Charlie Louvin died last night.
As half of the Louvin Brothers, he was one of the most influential musicians of the '40s and '50s. The Louvins defined close harmony duet singing for several generations of country fans.
After the Louvin Brothers disbanded in 1963, Charlie began a solo career, recording for Capitol Records until 1975. During that time, he had songs make the Top Ten -- "I Don't Love You Anymore" and "See the Big Man Cry" as well as a series of other hits.
In 2001, he was admitted to the Country Music Hall of Fame
And he kept up... A recent album has guest appearances by Elvis Costello, George Jones, Jeff Tweedy, Will Oldham, Tom T. Hall, members of Bright Eyes, Lambchop, Superchunk and more. He played Bonnaroo.
I did an interview with Charlie Louvin, which I'm posting below. We talked about all of this, his relationship with Elvis Presley, how the business has changed over the years, and more.
I remember him as being a really nice guy and very down-to-earth. As he was leaving our studio that day, he told me and the show's producer, "I can't believe we've lived in the same town so long and I've never met you boys."
INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE LOUVIN:
I am so sorry we lost Charlie,he was one of my very favorite country singers & all around good people I ever met! I have an 8x10 picture of him & me on my desk, he was so kind to stop what he was doing & take a picture with me.He's singing with the angels & Ira again God Bless Mary.
Posted by: Mary | January 27, 2011 at 11:18 PM