Jimmy Fortune, Bradley Walker, Mike Rogers and Ben Isaacs Release Gaither Music Group CD, DVD and TV Special Brotherly Love
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following the critically-acclaimed Gaither Music Group Brotherly Love CD digital release from Jimmy Fortune, Bradley Walker, Mike Rogers and Ben Isaacs, the “country, bluegrass, gospel dream team (Cowboys & Indians)” returns with the Brotherly Love DVD and TV special. Physical copies of the DVD and CD, released digitally May 29, will be released on Sept. 4, while the TV special, hosted by Rory Feek, will premiere tonight on Heartland at 7 p.m. CT and Sept. 3 on RFD-TV at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Brotherly Love is distributed by Capitol Christian Music Group and Universal Music. To pre-order physical copies of the CD and DVD, click HERE, and for the Brotherly Love TV special schedule, click HERE. The Brotherly Love CD is available now at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store©. Fans can enjoy the DVD now on Amazon Rent or Buy by clicking HERE, and an exclusive premiere of the TV special is available now at GAITHER TV HERE. Gaither Music will host a special premiere on the Gaither Music TV YouTube Channel on Sept. 14 at 9 a.m. CT where viewers will be able to chat LIVE with Fortune, Walker, Rogers and Isaacs. Fans can also hear stories behind the songs on Brotherly Love with the group’s Pandora Story HERE.
Each member of Fortune/Walker/Rogers/Isaacs brings their own wealth of experience to Brotherly Love, creating an intriguing combination of styles and influences. The result is a diverse collection that spotlights some of the best-loved gems on America’s musical landscape. Walker takes lead on the mournful Hank Williams Sr. classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Fortune’s pristine tenor shines on the Vince Gill hit “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” Rogers delivers a spirited take on the O Brother, Where Art Thou hit “Man of Constant Sorrow;” and Isaacs’ warm voice revives the Don Williams’ hit “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good.”
Isaacs, a DOVE Award-winning producer who has performed with his mother and sisters for years as the GRAMMY-nominated group The Isaacs and shepherded many of the top names in the industry, produced Brotherly Love. Fortune rose to fame as a member of the Statler Brothers and penned some of their biggest hits (“Elizabeth,” “Too Much on My Heart”) before forging a successful solo career when the quartet retired. Walker is a DOVE Award-winning artist with a strong following in country, gospel and bluegrass. Formerly with the legendary Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and currently on the road with Craig Morgan, Rogers is one of the most highly respected musicians in bluegrass music.
The four friends shared their close-knit blends with country music singer/songwriter/storyteller Rory Feek, who hosted the LIVE video recording in his concert barn in Columbia, Tenn. The DVD and TV special capture the intimate evening of song and storytelling, filmed in-the-round, that features an introduction by Bill Gaither and behind-the-scenes interviews with Feek and the group members, who discuss the music they chose for the performance and share how these songs have touched their lives. “The songs chosen for the record reflect their crossover appeal to bluegrass, country, and gospel fans, presented in an acoustic setting with assistance from top Nashville super pickers (Bluegrass Today).” Those songs include the title track, “Brotherly Love,” a country hit for the late Keith Whitley and Earl Thomas Conley; the Statler Brothers’ classic “Class of ’57;” and Roy Orbison’s “Crying” as well as such gospel standards as “The Lighthouse,” “Daddy Sang Bass” and “Where No One Stands Alone.” The Brotherly Love TV special is also set to air on networks including PBS, TBN, GaitherTV, CTN, TCT and Proclaim Broadcasting. In Canada, it will air on Vision TV, CTS, The Miracle Channel and Hope TV.
BROTHERLY LOVE TRACK LISTING (CD)
1. Brotherly Love
2. Go Rest High on That Mountain
3. Love Bug
4. The Lighthouse
5. Class of ’57
6. Love Will Keep Us Alive
7. Man of Constant Sorrow
8. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
9. Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good
10. Crying
11. Daddy Sang Bass
12. Where No One Stands Alone
13. You’re Only Lonely
BROTHERLY LOVE TRACK LISTING (DVD)
1. Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good
2. Brotherly Love
3. Where No One Stands Alone
4. Daddy Sang Bass
5. Elizabeth
6. Man of Constant Sorrow
7. Lighthouse
8. You’re Only Lonely
9. I’ll Fly Away
10. Love Bug
11. Love Will Keep Us Alive
12. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
13. Class of ’57
14. Crying
15. Go Rest High on That Mountain
ABOUT JIMMY FORTUNE
Country music icon Jimmy Fortune toured, sang and performed with the legendary Statler Brothers for 21 years. Fortune 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 the Wall” from 1988’s The Greatest Hits. Fortune has performed in every state in the United States, in Canadian Provinces and in front of audiences as large as 100,000. He sang on many of the Statlers’ gold, platinum and double-platinum recordings. Fortune’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. He was privileged to perform at the White House on two occasions and 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 were 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.
ABOUT BRADLEY WALKER
Known for his unmistakable baritone, Bradley Walker is a storytelling performer. In 2017, the IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year honoree partnered with Rory Feek, his longtime friend, on a gospel music collection that garnered three GMA DOVE Award nominations. That same year, he worked with Isaacs on an album of traditional hymns, earning three more GMA DOVE Award nominations and his first GMA DOVE Award win for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year. In 2019, he was featured on Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival where he was accompanied by Vince Gill on guitar.
ABOUT MIKE ROGERS
Mike Rogers may be known around Nashville as a drummer, but he is also a phenomenal guitar player and singer. He kicked off his Nashville career playing for the likes of country artists Craig Morgan and Kevin Denney as well as bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson. He appears regularly on the Grand Ole Opry, has been featured on Morgan’s TV show and has also gained notoriety for his work behind the scenes, penning songs for Morgan (“Bonfire”) as well as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Lonesome River Band and Fortune.
ABOUT BEN ISAACS
A 12-time GRAMMY-nominated producer who has produced recordings from some of Nashville’s most-awarded artists, Ben Isaacs is also known as the bass player and vocalist for his award-winning family group The Isaacs. He has been singing all of his life, performing with his sisters, Sonya Isaacs Yeary and Rebecca Isaacs Bowman, and mother, Lily, at the Grand Ole Opry, on the Gaither Homecoming video and concert series and at LIVE shows throughout the world each year. The group has performed at CMA Fan Fest and Carnegie Hall and has won seven GMA DOVE Awards, in addition to being featured on recordings by Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Ralph Stanley, Reba McEntire and many others.
ABOUT RORY FEEK
Brotherly Love host Rory Feek is a Nashville singer-songwriter, a New York Times best-selling author, filmmaker and reality show star. As one-half of the country music duo Joey+Rory with his late wife Joey, Feek won GRAMMY Awards and starred in a weekly hit television show on RFD-TV. He has authored two books, This Life I Live and a children’s book, The Day God Made You, and is currently starring in a new RFD-TV docu-series, This Life I Live.
ABOUT GAITHER MUSIC GROUP
One of the largest independent Christian music companies in the world and a household name for millions of fans, Gaither Music Group, in partnership with Primary Wave Entertainment, is known worldwide for its award-winning and top-selling recordings, including the Gaither Gospel Series, of which 133 products have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. These recordings, which encompass more than 177 video copyrights, showcase gospel music pioneers; many of the finest performers in the gospel genre; up-and-coming acts; and country artists including The Oak Ridge Boys, Jimmy Fortune, Joey+Rory, Alabama, Alan Jackson, The Statler Brothers, George Jones, Vince Gill and others. The brand has partnered with Sandi Patty, Gloria Gaynor, Steven Curtis Chapman and a host of acclaimed talents from various fields of music. Gaither Music Group has garnered sales of more than 40 million DVDs and CDs, including such PBS stalwarts as Billy Graham: God’s Ambassador, the only authorized video autobiography of Reverend Billy Graham; The Gospel Music of Johnny Cash; and three Elvis Presley projects, in conjunction with the Elvis Presley Estate. The company developed a partnership with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® in 2008, one of the most successful music launches in Cracker Barrel® history; and its alliances with Capitol Christian Music Group, Universal Music Group and Time Life Music remain bedrocks for the company.
