DESCRIPTION:
In loving memory of Charlie Louvin, Grand Old Opry Legend

Born -- July 7th 1927

Died -- January 26th 2011





Our loss, is the good Lord's gain, a pioneer of Country Music has left the earth and rejoined his brother to play for God's Heavenly band.



Charlie Louvin, 83 years old, died Wednesday January 26th, 2011. Brother, Ira Louvin, preceded Charlie in 1965 .



The two started singing together as children while still living with their parents in the small North East Alabama mountain community of Henagar, on Sand Mountain. There, they learned to sing at Church, using the 'Shape Note Sacred Harp 5 Part Harmony' that lead to the duo's unique sound and inflection of their vocals.



For decades the Louvin Brothers have been given credit for having written some of the most powerful, raw, and emotional songs the country genre has ever known. The Louvin Brothers are universally heralded as one of the greatest harmony duos in the history of Country Music. Ira Louvin's high tenor voice would inspire awe and admiration in countless singers; from already established stars like Bill Monroe to future stars like Emmylou Harris. Gram Parsons paid friends to search record shops for Louvin Brothers records. It's been said that Elvis Presley had advance copies of the Louvin's records sent to him to give to his mother. A young Johnny Cash waited by the side of the road to catch a glimpse of Ira and Charlie Louvin drive past when he learned they were coming to his town.



Ira Lonnie and Charles Elzer Loudermilk began performing professionally in 1942, but changed their family name to the easier to pronounce Louvin in 1947, and after singing to Capitol Records they began having radio hits. They joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955.





Other music artist covered their songs, Carl Smith scored a Number 1 in 1952 with "Are you Teasing Me". The Browns with

"I Take The Chance". In 1975, Emmylou Harris plunged deep into the Louvins' song bag and came up with her first Top 5 country hit, "If I Could Only Win Your Love". Harris' mentor, country & rock pioneer Gram Parsons, was a Louvins enthusiast. With the Byrds, he recorded "The Christian Life" on the album, "Sweethearts Of The Rodeo". He also covered "Cash On The Barrelhead" on his last album,

"Grevous Angel" released in 1974, the year after Parson's untimely death.



In 1979, the Louvins were inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.



The brothers split up in 1963, and in 1965 Ira tragically died in a car wreck. Charlie went on to a distinguished solo recording career and continued to perform on the Grand Ole Opry and toured the country with his band up thru 2010.



In 2007, Charlie Louvin moved his personal collection of music memorabilia, photos, albums, artifacts, letters, awards, and news clippings to The Louvin Brothers Museum located at Jim Oliver's Smoke House Restaurant, Monteagle, TN. Here you'll find all the Louvin Brothers and Charlie Louvin's albums on CD format, a historical DVD of the dynamic country music duo's pioneering journey into the country music world, and Louvin Brothers memorabilia. The museum is open daily from 6:30am thru 9:00pm, admission is Free. For more information about the Louvin Brothers, personal interview with Charlie Louvin at his home in September of 2010, photos and videos of his performances at the Smoke House in 2010, go to www.TheSmokeHouse.com, also see the Smoke House You Tube Channel, click on the You Tube Icon at the bottom of the Smoke House home page.