Charlie Louvin, 1927-2011

It's been a busy January out here in Denver, and I'm sorry to return with some sad news. Charlie Louvin died this morning in Tennessee. He was 83.I grew up around bluegrass and country gospel music, but the Louvin Brothers were an act I sought out for myself in the last few years as I started tracing artists that influenced various members of Wilco. I found Satan Is Real at my local record store and it's stayed in pretty steady rotation around my place ever since. Charlie Louvin and his brother Ira did everything I love about that style of music -- fluent use of form, fatalistic lyrics, tight harmony, and an unmeasurable feeling of distinct, otherworldly weirdness -- with grace and panache.Louvin's work is vital to my understanding of other artists I love, and like the figure of the devil on the cover of Satan Is Real, he was a giant in his field, with a legacy and impact on American popular music that will live on for years. Condolences to his family and friends.