Ira Louvin (1924 to 1965) was a mandolin player, tenor singer, and songwriter from Alabama. With his younger brother Charlie on guitar, he formed the Louvin Brothers, one of the great close-harmony duets in country music. They recorded for Capitol from 1952 to 1963 and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955. Bill Monroe named Ira one of the three great tenor singers in country music, with himself and Bobby Osborne.
Why Louvin matters
The Louvin Brothers showed how a mandolin and a guitar can carry two voices with nothing else needed. Ira played mandolin like Bill Monroe and sang a high, tense, quivering tenor above Charlie. His mandolin solos were a key part of the duo’s sound. Bluegrass harmony singers still study the Louvins, and their songs have been recorded by the Byrds, Emmylou Harris, and many bluegrass bands.
Life and career
Ira was born Ira Lonnie Loudermilk on April 21, 1924, in Section, Alabama. He and Charlie grew up singing shape-note music in church and listening to the Delmore Brothers and the Monroe Brothers. In the early 1940s Ira played mandolin with Charlie Monroe, the guitar half of the Monroe Brothers. Charlie Monroe called him one of the top mandolin players in Nashville.
The brothers took the name Louvin Brothers in the 1940s and started out singing gospel. They signed with Capitol in September 1952. Their biggest Capitol hits came in 1955 and 1956, and they joined the Opry in 1955. When I Stop Dreaming was one of their first top ten singles, and I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby went to number one. My Baby’s Gone (1959) was their last top ten hit. Their 1959 album Satan Is Real, with a cover Ira designed, is still famous for its plywood devil and burning tires.
Ira’s drinking and temper put a strain on the duo, and the brothers split in August 1963. Ira made one solo album, The Unforgettable Ira Louvin. On June 20, 1965, Ira and his wife were driving home from a show in Kansas City when a drunk driver hit their car head-on near Williamsburg, Missouri. Both were killed. He was 41. The Louvin Brothers entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Playing style
Ira played Monroe-style mandolin with a country singer’s ear. His solos were short, bright, and driving. Like Monroe, he used the mandolin to answer the vocal lines and to kick off each song.
His voice did the heavy lifting. He sang tenor most of the time, but in the middle of a song the brothers sometimes swapped parts, with Ira dropping below Charlie. Listeners often could not tell who was singing lead. That trick of trading parts is a lesson in how close harmony works.
Influences and legacy
Ira learned from shape-note singing, the Delmore Brothers, and the Monroes. He played mandolin for Charlie Monroe and modeled his style on Bill Monroe. His brother Charlie served in Korea alongside Jesse McReynolds, and the two led a band for the troops there.
The Byrds recorded The Christian Life on Sweetheart of the Rodeo in 1968, and Emmylou Harris had a hit with the Louvins’ If I Could Only Win Your Love in 1975. A 2003 tribute album, Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers, won the Grammy for Best Country Album.
Signature tunes and songs
When I Stop Dreaming I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby Cash on the Barrelhead The Christian Life If I Could Only Win Your Love My Baby’s Gone.
Essential recordings
Tragic Songs of Life, with Charlie Louvin (Capitol, 1956) Satan Is Real, with Charlie Louvin (Capitol, 1959) My Baby’s Gone, with Charlie Louvin (Capitol, 1960) A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers, with Charlie Louvin (Capitol, 1960) The Unforgettable Ira Louvin (1965)
Awards and honors
Grand Ole Opry member, with the Louvin Brothers (1955) Country Music Hall of Fame, with the Louvin Brothers (2001)
Watch and listen
The Louvin Brothers sing I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby, their number one hit. Listen to Ira’s high tenor ride above Charlie’s lead.
What to learn from Louvin
Find a singing partner and learn When I Stop Dreaming as a duet. One of you sings the lead, the other the tenor above it. Then switch parts in the middle of a verse, the way Ira and Charlie did. On mandolin, play a short kickoff and short fills between lines, and stop when the voices come back in. A duet needs space more than it needs notes.
Sources
Ira Louvin, Wikipedia The Louvin Brothers, Wikipedia The Louvin Brothers, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Bobby Osborne, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Related players
See the mandolin players hub and the mandolin guide. Louvin modeled his playing on Bill Monroe. Everett Lilly sang tenor and played mandolin in another great brother duet. Jesse McReynolds did the same in Jim and Jesse.