Louvin Brothers
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The Louvin Brothers were Charlie and Ira Louvin, an American duo best-known as the popularizers of close harmony, a kind of country music. The genre evolved in the 1930s from traditional Appalachian folk music; performers like Blue Sky Boys, Delmore Brothers and Monroe Brothers inspired the Louvins, whose career peaked in the 1950s. The Louvin Brothers' career began in gospel music in the 1940s, with their first foray into secular music being the minor hit "The Get Acquainted Waltz" (recorded with Chet Atkins). Other hits included "Cash on the Barrel Head" and "When I Stop Dreaming". They joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955, and stayed there until breaking up in 1963. Ira Louvin was killed in a car accident in 1965 while Charlie pursued a solo career.
Country-rock pioneers The Byrds recorded the Louvin-penned "The Christian Life" for their seminal 1968 release Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
In 2001, the Louvin bothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The tribute CD "Livin, Lovin, Losin: The Songs of the Louvin Brothers" (released in 2003) won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
