The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, 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 ...

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, whi ...

, 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 co ...

. 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 ...

and generally sang lead vocal in the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing 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 low extreme for tenors is wide ...

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 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 div ...

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 ama ...

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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

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

Background

Brothers Ira (April 21, 1924 – June 20, 1965) and

Charlie Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority * ...

(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 ...

. 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 c ...

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, 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, 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 ...

." 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 th ...

when they came to a section of construction on Highway 70 outside of Williamsburg, Missouri, 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 cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

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 con ...

recorded the Louvin-penned "The Christian Life" for their 1968 release '' Sweetheart of the Rodeo''.

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, includin ...

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 br ...

" 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 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 pr ...

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

2008 Universal fire On June 1, 2008, a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, an American film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. The fire began when a worker used a blowtorch to warm asph ...

''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 envir ...

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 ...

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 publi ...

, 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 2 ...

'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) *1957: '' Nearer My God to Thee'' (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'' (Capitol) *1960: '' My Baby's Gone'' (Capitol) *1960: '' A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers'' (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'' (

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 a ...

) *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