The Louvin Brothers
Band · Active 1949–1963 · Section, Alabama
Classic Country
Old-Time (Traditional)
The Louvin Brothers were one of country music's most influential close-harmony duos — a brother act whose haunting Tragic Songs of Life-era ballads and gospel records became the harmony template that ran directly into the Everly Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, and the alt-country revival of the 1990s.
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- Born in Section, Alabama as Ira Lonnie Loudermilk (April 21, 1924, mandolin and tenor harmony) and Charlie Elzer Loudermilk (July 7, 1927, guitar and lead vocals); cousins of songwriter John D. Loudermilk.
- Active as a duo from 1940 to 1963; relocated to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 after signing with Capitol Records.
- Recorded landmark Capitol albums Tragic Songs of Life (1956), The Family Who Prays (1958), Satan Is Real (1959 — with Ira's iconic flame-and-devil cover photographed in a rock quarry), and A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers (1960).
- Charted with "When I Stop Dreaming" (1955), "Cash on the Barrelhead" (1956), and their only #1 country single, "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" (1956).
- Charlie quit the duo in August 1963 to pursue a solo career.
- Ira Louvin and his wife Anne were killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver near Williamsburg, Missouri on June 20, 1965; Ira was 41.
- Charlie Louvin continued performing and recording for decades; his 2007 self-titled comeback album featured Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy, and George Jones. He died of pancreatic cancer in Wartrace, Tennessee on January 26, 2011 at age 83.
- Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001; Emmylou Harris's 1975 cover of "If I Could Only Win Your Love" on Pieces of the Sky revived their catalog for a generation that included Gram Parsons, the Everly Brothers (who cited the Louvins as their primary harmony model), and Uncle Tupelo.
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Satan Is Real1960
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Tragic Songs of Life1956 · Rounder Special Series SS 12
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Charlie LouvinPlayed on recordings with The Louvin Brothers
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Ira LouvinPlayed on recordings with The Louvin Brothers
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Buddy SpicherPlayed on recordings with The Louvin Brothers
