The Louvin Brothers, Ira and Charlie, are probably my favorite singers. I just finished “Satan is Real,” the new autobiography by Charlie Louvin, and it’s a must-read for Louvin fans, and probably anyone interested in America’s music. I was reminded once again how important music-making was in the 20s-40s in the rural South, the lengths to which people would go in order to hear live music.

The Louvins had a tough upbringing, that’s for sure. Charlie writes about his and Ira’s dream of getting on the Grand Old Opry after seeing a Roy Acuff show, their first paying gig on a “Flying Jenny” (a sort of mule-drawn merry-go-round), and how they learned to sing together at church and Sacred Harp gatherings.

Ira and Charlie were pretty much polar opposites, but, man they were in harmony when they were singing. Here’s a video of one of their first hits, I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby.

      –       Peter McCracken