''Tragic Songs of Life'' is the debut album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1956. "

Knoxville Girl "The Knoxville Girl" is an Appalachian murder ballad. Origins It is derived from the 19th-century Irish ballad "The Wexford Girl", itself derived from the earlier English ballad "The Bloody Miller or Hanged I Shall Be" ( Roud 263, Laws P35) abo ...

" was released as a single three years later and reached number 19 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Country Singles chart.

History

Having previously recorded one single for Apollo Records and a series of sides for Decca, the Louvins signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

in 1952. They recorded over ten singles for Capitol, with the earliest all Gospel songs, before "When I Stop Dreaming" became their first secular release in 1955. ''Tragic Songs of Life'' was their Capitol debut, and served as somewhat of a concept album, drawing heavily on artists they admired such as Bill Monroe, The Monroe Brothers, The Blue Sky Boys, and The Callahan Brothers. The majority of the songs are tragic heartbreak and misfortune songs and classic murder ballads.

Reception

Mark Deming stated in his Allmusic review "...this is a landmark of traditional country music that remains powerful more than fifty years after it was recorded." Don Yates of '' No Depression'' magazine singled out the Louvins' version of “

In The Pines "In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back ...

” writing "It’s perhaps their most powerful rendering of traditional folk music’s bleak vision of a dark and forlorn land, where love is absent and death is the only certainty. It’s the centerpiece of what is arguably the Louvins' finest album." The album is also included in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

''.

Reissues

*In 1992, all of the tracks from ''Tragic Songs of Life'' were included in the '' Close Harmony'' 8-CD box set issued by Bear Family Records. *''Tragic Songs of Life'' was reissued on CD by Capitol in 1996. *''Tragic Songs of Life'' was reissued on CD by Raven records in 2007 along with '' Satan Is Real''. Four bonus tracks were included.

Track listing

# "Kentucky" (Karl Davis) – 2:40 # "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" (

A. P. Carter Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and founding member of The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music. Biography Life A.P. Carter was born to Robe ...

) – 3:14 # "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" (Traditional) – 2:55 # "What Is Home Without Love" (Traditional) – 3:00 # "A Tiny Broken Heart" (Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin, Eddie Hill) – 2:34 # "

In the Pines "In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back ...

" (Traditional, Alan Riggs) – 3:15 # "Alabama" (C. Louvin, I. Louvin, Hill) – 2:43 # " Katie Dear" (William Bolick) – 2:34 # "My Brother's Will" (Ken Nelson) – 3:16 # "

" (Traditional) – 3:49 # "Take the News to Mother" (Walter "Joe" Callahan, Homer "Bill" Callahan, W. R. Caloway) – 2:48 # "Mary of the Wild Moor" (Traditional, Dennis Turner) – 3:11

Personnel

* Charlie Louvin – vocals, guitar * Ira Louvin – vocals, mandolin * Paul Yandell – guitar Production notes: * Ken Nelson – producer *John Johnson – reissue producer

References

External links

Rabin, Nathan. ''The Louvin Brothers’ tragic songs of Satan’s realness''
Retrieved January 23, 2010.
''Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers'' interview with co-author
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tragic Songs Of Life (The Louvin Brothers Album) 1956 debut albums The Louvin Brothers albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Ken Nelson (United States record producer)