipitous occurrences that combined to birth “How Great Thou Art” and bring it to prominence, it’s hard not to be awed by the sheer improbability of it all; fate, dumb luck, God’s grace, call it what you will, the path from “O Store Gud” to “How Great Thou Art” is nothing if not unlikely.
The first time I ever heard the Statler Brothers was over 50 years ago when they opened for a Johnny Cash concert. I knew then they were great and listened to them to this day. Miss you Harold and Lou.....RIP
This is, for me, the one and only ultimate recording of this beloved gospel song. It was my father's favorite and and I offered it up as the last song loved ones sang at his funeral, and in my mind he was strong, sitting in his favorite chair singing, eyes closed, singing loud an lovingly to the God he adored. Wish I could tell these wonderful singers how he an I are for the talent and love they infuse into every song they performed.
My mother is 100 and has pneumonia. Playing religious music like How Great Thou Are and familiar music from the past like Blueberry Hill, a sentimental song my mom loves. is very comforting too. This music helps put my mom to sleep which she needs to heal.
The very best harmony I have ever heard. They were in a class all by themselves. I love literally all of their songs. Their roots really shine on the old gospel standards. I remember watching their TV show where the highlight was the gospel number sung with just the piano player.
In 1885, Carl Boberg, a Swedish editor and future politician, was walking home in the bayside town of Mönsterås, located on Sweden’s south-eastern coast. A thunderhead appeared on the horizon. Lightning flashed. Thunderclaps shook the air, sending Boberg running for shelter. When the storm began to relent, he rushed home. He opened his windows to let in the fresh bay air, and the vision of tranquility that greeted him stirred something deep in his soul. The sky had cleared. Thrushes sang, and in the distance, the resonant knell of church bells sounded. With the juxtaposition between the roaring thunderstorm and such bucolic calm as background, Boberg sat down and wrote “O Store Gud”-the poem that, through a winding series of events would become “How Great Thou Art.” After being published in a local newspaper, an unknown Swede put “O Store Gud” to the tune of a Swedish folk song, whose name has also been lost to history. In the late 1800s several versions were published, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that “O Store Gud,” which translates literally to “O Mighty God,” hopped the Swedish border. In the first decade of the 20th century the song was translated into German. A handful of years later a Russian version appeared. The first English language version wouldn’t be penned until 1925. But this English iteration, translated by the Swedish-American E. Gustav Johnson, is a far cry from the song we know today. It took another quarter century, a British missionary, and a new translation before the song developed into its now recognizable form. In the early 1930s, Stuart K. Hine, an English missionary, first heard the Russian version of “O Store Gud” while in the Ukraine. For years he and his wife sang the song with locals before he finally sat down and translated it into English. Translation is of course more art than science, and Hine took some liberties, most particularly with the title, which in 1949 he rechristened “How Great Thou Art.” Hine published his English translation alongside the Russian version in Grace and Peace, a magazine that he published and was circulated to missionaries in over 15 countries. The story of “How Great Thou Art” might have ended here, in relative obscurity, were it not for a British-American theologian traveling to India, a singing cowboy, and a popular American evangelist on a self-described crusade. When J. Edwin Orr, a British-American theologian and evangelist, travelled to India in 1954, music was the farthest thing from his mind. He was there to preach. But while there he heard an English version of “How Great Thou Art” sung by a Naga choir from the state of Assam in north-eastern India. He was so impressed by the song he brought it back to America and had it performed at a conference for college students where he was speaking. In attendance at that fateful conference were the children of Tim Spencer, a singing cowboy and actor who had found fame singing in the Sons of the Pioneers alongside Bob Nolan and Roy Rogers. At that time, Spencer owned Mana Music, Inc, a publisher of Christian music. He quickly arranged to buy the rights to the song and then did what all good publishers do-he started pushing the song. As late as 1954, “How Great Thou Art” remained all but unknown in the U.S., but with Mana Music’s backing the song eventually landed in the hands of George Beverly Shea, famed soloist in Billy Graham’s travelling crusade. Graham reportedly loved the song and quickly made it his evangelical crusade’s signature song. Given Graham’s reach, Shea all but introduced the song to the nation. He sang it live on radio, before stadiums filled with thousands of people-and during nationally televised events like the 1957 Madison Square Garden Crusade, which ran for 16 weeks and was viewed by an estimated 96 million people. Then came Elvis. Though Shea and other popular artists like Tennessee Ernie Ford and Loretta Lynn recorded versions before him, Elvis’s recordings-his more restrained studio version from 1967 and his slightly looser live version from 1974, both of which earned him Grammys-are generally considered the canonical versions against which all others are compared. That said, many people today think first of Carrie Underwood’s chart-topping rendition from 2011. Regardless of your favorite recording, when we reflect upon the various chance encounters and serendipitous occurrences that combined to birth “How Great Thou Art” and bring it to prominence, it’s hard not to be awed by the sheer improbability of it all; fate, dumb luck, God’s grace, call it what you will, the path from “O Store Gud” to “How Great Thou Art” is nothing if not unlikely. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uWOFkA5ZAls.html
We sang this ar my husband's funeral. Our minister at that time would never permit us to sing the verse that begins "When Christ Shall Come". He said it was "depressing". I made sure we sang that verse ar my husband's funeral!
This great hymn was selected by my husband and me for our wedding? Four years later this was played for this wonderful husband I had at his funeral. I was 39,
I wholeheartedly agree!! He never "oversang" but blended in with the others. His voice had such a poignant sound, sometimes like a heartfelt cry. I love Lew DeWitt and The Statler Brothers; NO one will ever truly take Lew's place. :)
The world today needs this. All the greatest music and artists ever created have come and most niw are gone from this earth, but their music remains. As time goes by, their songs are heard fewer and fewer times, as the world around us is crumbling into chaos.
This song will live on forever! If we’re true believers of our Savior and true to his word, well it will! Only if we’re walking in his will and to know and really know how much he loves us!!!
@Greg Normal they are the best to bad after they retired Harold died I have always loved there music I have several of there cds play them all th time when i am in my car
People these Godly Men can truly touch HEARTS...MAKE you stop and think about your lives and how much GOD really means to each of us....HOW GREAT THOU ART!!!!!
I was honored to spend some time with Harold and Don one day in Clifton Forge'VA. Both were true gentlemen in every since of the word and they made me feel like they had known me for years. I miss the Statlers and I'm really am going to miss Harold. Rest easy my friend... Barry
They could sing anything. I grew up hearing their old songs, I especially like Do You Remember These. Harold was my favorite of the group. They had a variety show on tv, the late 1970s, I think. It only lasted one season, and I always watched it.
@@christiandonaldson31 yes thank you staying safe it’s so stressful though I think we are all in the same boat am in Liverpool England we’re you from please
Many years ago I was 18 years old the Statler Bro’s music was introduced to me.I had never heard anything like it before. The music was on an LP record, it’s a wonder I didn’t wear it out. I just played and played . Now I’m 64 years old and have just listened to it again. Their voices haven’t changed at all. The harmony they would sing together was simply beautiful, something that has stayed with me. Hearing this tonight has bought back many memories. Would love to have a CD of their music. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this music laying in bed.❤️God blessed them with Angelic voices.
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Lew was always my favorite...maybe because I always sang harmony as he did. My father loved this song, and especially this rendition. It was the last song we sang at his funeral. He once told me of attending a church service at the church's camp. As the final notes drifted off into the distance, he had this wonderful feeling of peace and tranquility...I hope he found it as we sent him to meet God, free of the disease and dysfunction that plagued his human body.
How I hope that the day comes while I'm still here to see it. I know many families whose children have never been in a church or taught about God. We used to call him the Great Spirit but he was one and the same. There are no longer any morals or honor in this land. Wait a little longer please Jesus until we get our loved ones in.
Lew DeWitt was one of my Mother-In Law’s favorite singers, Lew performed at several small concerts, which We were able to attend and We left the concert with signed picture and one of his guitar picks which he threw and it landed at my feet!!!!
