Jimmy Fortune: Brothers of the Heart
Brothers of the Heart - Jimmy Fortune, Bradley Walker, Mike Rogers, and Ben Isaacs
Jimmy Fortune toured, sang and performed with the legendary Statler Brothers for 21 years. He
joined them first as a temporary replacement for Lew DeWitt, after DeWitt heard him singing at
a ski resort and recommended him. Following an audition in Nashville, Jimmy was contacted by
The Statler Brothers and performed his first show with them on January 28, 1982, in Savannah,
Georgia. Due to the debilitating effects of Crohn’s Disease, Lew was unable to return to the
stage with the Statlers, and Jimmy was hired as a permanent replacement in August of 1982.
Fortune quickly lived up to his name. He wrote the group's second No. 1 hit, "Elizabeth," on
their 1983 album Today, and followed that with two more No. 1 hits--"My Only Love" (from
1984's Atlanta Blue) and "Too Much On My Heart" (from 1985's Pardners in Rhyme). Fortune
also wrote the top-10 hit "Forever" from 1986's Four for the Show and co-wrote the top-10 hit
"More Than a Name on a Wall" from 1988's The Greatest Hits.
Jimmy has performed in all of the U.S. States, in Canadian Provinces, and in front of audiences
as large as 100,000. He was part of the Statlers’ annual Happy Birthday USA celebration in
Staunton, Virginia, for 14 years. He also sang on many of the Statlers’ gold, platinum, and
double platinum recordings. Jimmy’s career included The Nashville Network’s popular “The
Statler Brothers Show” which aired for seven seasons and debuted in 1991 as the highest rated
show for the network. Jimmy was privileged to perform at the White House on two occasions,
once for President Ronald Reagan, and once for President George H. W. Bush. He also
presented a special gift to actress Elizabeth Taylor by singing his song “Elizabeth” to her for a
birthday celebration.
Jimmy and The Statler Brothers were inducted into the GMA (Gospel Music Association) Hall
of Fame on October 29, 2007, and inducted into the CMA (Country Music Association) Hall of
Fame on June 29, 2008. Jimmy, as a solo artist, was inducted into the Virginia Musical Hall of
Fame in 2018.
After The Statler Brothers retired on October 26, 2002, Jimmy seized the opportunity to launch a
solo career to share new music with his fans. His first solo CD, When One Door Closes, was
released August 2003 on Audium/Koch. He released a gospel album, I Believe, in June 2005, a
Christmas CD, Feels Like Christmas, in 2006, a live concert DVD in 2007 a country CD,
“Windows” in 2009, “Lessons” in 2012.
In 2015 Jimmy teamed up with the Gaither Music Group and recorded “Hits and Hymns” CD
and DVD which debuted at #10 Billboard Country Album, #1 Southern Gospel, and #6 Billboard
Contemporary Christian. The DVD debuted at #1 on Billboard Music Video charts. In 2017 he
recorded a compilation of his favorite songs called “Jimmy Fortune Sings the Classics” on the
Gaither Music label and in May 2019 they also released “God and Country” CD and DVD which
won a Dove Award in 2020 for Country/Gospel/Roots Album of the Year.
In 2020 Jimmy joined his friends Ben Isaacs, Mike Rogers and Bradley Walker
(Fortune/Walker/Rogers/Isaacs) in recording a quartet style project that included a CD and DVD
called Brotherly Love that debuted #16 Billboard (all genres) Top Album Sales on 9-19-20.
Their sophomore project, Listen To The Music, was released in 2023 under the name Brothers of the Heart. It debuted #32 Billboard (all genres) and #1 Christian.
Jimmy is currently living in Tennessee, writing, touring, and recording music