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The Louvin Brothers

The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (né Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member.

The brothers wrote and performed country, bluegrass, and gospel music. Ira played mandolin and generally sang lead vocal in the tenor range, while Charlie played rhythm guitar and offered supporting vocals in a lower pitch. They helped popularize the vocal technique of close harmony in country and country-rock.

After becoming regulars at the Grand Ole Opry and scoring a string of hit singles in the late 1950s and early '60s, the Louvin Brothers broke up in 1963 due in large part to Charlie growing tired of Ira's addictions and reckless behavior. Ira died in a traffic accident in 1965. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, and Charlie died of cancer in 2011. Rolling Stone ranked the Louvin Brothers number four on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1940, Died Ceased 1963

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: Vocal group

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 2004 8/23/1949 Alabama The Louvin Brothers Vocal group  
Decca NA 2005 8/23/1949 Seven year blues The Louvin Brothers Vocal group  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Louvin Brothers, The," accessed April 23, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/328247.

Louvin Brothers, The. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 23, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/328247.

"Louvin Brothers, The." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 23 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/328247

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