The Statesmen Quartet

Did You Know?

• The group's name was lifted from the title of a newsletter published by Herman Talmadge, Governor of Georgia, with Talmadge's permission.
• The Statesmen became the first Southern gospel quartet to have a nationally syndicated TV program, Singing Time in Dixie, sponsored by Nabisco.

Pinnacle years (1953–1957)

In the years that followed, the Statesmen rose to prominence as a top act in Southern gospel and quartet music. With this lineup, they made records for RCA Victor and appeared on the national television program the Nabisco Hour. Out of respect for his gospel heroes, Presley chose not to perform his rock hits. The Statesmen strongly influenced young Elvis, who looked up to and copied Jake Hess's singing style and Wetherington's stage movements and gyrations. Hess remembered seeing a young Presley at Statesmen concerts in Tupelo when he was about nine or ten years old, and recalled that Presley was once invited onstage to sing lead in his place on a couple of selected songs.

Rosie Rozell era (1958–1973)

The Rozell-Hess-Ott-Wetherington lineup recorded classics such as "Faith Unlocks The Door" and Rozell's signature songs "Oh What A Savior" and "There's Room at the Cross," both becoming gospel music mainstays. Lister recruited Jack Toney to replace Hess, and Toney's powerful voice helped the group continue its success.

Later years (1974–2001)

Over the years, the Statesmen Quartet saw many new faces in its ranks, with tenors like Sherrill "Shaun" Nielson, Willie Wynn, and Johnny Cook; leads Roy McNeil and Jim Hill; baritones Chris Hess, Biney English, and Rick Fair; and basses Ray Burdett, Tommy Thompson, Bob Caldwell, and Doug Young. Original members Jake Hess, Jack Toney, Doy Ott, and Rosie Rozell periodically returned, notably when Hovie Lister reformed the group without a bass a couple years after Wetherington’s death.

Legacy and cultural impact

The Statesmen Quartet left a mark on both gospel and secular music. Elvis Presley admired them as a child, sought to mirror their success, and eventually shared a stage with the group. Jerry Lee Lewis credited the band, especially pianist Hovie Lister, for shaping his own performance style. Carl Perkins and Larry Gatlin also counted themselves as fans, and Tammy Wynette repeatedly called tenor Denver Crumpler her all-time favorite singer.

The group’s appeal reached early rock and roll fans before the “rock around the clock” era and helped shape early Contemporary Christian Music. Former Georgia Governor and Senator Zell Miller wrote that Lister and his group, more than anyone else, brought style and flair to gospel music. He noted that Lister was first a minister who believed religion didn’t need a long face, making it upbeat instead. When churches criticized his music as too worldly, Lister defended it, saying he would do whatever it took—shaking his hair down or pounding the piano like Liberace or Piano Red—to keep young people out of beer joints and parked cars. The devil had his entertainment, Lister argued, and they had theirs.