Country legend Charlie Louvin still going strong

Despite 65 years and counting as a performer, country music legend Charlie Louvin says he still hasn't reached the point where it feels like work.

"I'm from a generation where there's no such thing as work, as long as you enjoy what you're doing," said Louvin, who will perform Thursday at The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, to promote his first album in 10 years.

HISTORY
Louvin, with his late brother, Ira, started singing live on radio stations in the early Forties, and in 1955 scored the first of 12 hits on the Billboard country chart.

After the brothers parted ways in 1964 and Ira's untimely death in 1965, Charlie Louvin went on to record 12 solo albums and rack up another six charting singles.

INFLUENCE
With the passage of time, the Louvin Brothers' legend grew, and their songs became touchstones for the new generation of alt-country musicians such as Uncle Tupelo and Emmylou Harris.

After the Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2001, Charlie was invited to open on a national tour with Cheap Trick and Cake.

"I was afraid the audiences were gonna start yelling, 'Get that country stuff off the stage,' but they loved it," Louvin said. "C.G. Niebank

  • or