Concert Sun Apr 13 2008

Country Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin @ Heartland 4/16

If only for the fact that Charlie Louvin is one of the more substantial remaining links with the history of Country music, there ought to be a little more excitement about his show this week at Chicago's Heartland Cafe, yet I haven't seen much ink spilled about it. Oh well, for those who are paying attention to the slowly but steadily increasing quality of bookings at this northside outpost, this show offers an opportunity to see someone who really is worthy of the title "living legend".

Louvin is most famous for his work with his brother Ira in the '40s, 50s and '60s, when American music was being hammered into a recognizable business model. The Louvin Brothers managed to parlay their distinctive harmonies into a successful career that spanned two decades. The Louvin's career as a duo came to an end in the mid-1960's, and brother Ira was soon killed in a tragic car accident. Charlie Louvin continued on a solo career and has occasionally released albums on his own, including 2007's Grammy-nominated Charlie Louvin, an album of Louving Brothers songs featuring Charlie performing with artists ranging from Jeff Tweedy to Elvis Costello. The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Charlie Louvin plays the Heartland Cafe Wednesday, April 16th at 8pm.

— Dan Snedigar / Comments (2)