Louvin Plays CMA Music Festival, Honors Gram Parsons
Country Music Hall of Fame legend Charlie Louvin will play the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, June 14th, on the Sommet Center Plaza Music Stage. This stage, located at the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, is free and open to the public. Although he is the oldest artist playing the festival this year, his rigorous schedule and frenzied output suggest someone with no interest in slowing down.
Louvin, who turns 82 on July 7th, made country music history with his brother Ira as The Louvin Brothers, one of the most enduring and influential duos ever. Now, coming off back-to-back Grammy nominations for his solo albums in 2007 and 2008, and with two new albums recently released, Charlie continues to inspire audiences and fellow artists. Playing the CMA Music Festival is something he looks forward to. Charlie says of his upcoming performance, "I love to play the CMA. You really get to connect with country music fans there. There's people there who care about the traditions in country music and I appreciate that." The performance will be broadcast on Sirius/XM's "The Highway" and "Bluegrass Junction" channels as part of their coverage of CMA week festivities.
Charlie recently released two concept albums exploring his visions of heaven and hell. A sacred album, 'Steps To Heaven', was nominated for a Grammy, Best Southern, Bluegrass or Country Gospel Album. The New York Times' Amanda Petrusich called it "a raw and stunning collection." Another album, 'Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs,' was released to wide acclaim in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He has recently shared stages with Old 97's, Levon Helm, and Lucinda Williams, and guests on Lucinda's latest album, 'Little Honey'.
Charlie was recently interviewed as part of a multi-part prime time PBS series produced by Sir George Martin, 'The Soundtrack of Our Lives", set to air in 2011.
The Louvin Brothers' music has endured through the decades due in no small part to the advocacy of Americana/alt country legend Gram Parsons, who covered several Louvin Brothers songs. On September 19th, Charlie will headline the annual Gram Parsons Guitar Pull in Waycross, GA, Parsons' hometown. The performance will be recorded for a live album to be released in 2010 on the Tompkins Square label.
Charlie and Ira Louvin, The Louvin Brothers, are among the most influential duos in country music history. Bridging the gap between the early stylings of the Delmore Brothers, Monroe Brothers and Blue Sky Boys, and modern practitioners like the Everly Brothers, their close-harmony gospel and secular material mixed old-time traditional country with a modern sensibility. The Louvin Brothers scored 6 Top Ten singles on the Billboard country chart in the 1950's, and 9 in the Top 20, including the #1 "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby", "When I Stop Dreaming", "Cash on The Barrelhead" and "Knoxville Girl." Concept albums such as their first in 1956 for Capitol, 'Tragic Songs of Life', as well as their 'Tribute to the Delmore Brothers' and 'Satan Is Real', have become more than cult classics for new generations of fans. In 1955 they joined the Grand Ole Opry, of which Charlie Louvin is still a member.
After Ira Louvin's death in an automobile accident in 1965, Charlie went on to a successful solo career, recording 13 albums for Capitol and landing ten Billboard-charting singles including two Top Ten hits on the Billboard country chart. He is a four-time Grammy nominee as a solo artist, most recently in 2008 (Best Traditional Folk Album) and 2009 (Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album).
The Louvin Brothers' influence is immeasurable. The Everly Brothers were influenced by them, and the Everlys heavily influenced the Beatles. Emmylou Harris' first top ten country hit was the Louvin Brothers' "If I Could Only Win Your Love." Gram Parsons famously covered "The Christian Life" with the Byrds, as well as "Cash on the Barrelhead." In 2003, Universal South released 'Livin' Lovin' Losin' : Songs of the Louvin Brothers', featuring covers by Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss and many others. The album won a Grammy for Best Country Album in 2003. The Louvin Brothers' songs have been covered by Uncle Tupelo, Johnny Cash, Jack White, Beck, and scores of other artists.
The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.