In 1970, the Statler Brothers recorded a song another country star had rejected. They made it anyway. Soon that song became a major hit and reached the Billboard Hot 100

The Statler Brothers were already known for their smooth harmonies and run of country hits when they took a chance on a song that did not quite fit the image they had built for themselves. The group had found major success with “Flowers On The Wall,” and by 1970, they were established as country hitmakers. That was when “Bed Of Rose’s,” a song written by their own Harold Reid, came into the picture after another major country singer had seriously considered recording it but ultimately passed on the song.

As per Parade, the singer was Kenny Rogers, who had shown interest in the song but eventually did not record it. Instead of letting the song go, the Statler Brothers decided to record it themselves. It became one of their biggest hits, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song Kenny Rogers decided not to record

Harold Reid had written “Bed Of Rose’s” and had been pitching it around Nashville. According to lead singer Don Reid, Kenny Rogers was among those who seriously considered recording it.


“Harold [Reid] wrote that song, and he pitched it around town,” Don Reid told Billboard. “Kenny Rogers was very interested in it. Then he said, because of the subject matter, he decided not to record it. We decided, ‘You know, everybody in town has turned it down, so maybe we need to do it ourselves.’ So we did. It was against our image of what we had done — or would do later. But it was a good song.”

The group was then recording for Mercury Records after leaving Columbia, and “Bed Of Rose’s” became an early success for the label. It entered the Billboard country chart in November 1970 and eventually climbed to No. 9, spending 17 weeks on the chart. It also became their first single since “Flowers On The Wall” to make the pop chart, reaching No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Why the song stood out

“Bed Of Rose’s” was not a typical feel-good country song. It told the story of a young man who was rejected by the respectable people around him but found comfort and acceptance from a woman named Rose, an outsider who was looked down upon by the same community.

The song therefore carried a message about judgment and hypocrisy. The people who considered themselves respectable were unwilling to help the young man, while the woman they judged was the one who gave him somewhere to turn.

That was part of why the song felt different from the Statler Brothers' earlier work. Don Reid also acknowledged that it was outside the group's established image, but the response from listeners showed that the gamble had worked.

Their career had already been shaped by Johnny Cash

The Statler Brothers had come a long way by the time they recorded “Bed Of Rose’s.” The group had originally performed gospel music before gradually moving toward country and pop. Their career changed significantly after Johnny Cash discovered them and brought them into his musical circle.

In a Billboard interview, Don Reid explained how important Cash was to their early career: “We went to work for John in March of 1964 and were with him for about eight years. He was on Columbia, so he took us there and said, ‘I want you to record these guys.’ They didn’t necessarily believe in us, but because John was who he was, they did what he said,” he recalled. “John opened a lot of doors for us.”

Their breakthrough came with “Flowers On The Wall,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the group a Grammy Award. More country hits followed, and “Bed Of Rose’s” became another important entry in that run.

The Statler Brothers were eventually inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. They continued performing for years before playing their final concert in 2002, bringing an end to a career that had lasted for nearly four decades.