Lew DeWitt; Composer, Statler Brothers’ Tenor

Lew DeWitt, an original member of the Statler Brothers, a group that blended country, gospel and barbershop singing into one of the most honored styles in pop music history, died Wednesday at his home in Waynesboro, Va.

DeWitt, a tenor, guitarist and composer of one of the Statlers’ most enduring hits, “Flowers on the Wall,” was 52.

DeWitt had left the Statler Brothers in 1982 when he was hospitalized with an intestinal disorder, Crohn’s disease, that nearly killed him.

But he recovered and embarked on a solo career with his Star City band until his health failed again.

DeWitt and brothers Don S. and Harold W. Reid and Philip E. Balsey first came together in a church in their hometown of Staunton, Va., in 1955.

They called themselves the Kingsmen until they were preparing for the 1964 tour with Johnny Cash that was to bring them national attention.

Harold Reid saw the name “Statler” on a tissue box in a hotel room where they had gathered and suggested it for the group.

As Don Reid often said, “we could just as easily be known as the Kleenex Brothers.”

Their first hit--the one that established them and led to 40 albums and 42 awards, including eight during DeWitt’s tenure as the Country Music Assn.’s Top Vocal Group--was “Flowers on the Wall” in 1965. It sold 1 million copies, reached No. 1 on the pop charts, won a Grammy, and has since been recorded by about 30 other performers.

The Statlers continued to appear with Cash, live and on his television shows, through the 1970s. Their other hits included “Bed of Roses,” “The Class of ‘57,” “I Was There” and “Who Am I to Say?”

Their music was marked by comedy and puns that eased the poignancy of songs such as “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You.” But they also continued to reflect the solemn gospel music of their roots with albums such as “Holy Bible.”

In 1981, the group celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Mercury Records contract with an album that was voted No. 1 in the Music City News Cover Awards. Shortly before DeWitt left the group, the members reprised their hit “Charlotte’s Web” in Burt Reynolds’ film “Smokey and the Bandit II.”

In a brief statement, Ann Peters, spokeswoman for the Statler Brothers, said the group--called “America’s poets” by novelist Kurt Vonnegut--had last visited DeWitt a couple of weeks ago.