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Born
and raised in the Appalachian mountains in Alabama, both
Charlie (born Charlie Elzer Loudermilk, July 7, 1927) and Ira
(born Lonnie Ira Loudermilk, April 21, 1924; died June 20,
1965) were attracted to the close-harmony country brother
duets of the Blue Sky Boys, the Delmore Brothers, the
Callahans Brothers and the Monroe Brothers when they reached
their adolescence. Previously, they had sung gospel songs in
church and their parents encouraged their sons to play music,
despite the family's poverty. Ira began playing mandolin while
Charlie picked up the guitar, and the two began harmonizing.
After a while, they began performing at a small, local radio
station in Chattanooga, where they frequently played on an
early-morning show.
The
brothers’ career was interrupted in the early ‘40s when
Charlie joined the Army for a short while. While his brother
was in the service, Ira played with Charlie Monroe. Once
Charlie returned from the Army, the duo moved to Knoxville,
Tennessee where they received a regular spot on a WROL radio
show; they later moved to WNOX. Around this time, they decided
to abandon their given name for Louvin, which appeared to be a
better stage name. (Their cousin John D. Loudermilk retained
the family name.) Following their stint in Knoxville, they
moved to Memphis, where they broadcast on WMPS and cut one
single for Apollo Records. After their brief stay in Memphis,
they returned to Knoxville.
In 1949, the Louvin Brothers recorded a single
for Decca Records, which failed to make much of an impact. Two
years later, they signed with MGM Records and over the next
year, they recorded 12 songs. Shortly after their MGM sessions
were finished, Charlie and Ira moved back to Memphis, where
the worked as postal clerks while playing concerts and radio
shows at night. Eventually, they earned the attention of Acuff-Rose
who signed the duo to a publishing contract. Fred Rose, the
owner of the publishing house, helped the duo sign a contract
with Capitol Records. The Louvins’ debut single for the label,
“The Family Who Prays,” was a moderate success (it would later
become a gospel standard), yet they were unable to capitalize
on its success because Charlie was recalled by the Army to
serve in the Korean War.
Upon
Charlie's discharge from the Army, the Louvins relocated to
Birmingham, where they planned to restart their career through
appearances on the radio station WOVK. When Charlie and Ira
reached a point of desperation, Capitol’s Ken Nelson was able
to convince the Grand Ole Opry to hire the duo. Prior to
joining the Opry, the duo had been marketed as a gospel
artist, but they began singing secular material as soon as
they landed a slot on the show, primarily because a tobacco
company sponsoring its broadcast told the Opry and the Louvins
“you can't sell tobacco with gospel music.”
While they didn't abandon gospel, the brothers
began writing and performing secular material again, starting
with “When I Stop Dreaming.” The single became a Top Ten hit
upon its release in the fall of 1955 and it would eventually
become a country standard. It was followed shortly afterward
by “I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby,” which spent two weeks
at number one early in 1956. No less than three of the duo's
other singles – “Hoping That You're Hoping,” “You're Running
Wild,” “Cash on the Barrel Head” -- reached the Top Ten that
year, and they also released the albums Tragic Songs of Life
and Nearer My God to Thee. The Louvins’ success in 1956 was
particularly impressive when considering that rock & roll was
breaking big that year, sapping the sales of many established
country artists.
Charlie and Ira both launched solo careers on Capitol Records
shortly after they broke up in 1963. Charlie was the more
successful of the two, with his debut single “I Don't Love You
Anymore” reaching number four upon its summer release in 1964.
For the next decade, he racked up a total of 30 hit singles,
though most of the records didn't make the Top 40. Ira’s luck
wasn't as good as his brother's. Shortly after the Louvins
disbanded, he had a raging, alcohol-fueled argument with his
third wife Faye that resulted in a shooting that nearly killed
him. He continued to perform afterward, singing with his
fourth wife Anne Young. The duo were performing a week of
concerts in Kansas City in June of 1965 when they were both
killed in a car crash in Williamsburg, Missouri. After his
death, his single “Yodel, Sweet Molly” became a moderate hit.
The
Louvin Brothers’ reputation continued to grow in the decades
following their breakup, as their harmonies and hard-driving
take on traditional country provided the blueprint for many
generations of country and rock musicians. The Everly Brothers
were clearly influenced by the duo, while country-rock pioneer
Gram Parsons drew heavily from the Louvins’ deep catalog of
classic songs, recording “The Christian Life” with the Byrds
and “Cash on the Barrelhead” as a solo artist. Though they
haven't been inducted into the Country Music of Hall of Fame,
the Louvin Brothers and their music is truly legendary.
David
Vinopal
Alabama Music Hall of Fame
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