By Sherri Blevins
If you are from the Rainsville area, you may know of the local dentist, Dr. Phillip Fortner, his wife, Kayla, and their amazing children, their oldest son Layne, and his triplet brothers Konner, Kennon, and Kyle. The entire family is musically talented, and they are putting that talent to use serving God.
Now the boys, who formed Fortner Brothers 4 Christ, are becoming known worldwide. On June 8, 2023, the Fortner family invited a slew of friends and family to Mountain Lanes to preview their new music video, “Numbered,” released on YouTube on June 9, 2023. Several Cornerstone students in the video’s background and others involved in its creation were at the party. The boys filmed much of the video for “Numbered,” written by Mitch Townley and Lee Johnson, at Cornerstone Christian Academy and Jubal-Lee Farms.
Layne stated, “We wanted to host this event to thank y’all because you are family and friends and those who helped make it. We wanted to show our appreciation to y’all because this couldn’t have happened without you.” All the brothers spoke, thanking several people instrumental in their success. Those mentioned were Mountain Lanes for hosting the event, Mr. Stone, Dustin Henshaw, Ms. Davis from Cornerstone, Brodie McGee for supplying a jersey for the video, Micah Robertson for playing the fiddle, and Robert Reed for producing the sound. The boys credited music teachers Chris Roberts and Mark Herndon for teaching them how to play instruments, and they extended a huge thank you to Godsey Media/Steeple Country for producing the video.
The boys were especially honored to have their music producers, Rick and Teresa Schweinsberg, present to enjoy the night with them. Layne thanked the couple for all their help and asked Rick to say a few words. Schweinsberg explained how he and his wife became involved with the Fortner Brothers 4 Christ. He said, “We have got to work with young people and a couple of Christian Rock bands which was really a cool experience for us. One day, I happened to see these guys in the Singing News magazine. I knew the magazine was a Southern Gospel magazine, and I was thinking, what are these young guys doing with cowboy hats on in the Singing News? I went to YouTube and found something they had sung. They sounded like a quartet, and I thought they didn’t look like they sounded. I decided to call them, and I got Kayla when I called. I said, ‘Let me ask you a question about your young men. They are singing quartet songs, but they are wearing cowboy hats. What’s up with that?”
Kayla told the producer the boys loved Country Music, but they sang church songs. Schweinsberg asked her if she had heard of Christian Country Music, and he invited the group to Nashville to learn more about it. He told the boys he wanted them to be Christian Country artists for their peers. The Fortner Brothers 4 Christ created a CD, and Schweinsberg said the first song they released went straight to number one. He said 3,800 radio stations used the stream the song was released on, and 40% of the stations were mainstream Country stations that looked for music to play on Sundays. The Fortner Brothers were the number one download for that stream that week. Schweinsberg said, “We kept pushing on, and now this video is a milestone.”
I spoke with Konner about his experience creating the video. He said, “I had so much fun getting to participate in filming the music video! It was really fun, and I’m so thankful so many people participated and made it all possible! I hope it can reach people who have never heard the gospel to help them look at their lives and realize that they need a savior because our days are numbered.”
If you are a Country Music fan, visit YouTube, type in Numbered by the Fortner Brothers 4 Christ, and then share it with your friends. You won’t be disappointed.