The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers

Ira Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

and

Charlie Louvin Charles Elzer Loudermilk (July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011), known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry ...

(''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to

John D. Loudermilk John Dee Loudermilk Jr. (March 31, 1934 – September 21, 2016) was an American singer and songwriter. Although he had his own recording career during the 1950s and 1960s, he was primarily known as a songwriter. His best-known songs include "I ...

, a

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

member. The brothers wrote and performed

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, bluegrass, and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

. Ira played

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

and generally sang lead vocal in the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

range, while Charlie played

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

and offered supporting vocals in a lower pitch. They helped popularize the vocal technique of

close harmony A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also c ...

in country and country-rock. After becoming regulars at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

and scoring a string of hit singles in the late 1950s and early '60s, the Louvin Brothers broke up in 1963 due in large part to Charlie growing tired of Ira's addictions and reckless behavior. Ira died in a traffic accident in 1965. They were inducted into the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...

in 2001, and Charlie died of cancer in 2011. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' ranked the Louvin Brothers number four on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

Background

Brothers

(April 21, 1924 – June 20, 1965) and Charlie (July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011) Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk) adopted the name Louvin Brothers in the 1940s as they began their career in gospel music. Their first foray into secular music was the minor hit "The Get Acquainted Waltz", recorded with

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

. Their other hits include "Cash on the Barrelhead" and "When I Stop Dreaming". They joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 and stayed there until breaking up in 1963. Their songs were heavily influenced by their

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

faith and warned against sin. Nevertheless, Ira Louvin was notorious for his drinking, womanizing, and volcanic temper. He was married four times; his third wife Faye shot him four times in the chest and twice in the hand after he allegedly tried to strangle her with a telephone cord. Although seriously injured, he survived. (Faye is reported to have said, "if the bastard don't die I'll shoot him again!"). When performing and drinking, Ira would sometimes become angry enough on stage to smash his mandolin when he was unable to tune it, and - when sober - glue it back together. His style was heavily influenced by

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

, and his brother

Charlie Monroe Charlie Monroe (July 4, 1903 – September 27, 1975) was an American country and bluegrass music guitarist. Charlie performed with his brother, Bill, as part of the Monroe Brothers. He later formed his own group, Charlie Monroe & the Kentucky P ...

, who had a tempestuous relationship with Ira, considered him one of the top mandolin players in Nashville. In his ''New York Times'' review of Charlie's biography ''Satan Is Real'', Alex Abramovich said, "Ira Louvin was a full head taller than his younger brother, played the mandolin like Bill Monroe, and sang in an impossibly high, tense, quivering tenor. Charlie strummed a guitar, grinned like a

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, and handled the bottom register. But every so often, in the middle of a song, some hidden signal flashed and the brothers switched places — with Ira swooping down from the heights, and Charlie angling upward — and even the most careful listeners would lose track of which man was carrying the lead. This was more than close-harmony singing; each instance was an act of

transubstantiation Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of th ...

." In 1963, fed up with Ira's drinking and abusive behavior, Charlie started a solo career, and Ira also went on his own. Ira died on June 20, 1965, at the age of 41. His fourth wife, Anne Young, and he were on the way home from a performance in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

when they came to a section of construction on Highway 70 outside of

Williamsburg, Missouri Williamsburg is an unincorporated community in eastern Callaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route D just north of Interstate 70, approximately thirteen miles northeast of Fulton Fulton may refer to: ...

, where traffic had been reduced down to one lane. A drunken driver struck their car head-on, and both Ira and Anne were killed instantly. At the time, a warrant for Ira's arrest had been issued on a

DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

charge. Charlie died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on January 26, 2011, at age 83.

Legacy

Country-rock band

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

recorded the Louvin-penned "The Christian Life" for their 1968 release ''

Sweetheart of the Rodeo ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' is the sixth album by American rock band the Byrds and was released in August 1968 on Columbia Records. Recorded with the addition of country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, it became the first album widely recognized as ...

''.

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

had a hit with the brothers' tune "

If I Could Only Win Your Love "If I Could Only Win Your Love" is a song written and first performed in 1958 by The Louvin Brothers and later made a hit by American country music artist Emmylou Harris. Harris and Herb Pederson sing this as a duet, much like Charlie and his brot ...

" in 1975. Her cover version reached number four on the ''Billboard ''Hot Country Singles chart and earned the top spot on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. In 2001, the Louvin Brothers were inducted into the

. The tribute CD '' Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers'', produced by

Carl Jackson Carl Eugene Jackson (born September 18, 1953) is an American country and bluegrass musician. Jackson's first Grammy was awarded in 1992 for his duet album with John Starling titled "Spring Training." In 2003 Jackson produced the Grammy Award-wi ...

and Kathy Louvin and released in 2003, won the 2004

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Country Album. The Louvin Brothers were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

''Satan Is Real'' album

Although the brothers are still remembered today for their musical talent, they are also remembered for the unusual cover used for their 1959 album, ''Satan Is Real''. Designed by Ira Louvin, the cover features the brothers standing in a rock

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

in front of a plywood rendition of the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

as several hidden tires soaked in kerosene burn behind them as fire and brimstone. While some reviewers count this as being one of the "greatest iconic album covers of all time", the cover can also be found today on several websites celebrating unusual or bizarre album covers. The cover has also become an

Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

on a number of websites such as

Fark Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. The site receives many story submissions per day and approximately 100 of them are public ...

, where it has been posted in discussion threads as an example of religious views of the era. The opening bars of the album's title track "Satan Is Real" can be heard at the beginning of

Hank Williams III Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer and multi-instrumentalist, known for his unique fusion of traditional country music, rockabilly, heavy metal and punk rock. He was the ...

's "Medley: Straight to Hell / Satan Is Real", on his '' Straight to Hell'' album of 2006. It is also excerpted in

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...

's 2009 one-man Broadway show, '' You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush.''

Partial discography

*1956: ''The Louvin Brothers'' (MGM) *1956: '' Tragic Songs of Life'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

) *1957: ''

Nearer My God to Thee "Nearer, My God, to Thee" is a 19th-century Christian hymn by Sarah Flower Adams, which retells the story of Jacob's dream. Genesis 28:11–12 can be translated as follows: "So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because th ...

'' (Capitol) *1958: '' Ira and Charlie'' (Capitol) *1958: '' The Family Who Prays'' (Capitol) *1958: ''

Country Love Ballads ''Country Love Ballads'' is an album by American country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1958. Producer Ken Nelson set up recording sessions in August 1958 to record enough tracks for two albums. The first was to become ''Country Lo ...

'' (Capitol) *1959: ''

Satan Is Real ''Satan Is Real'' is a gospel bluegrass album by American country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1959. History Producer Ken Nelson set up recording sessions in August 1958 to record enough tracks for two albums. The first was to b ...

'' (Capitol) *1960: '' My Baby's Gone'' (Capitol) *1960: ''

A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers ''A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers'' is an album by American country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1960. The Delmore Brothers were country music pioneers and stars of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s. Reception In his Allmusic re ...

'' (Capitol) *1961: ''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

'' (Capitol) *1961: ''Christmas with the Louvin Brothers'' (Capitol) *1962: ''The Weapon of Prayer'' (Capitol) *1963: ''Keep Your Eyes on Jesus'' (Capitol) *1964: ''The Louvin Brothers Sing and Play Their Current Hits'' (Capitol) *1965: ''Thank God for My Christian Home'' (Capitol) *1966: ''Ira and Charles'' (Hilltop) *1967: ''Two Different Worlds'' (Capitol) *1967: ''The Great Roy Acuff Songs'' (Capitol) *1968: ''Country Heart and Soul'' (Capitol) *1973: ''The Great Gospel Singing of The Louvin Brothers'' (Capitol) *1975: ''Live at New River Ranch'' ( Copper Creek) *1976: ''I Don't Believe You Met My Baby'' (Hilltop) *1978: ''Songs That Tell a Story'' (

Rounder Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy * ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...

) *1990: ''Early MGM Recordings'' (Rounder) *1992: ''

Close Harmony A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also c ...

'' (

Bear Family Records Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label, that specializes in reissues of archival material, ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks. History The label has been in existence since ...

) *1995: ''Greatest Hits'' (Capitol) *1995: ''When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of the Louvin Brothers'' (

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

) *2006: ''The Essential Louvin Brothers 1955–1964: My Baby's Gone'' (Raven)

Charted singles

*^AB-side to "You're Running Wild".

References

External links

*
Charlie Louvin interview – July 2010
awaitngtheflood.com
Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville
– report on Charlie Louvin's 80th birthday, 2007
State of Mind – A Word with Charlie Louvin – January 2009Livin' Lovin' Losin' the Louvin Way.
Retrieved January 22, 2010.
Charlie's life from 1927 to the present on Raised Country!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louvin Brothers, The Country music groups from Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame inductees American musical duos Country music duos Sibling musical duos Grand Ole Opry members American gospel musical groups Musical groups established in 1940 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Capitol Records artists MGM Records artists 1940 establishments in Alabama