In close harmony: the story of the Louvin Brothers

311 Pages·1996·2.07 MB·English

by  Charles K. Wolfe

In Close Harmony : The Story of the Louvin
title:
Brothers American Made Music Series
author: Wolfe, Charles K.
publisher: University Press of Mississippi
isbn10 | asin: 0878058923
print isbn13: 9780878058921
ebook isbn13: 9780585203072
language: English
Louvin Brothers, Country musicians--
subject
United States--Biography.
publication date: 1996
lcc: ML421.L7W65 1996eb
ddc: 782.42/1642/0922
Louvin Brothers, Country musicians--
subject: United States--Biography.
Page i
In Close Harmony
Page ii
American Made Music Series
Advisory Board
David Evans, General Editor
Barry Jean Ancelet
Edward A. Berlin
Joyce J. Bolden
Rob Bowman
Susan C. Cook
Curtis Ellison
William Ferris
Michael Harris
John Edward Hasse
Kip Lornell
Frank McArthur
W. K. McNeil
Bill Malone
Eddie S. Meadows
Manuel H. Peña
Wayne D. Shirley
Robert Walser
Charles Wolfe
Page iii
In Close Harmony
The Story of the Louvin Brothers
Charles Wolfe
University Press of Mississippi Jackson
Page iv
Parts of this book first appeared, in a different form, as the annotations
booklet to Close Harmony (BCD 15561), a compact disc set issued by
Bear Family Records in 1992. They are used here by permission of
Bear Family Records.
Copyright © 1996 by the University Press of Mississippi
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
99 98 97 96 4 3 2 1
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wolfe, Charles K.
In close harmony : the story of the Louvin Brothers /
Charles Wolfe.
p. cm. (American made music series)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-87805-891-5 (cloth: alk. paper). ISBN
0-87805-892-3 (paper: alk. paper)
I. Louvin Brothers. 2. Country musiciansUnited.
StatesBiography. I. Title. II. Series.
ML421.L7W65 1996
782.42' 1642'0922-dc20
[B] 96-16708
CIP
MN
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication data available

Page v
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Discographical Note ix
Introduction xi
Sand Mountain 3
Close Harmony 13
The Radio Twins 24
The Lonesome Valley Trio 33
Songs That Tell a Story 43
On Capitol 51
When I Stop Dreaming 60
Cash on the Barrelhead 70
My Baby's Gone 84
Scared of the Blues 96
Two Different Worlds 111
Legacy 120
Appendix 129
Sources and Bibliography 133
Select Bibliography 137
Index 139

Page vii
Acknowledgments
This book originated as a set of annotations to a compact disc reissue
of the complete commercial recordings of the Louvin Brothers, Close
Harmony. The set of eight compact discs was issued by Germany's
Bear Family Records (BCD 15561), under the production supervision
of Richard Weize. (For information about the set, contact Bear Family
Records, P.O. Box 1 154, 2864 Vollersode, Germany.) The set also
contains a complete Louvin Brothers discography. To Richard Weize I
am grateful for his encouragement and suggestions.
I owe another major debt to Stephen Plumlee, who with his partner
William Hogeland is developing a major film about the Louvins. I
spent many hours talking with Stephen about the Louvins, and he
graciously shared with me interviews he had conducted with Charlie
Louvin and his circle. We also did a number of joint interviews with
Charlie.
My greatest debt is to Charlie Louvin himself. He took hours from his
busy schedule to talk with me and to let me look at his photos and
scrapbooks. He was forthright, patient, and gracious, and this book
could not have happened without him.
Working out the Louvin discography was a complicated and arduous
task, and for help with it I am indebted to Gary B. Reid, who
graciously shared with me his own early draft of the discography, and
Eddie Stubbs, who listened carefully to the Louvin recordings and
made dozens of valuable suggestions. Phillip Wells, who had for years
been compiling a list of Louvin Brothers songs recorded by others,
freely shared his research with me. Richard Weize was able to get and
share information from the record company files.
Others who helped with various parts of the project include Susie
Reed of Mountain Magic Talent, who set up appointments and
interviews; Eddie Stubbs, who offered much good advice about
Nashville in the 1950s; writers