In Close Harmony: The Story of the Louvin Brothers (American Made Music) [Paperback]

Charles Wolfe (Author)

Book Description

Series: American Made Music | Publication Date: December 1, 1996

The authoritative Grove Dictionary of American Music says they are "probably the greatest traditional country duo in history." The music of the Louvin Brother has influenced almost all revered rock-and-roll singers and country singers, from the Everly Brothers to Emmylou Harris.

The essence of country music for many aficionados is harmony singing, and country harmony, for most of these, is synonymous with the blended voices of Ira and Charles Louvin.

This book is the first full study of the Louvin Brothers' remarkable career and of their rich, complex music. Based on extensive research, including substantial interviews with Charles, the surviving brother, In Close Harmony provides a detailed portrait of the Louvins and the turbulent country-music world of the 1950s.

Editorial Reviews

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The Louvin Brothers inspired country-influenced singers from Elvis to Emmylou Harris. The Everly Brothers, in particular, were, Wolfe avers, a "polished and commercialized" version of the Louvins. Natives of Alabama's Sand Mountain area, Charlie and Ira Louvin's musical roots were firmly planted in gospel. Wolfe dedicatedly documents their lives and their often stormy personal relationship during long years on the road. At the time Ira died, a car crash victim, in 1965, the act was moribund, though many fans and colleagues had hoped for a reunion. The Louvins' reputation has been maintained by their oft-recorded songs, such as "The Christian Life" and "If I Could Only Win Your Love," and by the championing of such younger stars as, most recently, Ricky Skaggs and Marty Stuart. A laudable feature of the book is the way Wolfe weaves discography into the narrative: session lists come at the appropriate places in the text, so that you don't have to flip to an appended discography to find out what Wolfe's talking about. Wolfe does the brothers justice. Mike Tribby --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

A portrait of two country-music superstars of the 1950s

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878058923
• ISBN-13: 978-0878058921
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine bio of country music's revered brother harmony duo, December 31, 2002

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hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Close Harmony: The Story of the Louvin Brothers (American Made Music) (Hardcover)

Wolfe does a fine job of capturing the Louvins' hard-scrabble roots, and, most impressively, the atmosphere that fostered their music. His description of the Louvins' home of Sand Mountain, Alabama -- with cultural and societal development heavily influenced by the mountain's physical isolation -- is worth the read alone. Similarly, his discussions of Sacred Harp singing and shape note music books provide a priceless introduction to some of the nineteenth-century roots of twentieth century folk and country music.

A chronology of the Louvins' recording sessions (with detailed discussions of most every song) is neatly interspersed throughout the book, and Wolfe does an admirable job of capturing the interpersonal brotherhood that drove the act. He provides a palpable sense of how the Louvins came to fame, the setbacks (some external, some self-imposed) and hard work that created and cemented their legacy.

This book originated as the text accompanying Bear Family's CD box set "Close Harmony," and, unfortunately, does not include the complete discography presented in the notes. Further, having sprung from annotation, the text is often heavy with discussions of the Louvin's recordings in lieu of the artists (and those enabling the recordings) themselves. Finally, there are some rather obvious editing and factual errors (e.g., the geography of California's Central Valley and Bay Area is poorly represented) that should have been cleaned up before going to press.

All in all, a terrific biography of one of country music's most revered (and best) harmony acts.