Some songs are meant to last forever. They are so powerful that even years after being released they still trigger strong feelings, whether that’s love, nostalgia, sadness, or happiness.
When we think of such everlasting pieces of music, one of the songs that comes to our mind is More Than a Name on a Wall. Sang by the Statler Brothers consisting of Don and Harold Reid, Phil Balsley and Lew DeWitt, this tune brings millions to tears. It honors the soldiers who fought during the Vietnam War, which took more than 50,000 lives, through the story of a grieving mother who visits the Vietnam Wall and prays her son is more than just a name written on that wall.
The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The Statler Brothers started their singing career as back up vocals for Johnny Cash, whose attention they caught while playing at the Roanoke Fair in Salem, Virginia, but went on to make a name for themselves. Many of their songs are huge hits up until this day.
The story behind the collaboration between Cash and the Statler Brothers, who combine the sounds of country with gospel melodies, says they were hired by him “on a handshake.” At the time he met them, he was promoting his 16th album.
Speaking of Cash, Reid said, “John was a walkin’, talkin’, singin’ musical encyclopedia.”
During the following 10 years, the group performed by Cash’ side, who helped them rise to prominence as hitmakers under Columbia Records.
In 1965, their genre-blending hit Flowers on the Wall topped both the country and pop charts, surpassing the Beatles’ Help! and the Supremes’ Stop in the Name of Love. This success earned the Statler Brothers two Grammy Awards: Best New Country and Western Artist, and Best Contemporary Performance (Group).
The song regained its popularity in 1994 when Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction featured it in a scene where Bruce Willis’ character, Butch, runs down Samuel L. Jackson’s character while the song plays on the car radio.
The group hosted their own variety show on The Nashville Network (TNN) from 1991 to 1998. In 1992, the show, which highlighted the comedic skills of founding member Harold, became the network’s most popular program and set a record for the highest ratings in TNN’s history.
In one episode, a poignant rendition of the song More Than a Name on the Wall moved audiences, bringing tears to viewers across America.
Jimmy Fortune, who replaced DeWitt after he left due to medical reasons and then died in 1990 and wrote the song, spoke of the inspiration behind it.
“You look at it. You look at each one of those lines from a distance, you look at it and see those lines stacked on top of each other, and they seem like they go on forever, and forever, and forever,” he said of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. “I realized that was a mother’s child. That was someone’s husband. Just all the stories and all the memories of that child…It just hit me that they are more than a name on a wall.”
Listen to them singing More Than a Name on a Wall in the video below. It will give you goosebumps.
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