The Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers were one of Charles ( Charlie ) Louvin (* July 7, 1927 when Charles Loudermilk in Rainsville, Alabama; † 26 January 2011) and Ira Louvin (* April 21, 1924 as Ira Loudermilk, † June 20, 1965 ) existing duo of gospel and country music, the 1963 close-harmony vocals provided by the mid-1950s up to the separation.
- 3.1 albums
Life
Ira and Charles Loudermilk grew up in poverty on a farm in the Appalachian Mountains. Since early childhood she had to work in the fields. One of the few distractions from the hard life was music. They learned to play guitar as a teenager and won a talent competition, which allowed them a daily appearance on a radio show. Soon came engagements added in local clubs.
In the early 1940s Charles was drafted into the army for a short time. Ira joined during which the band of Charlie Monroe ( Monroe Brothers, which are considered precursors of Louvins, had some years previously separated). After the end of Charles ' army service she worked at the radio station WNOX in Knoxville, Tennessee. After the influential songwriter Fred Rose had fought for them, they took in 1947 for the Decca label a single on. Since they appeared the name " Loudermilk " as inappropriate for a career in the music business, they came from this time on as " Louvin Brothers".
Career
In 1951 they were taken from the MGM label under contract and there were twelve singles produced. After two years, the contract was terminated and the brothers had to work as a postal worker. Fred Rose in 1952 enabled a record deal with the Capitol label. Here the brothers of Ken Nelson were cared for, who recognized her potential and to utilize knew. However, it came to the first released single to a career - break, when Charles was drafted on the occasion of the Korean War again for military service.
After their reunion a long dry spell was overcome again. Their producer Ken Nelson finally managed to accommodate them in 1955 at the Grand Ole Opry. That same year she got self-written song When I Stop Dreaming in the Top 10 Did the Louvin Brothers so far mostly gospel music played, they now preferred Country, but without completely abandoning the Christian music. Go to brand their close-harmony singing was connected with the very high tenor range Iras. The acoustic background made guitar and mandolin.
The Louvins could soon place more singles in the charts, as in 1956 Hoping Hoping You Are My Baby 's Gone or 1959. In these years, however, dominated the rock and roll; classic duos were hardly any demand. With the Everly Brothers, the younger competitors had emerged. In addition to the increasingly difficult environment, there were some personal problems. The brothers quarreled frequently, Ira was an alcoholic. In 1963 it came to the separation. Both stayed at the Capitol label, to continue working solo. Charles Louvin was for many years successfully; Ira died only a few months after the breakup with his fourth wife in a car accident.
The Louvin Brothers have composed more than 500 songs. In 1979 she was admitted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2001, she received the highest award of the country music: You were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In July 2010 it was announced that Charlie Louvin is suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Aftermath
The Byrds with Gram Parsons - and probably on his way Initiative - took on their record Sweetheart of the Rodeo on a cover version of the Louvin Brothers song, The Christian Life. Bob Dylan is one, as he mentioned in an interview with Bono in 1984, the Louvin Brothers to his influences.