Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)

Subject: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 11:51 AM

Charlie Louvin, of the Louvin brothers...

A couple of my friends posted the news on Facebook, Wikipedia has this:

"Louvin underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer July 22, 2010. Doctors expected a full recovery,[4] but "the surgery did not go as planned," according to Louvin's son Sonny, and "he will begin using alternative methods of treatment, going forward." [5] A fund-raising Benefit and Auction was held Oct. 30, 2010 at the Bell Buckle Banquet Hall in Bell Buckle TN.

"After receiving word from Louvin's wife, Betty, Nashville radio station WSM-AM confirmed that Charlie Louvin died at approximately 1:30 a.m. (January 26, 2011) from complications stemming from his bout with pancreatic cancer."

Others here can say more about him than I can, but here is a video: Charlie Louvin "Weapon of Prayer".

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 11:55 AM

Some tight harmonies happening in Heaven this fine day.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 12:02 PM

So much a favorite of mine. Saw Ira and Charlie in a high school gym back in Illinois about 1961, I think. Memorable then and now. I had an autographed picture which somehow has floated away during these 50 years.

Thanks to the boys for so much good music. Rest Easy.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 02:35 PM

I believe he is appearing on a Marty Stuart episode Saturday evening. Will save!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: topical tom
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 03:31 PM

Talk about splendid harmonies! Ira and Charlie did some of the best. A sad loss of a great singer. RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Amos
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 04:27 PM

Article here.


A

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Bugsy
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 07:03 PM

Very Sad news.

My very first taste of Country Music (1954,UK) was a single of the Louvin Brothers "Running Wild/Cash on the Barrell head" and Webb Pierce's "I'm Tired/It's my way" that were given to my by my much older cousin's American husband.
(strangely, Webb Pierce died of Pancriatic Cancer too)

There really must be a "GRAND" ol' opry up there in heaven.

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Janie
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 07:13 PM

NPR had "an appreciation" of him this afternoon on ATC. In an interview from 2007 or '08. He talked about still expecting his brother Ira to join in on the harmonies. Still stepped to the right at the microphone to make room for him on the harmonies - low these many years.

R.I.P.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Ron Davies
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 08:04 PM

Wow, I would have loved to see them.

The angels truly rejoice today---and we at least have the Louvins' immortal music.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 11:54 PM

Charlie Louvin, Country Hall Of Fame Singer, Has Died

(find a link to audio for today's remembrance there, as well as previous interviews, YouTube links, etc.)

The Record blog at NPR

The singer, who was born Charlie Elzer Loudermilk and became well known as one-half of the country and western duo The Louvin Brothers, died Wednesday morning. Louvin, who had continued to perform even as he battled pancreatic cancer, died at home in Wartrace, Tenn. He was 83 years old.

Charlie Louvin was born in Henager, Ala. and began his singing career with his brother Ira. The two sang close harmony, mixing their distinct tenors, and wrote songs together. They became gospel stars with the 1952 song "The Family Who Prays." They wanted to reach a wider, more mainstream audience. In 2003, Charlie Louvin told NPR that he and Ira came up with a song that could reach beyond gospel.

"We chose a song we wrote in the late '40s, 'When I Stop Dreaming,' which would not antagonize anyone, whether they were religious or whether they worked for the devil, you know. And we felt that it wouldn't make our gospel music people mad. And so we tried it and it worked. Thank God, it worked," Louvin said.

The Louvin Brothers landed a spot on the Grand Ol' Opry in 1955 and from then through the early '60s, they had a string of hits that balanced sacred and secular themes, including "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" and "The Christian Life." But Ira Louvin apparently wasn't able to live the kind of life that he preached in his songs. He was given to fits of rage in concerts and his drinking caused the brothers to break up in the summer of 1963. They pursued solo careers, though Charlie hoped they'd get back together. Two years later, Ira Louvin was killed in a car accident.

The Louvin Brothers' tight, stark harmonies inspired everybody from the Everly Brothers to Emmylou Harris to the Byrds.

Charlie Louvin went on to have chart hits with his own songs, including "See The Big Man Cry." He continued to perform and — when he was in his late seventies, enjoyed a remarkable comeback. He released an album that featured such guests as George Jones and Jeff Tweedy. He opened for Cake and Cheap Trick and celebrated his 80th birthday by playing Bonnaroo.

Louvin was diagnosed with cancer this summer and underwent surgery to treat it, but a post by his son, Sonny Louvin, indicated that the surgery was not a success, and that alternative treatments would be sought.

In November he released a new album, The Battle Rages On and played shows in New Orleans, St. Louis, Kansas City and Oklahoma City. He had planned to play two shows in Nashville next month.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 11:57 PM

Charlie Louvin, Country Singer, Dies at 83
By BILL FRISKICS-WARREN
The New York Times
January 26, 2011

Charlie Louvin, a member of one of the pre-eminent brother acts in country music and an inspiration to several generations of rock musicians, died on Wednesday at his home in Wartrace, Tenn. He was 83.

The cause was complications of pancreatic cancer, said Michael Manning, a friend of Mr. Louvin's and the producer of his single "Back When We Were Young," his final recording, released last year.

Mr. Louvin achieved his greatest fame with the Louvin Brothers, the popular duo that modernized the close-harmony singing of Depression-era acts like the Blue Sky Boys and the Delmore Brothers and that anticipated the keening vocal interplay of the Everly Brothers.

Typically featuring Mr. Louvin on guitar and lead vocals and Ira, his older brother, on mandolin and high tenor harmonies, the Louvins' 1950s hits also left their mark on the country-rock of the Byrds and others.

"I just could not get enough of that sound," the singer Emmylou Harris said of the Louvin Brothers' music in an interview with The Observer, the British newsweekly, in January 2010. "I'd always loved the Everly Brothers, but there was something scary and washed in the blood about the sound of the Louvin Brothers."

Ms. Harris's breakthrough country hit was a 1975 remake of the duo's "If I Could Only Win Your Love." Resolutely traditional in approach, Mr. Louvin and his brother, who died in an automobile accident in 1965, were proponents of the high, lonesome sound of the southern Appalachian Mountains, where they grew up. Some of their best-known recordings were updates of foreboding antediluvian ballads like "In the Pines" and "Knoxville Girl." Other material centered on the wholesome likes of family and religion, including "The Christian Life," an original that later appeared on "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," the landmark Byrds album featuring the singer Gram Parsons.

Also falling under the duo's sway were alternative-rock acts like Elvis Costello and the band Uncle Tupelo (which recorded a version of the Louvin Brothers' cold-war plaint "Great Atomic Power" in 1992).

Despite their conservative cultural and musical leanings — their initial '50s hits were recorded without drums, which were then commonplace in country music — the Louvins' greatest acclaim came with the advent of rock 'n' roll, when rebellious sentiments and loud backbeats were in ascendance. Their biggest single, "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby," was a No. 1 country hit for two weeks in 1956. They also reached the country Top 10 with songs like "When I Stop Dreaming" and "Cash on the Barrelhead" during this period and were headliners in a touring revue that included Elvis Presley.

The Louvins' popularity waned as the '60s unfolded, and in 1963 declining record sales and Ira's drinking led the brothers to dissolve their partnership and pursue solo careers. Charlie Louvin placed 16 singles in the country Top 40 over the next decade, including "I Don't Love You Anymore," a Top 10 hit in 1964. He went on to make a pair of albums with the singer Melba Montgomery in the '70s and a record with the bluegrass duo Jim and Jesse in 1982.

Mr. Louvin was by then known primarily as a star of the Grand Ole Opry, a reputation that persisted into this century, when another wave of rock bands, including the Raconteurs and Cake, embraced his music. In 2007 he released the first of several albums for the New York label Tompkins Square and appeared at the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tenn. "Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers," a tribute record for which Mr. Louvin's niece Kathy Louvin served as an executive producer, won the Grammy Award for best country album in 2004.

Charlie Elzer Loudermilk was born on July 7, 1927, in Section, Ala. One of seven children, he grew up working on the family farm in nearby Henagar, a small community in the northeastern part of the state. John D. Loudermilk, the writer of hits like "Abilene" and "Tobacco Road," was his first cousin.

Reared on the harmonies they learned in church, Charlie and Ira Loudermilk first sang together professionally as the Radio Twins in 1942. They changed their name in 1947 to the Louvin Brothers, believing that Louvin was easier than Loudermilk to say and spell. They also began making records that year, releasing singles on several labels before finding success with Capitol in 1952, after Charlie Louvin's return from the Korean War. More than just singles artists, the Louvins also recorded a series of gospel-themed concept albums, including "Satan Is Real," its outré cover photo depicting the two men before an outsize effigy of the Devil.

The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Mr. Louvin is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty Harrison Louvin; three sons, Charlie Jr., Glenn and Kenneth; three sisters, Geraldine McDonald, Ailene Parker and Flora Lauderdale; and five grandchildren.

Mr. Louvin's solo career spanned five decades, but, as he told Terry Gross, the host of National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" program, in 1996, he never got used to singing without his brother.

"When it comes time for the harmonies to come in, I will move to my left because my brother and I always used to use one microphone," he said of performing solo. "Even today, I will move over to the left to give the harmony room, knowing in my mind that there's no harmony standing on my right."

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 07:24 AM

I was lucky enhough to hear Charlie Louvin sing and tell tales of his career at Swannanoa Traditional Song Week, NC, last Summer, and to meet him very briefly. What a privilege. His reminiscences were fascinating and extremely funny, and he was still singing well. That's a memory I will treasure.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: GUEST,bankley
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 07:54 AM

RIP... I liked Paul Yandell's guitar work with the Brothers.. he later worked with Chet Atkins for many years. I bumped into him last April in KY.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Will Fly
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 12:54 PM

"Cash On The barrelhead" and "Red Hen Hop" - just two of the great tracks from the Louvin Brothers.

They did a great tribute album to the Delmore Brothers and I always think they were part of a country duo chain leading from the Delmores to the Louvins to the Everleys. Keeping the harmonies going.

RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Art Thieme
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 12:54 PM

A question about Ira.
I seem to recall an incident where Ira's wife shot him 12 times during an argument. Can anyone corroborate?
Art

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 01:34 PM

Charlie Louvin, Remembering Country's Harmonizer, on Fresh Air today (remember: the audio always has more than the text on the web, not least being the music).

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 01:41 PM

Why You Should Listen To Charlie Louvin
by Tom Cole
NPR All Songs Considered blog

Charlie Louvin's career covered half of the 20th century and a full decade of the 21st. His fans ranged from devout Christians to hard-drinking country-music fans to crowds at Bonnaroo.

"Johnny Cash came to a Louvin Brothers show in Dyess, Ark., as a teenager, as a fan, you know, and met Charlie there," Josh Rosenthal told NPR in 2007. Rosenthal is the head of Tompkins Square Records, Louvin's label for the last five years. "Charlie rubbed shoulders with Hank Williams in the MGM Studios. So that's the kind of person we're dealing with. There's not that many people left who have seen what he has seen and experienced what he has experienced."

Louvin died early Wednesday at his home in Wartrace, Tenn., at 83. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the summer of 2010. Surgery proved unsuccessful, but Louvin continued to perform.

Louvin was a Country Music Hall of Famer and the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry, having joined in 1955 with his brother Ira.

Their given name was Loudermilk and they grew up in Alabama. The close harmony duo they developed out of the "shape note singing" of their church went on to become hugely influential in country music, as well as pop and rock. When you hear the Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream," you're hearing the influence of the Louvin Brothers' harmonies.

"We knew we loved duet singing," Charlie Louvin told NPR in 1996. "We loved the Blue Sky Boys. We loved the Delmore Brothers ... and even the Monroe Brothers [as in mandolinist Bill Monroe and his brother, guitarist Charlie Monroe]. And so we knew if we ever became a duet that we would want to play the mandolin and the guitar ... we just didn't know which one would play the mandolin or which one would play the guitar until we got old enough to be able to afford one or the other of the instruments. ... So finally [Ira] said, 'Well, I'll go buy me a mandolin, and you're going to have to learn the guitar.'"

They started playing and singing together on early-morning radio in the 1940s.

"And the people all down in Alabama, they're up doing their chores at that time of the morning," Louvin said. "Mama was always cooking breakfast ... and Papa was out feeding the stock and milking the cow. And so they got to hear the show."

It was about that time that they changed their performing name to the Louvin Brothers. They became gospel stars with the 1952 song "The Family Who Prays." But the song that took them beyond their loyal gospel audience was "When I Stop Dreaming," which became a Top 10 hit in 1955. Elvis Presley was their opening act for part of that year.

From then through the early '60s, the Louvin Brothers had a string of hits that balanced sacred and secular themes, but Ira Louvin struggled to live the kind of life he sang about. He threw fits on stage — sometimes smashing his mandolin — and his drinking caused the brothers to break up in the summer of 1963. They both went solo, though Charlie said he hoped they'd get back together. He always felt his brother's presence on stage.

"When I sing a song like ["In the Pines"], at a microphone at a stage show in the front of an audience, I will, when it comes time for the harmony to come in, I'll move left a little unconsciously," Louvin said. He was always waiting for his brother to step up to the mic.

Ira Louvin was killed in a car accident — hit by a drunken driver in Missouri — in 1965. Country-music legend has it that beside his car, his body was found on its knees, as if in prayer.

Charlie Louvin continued to perform as a solo artist through the '60s, scoring a Top 5 hit with "I Don't Love You Anymore" in 1964, followed by six more hits and 12 albums. Then the Louvin Brothers were rediscovered by a generation of rockers at the end of that decade. Gram Parsons brought the Louvins' songs to his collaborators Emmylou Harris and The Byrds, who recorded "The Christian Life" for their seminal country-rock LP Sweetheart of the Rodeo in 1968.

The depth of feeling Louvin expressed through his songs and those he recorded with his brother was such that he enjoyed a second rediscovery at the end of the century, thanks to another generation of rockers. In 2003, he opened for such bands as Cake and Cheap Trick. Louvin told NPR in 2007 that the revival of interest in his music was unexpected; it began with an instant message from Cake singer John McCrea.

"He said they were going to do a 22- or 23-day tour, wondering if I wanted to be on two or three of them," Louvin said. "And I'm sure that he hadn't got up from his stool in front of his computer until he got his answer because I — as quick as it came in — I answered it and said, not only would I like to be on two or three of them; I'd like to be on the whole 23 days. And that's how it started."

He released his first album in more than a decade in 2007 for Tompkins Square, titled Charlie Louvin. It included guest spots from some of his admirers: George Jones, Tom T. Hall, Will Oldham, Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy and Marty Stuart, who — in a 2007 NPR interview — compared Louvin's comeback to those of Loretta Lynn and Porter Wagoner.

"It's beautiful when somebody comes along and tells a Charlie or a Porter or a Loretta that it's okay to be you again," Stuart said. "And they are totally equipped for it. All they need is a round of applause and a reason to go to a spotlight and they come back to life. I've watched Charlie come back to life again."

A new generation of fans got to see it, too. Now we'll just wait for the next Louvin revival — the power of the music ensures that there will be one.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 01:43 PM

Remembrance of Charlie Louvin - in later life - by the Tompkins Square label

Charlie Louvin 1927 – 2011

I met Charlie in 2003. He was playing a show at a club in Albany NY with the Hackensaw Boys backing him up. There was a rock band booming downstairs, but he didn't seem to care. He was making his own racket, and I couldn't believe the energy. I told myself if I ever started a label, I'd try to work with him.

We went on to make 5 records together, two of which received Grammy noms. Speaking to him several times a week for two or three years, it was always fun – I was in awe, and sometimes it was like talking to a ghost. Is this really the same guy on those heavenly Louvins records ??

At first I thought, "Wow, I really like working with guys like this. I wanna sign someone else like him." Except I quickly realized – there is nobody like him. No one of his generation as influential, active since the 50's, with that stature, except maybe Doc Watson or Ralph Stanley.

I always felt it was my job to just facilitate whatever it was that Charlie felt like doing. In 2007, I called Mark Nevers (Lambchop) cold and we went over to Charlie's house to discuss a recording. He asked me to bring a contract, but that it should be only one page, like the old Capitol deals. (I think he took me on because my middle name is Ira). The first thing he played us on his boombox was a recitation of his, "The Silence of Aging", all about getting old. Charlie started to cry. I saw him cry several times. He said in an interview that sometimes he'd cry and didn't know why, like he'd be watching his favorite cartoon, Roadrunner, and just start weeping. Another time was when we sat together at the Grammys. There was a performance by a black gospel group, and he was moved to tears.

We got a bunch of stars for the 2007 album, and it was Grammy nominated. Charlie toured non-stop, mostly clubs, a few big festivals. He didn't care how many people were there. He loved being around people, and craved the love he got back from them.

A lot of big stars gave Charlie lip service. Only one actually stepped up and took him on tour while I worked with him. Lucinda Williams. He died on her birthday. I'll always remember the first time they met, on her bus. The Southern connection kicked in, Charlie started singing to her. They worked up a version of her "Get Right With God" and his "When I Stop Dreaming" and played it onstage every night. She invited him to sing on her album. Charlie played Spaceland on Grammy eve and Lu came down. The power went out mid-show, the place was pitch dark. But Charlie sang off mike for the crowd.

Charlie expressed a dream of his to make an album with a black gospel choir. That was "Steps To Heaven". Grammy nominated but sold poorly, I sense the Americana establishment rejected the concept. Yet it is the best of his Tompkins Square recordings. If you want to hear Charlie's views on the afterlife, faith and death, this is the one to listen to, especially in this moment, as we remember him. "We're Just Rehearsing !"

Charlie discovered a young guitar player, Ben Hall, who I signed and made a record with. It's out March 29. Ben toured with Charlie, and they were close. In the studio, Ben asked me what my favorite Louvins song was, and I said, "Every Time You Leave", which closes Ben's album. I'm happy I get to continue the good work through Ben's album. I last saw Charlie in December, at Ben's gig. Ben is 20 years old. Onto the next generation, and so it goes.

Charlie is forever a legend, a Country Music Hall of Famer, a distinguished member of the Grand Ole Opry, and a tremendous influence on generations of artists. He was funny, down to earth, without ego, and sincere. He loved kids, and I have video of him tossing a balloon around my apartment with my daughters.

You know he's singing with Ira now. He told me he was really looking forward to that.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 01:58 PM

In the 1996 Fresh Air interview, he notes that sometime early on their producer (manager?) said that he thought their records weren't selling well because of the mandolin (played by Ira). Apparently Ira took that badly, and never again recorded with the mandolin. It sounded as though Charlie felt that contributed (at least in part) to his downward slide.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 27 Jan 11 - 02:04 PM

I played I Don't Believe You've Met my Baby last night at my weekly bluegrass jam in honor of Charlie, and we had a nice discussion about the Louvins afterwards.

I learned a lot of the Louvins' repertoire because I was always a big fan of Emmy Lou Harris and Gram Parsons, and they were big fans of the Louvins. Their songs have a melodic structure and lyrics quality which guarantee them a place in traditional acoustic music from this day forward, I believe. Their place in harmony singing is marked by the heritage of those who followed, like the Everlys, Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks, Nickle Creek, etc.

There may come a time when musicians no longer remember Charlie and Ira Louvin, but they will be playing When I stop Dreaming and Cash on the Barrelhead, and their singing will reflect those high lonesome harmonies, and that's the greatest tribute of all, don't you think?

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: GUEST,bernieandred
Date: 28 Jan 11 - 01:21 PM

Sorry to hear of his passing. All posters have been concentrating on his early recordings. His later solo recordings in the past few years were great. Yes his voice was certainly showing its age, but the sensitive production made the most of it, & I don't think you'll find a better version of "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" than his. Another great song from his later recordings is "I Wanna Die Young at a Very Old Age", I'm gonna play that one right now.
The best of his later albums in my opinion, "The Longest Train" which includes both of the above mentioned songs.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jan 11 - 01:29 PM

I was amazed to discover his real name was Loudimilk and he was related to John D Loudimilk author of "Tobacco Road", "Windy and Warm" and so many other great tunes

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Janie
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 12:44 AM

Who Knows Where the Time Goes

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 10:13 AM

Janie, that's a beautiful, touching video.

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: Newport Boy
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 10:27 AM

The Guardian obituary today by Tony Russell includes a nice tale:

Having become an elder statesman of country music, Charlie was always ready to speak up for its traditional values. "Today," he said in the mid-80s, "a true country music artist couldn't get on a major label with a machine gun." Chatting with him during the filming of the Channel 4 series Hank Wangford's A to Z of C&W, I asked him what he thought about the annual Country Music Association awards. "The CMA?" he snorted. "Stands for Country My Ass."

Phil

Subject: RE: Obit: Charlie Louvin (1927-2011)
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 09:40 PM

And much to his credit Charlie was producing meaningful recordings in his later solo years. His version of "I Will Go Sailing No More" is one of my all time favorites. He deserves recognition for what he has been doing in the last decade as well as his early work in country music. A great loss.