Jimmy Fortune
Musical artist
Lester James Fortune Sr. (born March 11, 1955) is an American country music singer from Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune sang tenor for The Statler Brothers for 21 years, and wrote the song "Elizabeth" for the group. When the Statler Brothers disbanded, he began to perform as a solo artist.
Fortune was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 as a member of The Statler Brothers.
01Biography
Fortune grew up in Nelson County, Virginia, where he attended Nelson County High School in Lovingston, Virginia.
The original tenor of the Statler Brothers, Lew DeWitt, heard Fortune sing at a local ski resort. DeWitt suffered from Crohn's disease and asked Fortune to audition for the band. Fortune started performing with the Statlers in 1982, originally as a temporary replacement. He joined permanently when DeWitt left due to ill health.
Fortune wrote several number-one songs recorded by the Statler Brothers, including "Elizabeth", "Too Much on My Heart", and "My Only Love". "More Than a Name on a Wall" was a top-10 country hit. He spent 21 years touring, singing, and performing with the Statler Brothers.
After the Statlers disbanded in 2002, Fortune continued his career as a solo artist with an extensive performance schedule in the U.S. and Canada. He has continued as a songwriter and has recorded some projects in Nashville. In 2015, he released Hits & Hymns produced by Ben Isaacs. The album reached the Top Ten on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The DVD release of a TV special, "Jimmy Fortune: Hits & Hymns," hosted by Bill Gaither, debuted at number one on the Billboard Music Video chart. In 2020, Fortune joined Bradley Walker, Ben Isaacs, and Mike Rogers to form Brothers of the Heart. They have released three albums to date: Brotherly Love (2020), Listen To The Music (2023), and Will The Circle Be Unbroken (2023).
In 2023, a bronze statue of Fortune was unveiled in Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune attended the ceremony, where a statue of fellow Nelson County native Earl Hamner Jr. was also dedicated.
02Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country |
US |
US Christ | |||
| When One Door Closes |
|
, | , | , | |
| I Believe |
|
, | , | , | |
| Feels Like Christmas |
|
, | , | , | |
| Windows |
|
, | , | , | |
| Lessons |
|
, | , | , | |
| Hits & Hymns |
|
10 | 156 | 6 | US: 42,800 |
| Sings the Classics |
|
, | , | , | US: 13,400 |
| God & Country |
|
, | , | 11 |
|
| ", " denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "What Money Can't Buy" | When One Door Closes |
| 2004 | "Elizabeth" |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "God Bless the Children" (with Wayne Warner and the Nashville All-Star Choir) | Turbo Twang'n | |
| 2013 | "Working on a Building" | Marty Raybon (with T. Graham Brown & Trace Adkins) | Working on a Building |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Dare the World" (Various Artists) | John Lloyd Miller |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Jimmy Fortune”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Jimmy Fortune, 2007 (cropped).jpg by Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump, U.S. Air Force, Public domain
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