Charlie Louvin: Charlie Louvin

CML call number: CD COUNTRY Louvin
Jon Pareles wrote in the New York Times: "Charlie Louvin, 79, understands what made him a country music trailblazer. 'This is an extremely morbid song,' he said onstage on Thursday night at the Gramercy Theater, introducing 'Knoxville Girl,' a song narrated by a man who murders the woman he loves. It was, Mr. Louvin continued, the most requested song during his years in the Louvin Brothers, his duo with his older brother, Ira, who died in 1965. With their country hits in the 1950s, the Louvin Brothers became renowned for their close, consonant harmonies … and for songs that saw every grim possibility even when they set out to be optimistic. Another Louvin Brothers song in his set, 'Great Atomic Power,' preaches that Christian faith will help souls survive a nuclear holocaust, but not before it describes how 'a terrible explosion may ring down upon our land.' … Mr. Louvin remade both of those songs for his new album, 'Charlie Louvin' … his first studio album in 10 years, which features duets with George Jones, Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and others" ("Music in Review: Charlie Louvin," 3/10/07).