Charlie Louvin

As half of the Louvin Brothers, Charlie Louvin (born Charlie Elzer Loudermilk on July 7, 1927) 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 Louvins disbanded in 1963, Charlie began a solo career, recording for Capitol Records until 1972. During that time, he had two Top Ten hits — "I Don't Love You Anymore" (number four, 1964) and "See the Big Man Cry" (number seven, 1965) — as well as a series of minor hits. Louvin continued to perform and record for a variety of labels into the 21st century. The eponymous album Charlie Louvin was released in 2007 on the Tompkins Square label and featured a cast of characters including George Jones, Elvis Costello, Marty Stuart, Tom T. Hall, and Jeff Tweedy. It was nominated for a Grammy Award the following year, thus prompting Louvin to continue releasing new material. Steps to Heaven, a collection of traditional gospel tunes, arrived in 2008, followed two months later by the tragedy-themed Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs. Two albums were released in 2010: The Battles Rage On, produced by Mitchell Brown and featuring songs about war and redemption; and Hickory Wind, a live set recorded at City Auditorium in Waycross, GA in 2009. Charlie Louvin died of complications from pancreatic cancer on January 26, 2011; he was 83 years old.