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Charlie Louvin to celebrate his 80th on the road
Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin is ready to kick off the first leg of his 2007 tour, which supports his first new album in 10 years.
Dates begin Wednesday (3/7) outside of Philadelphia, and Louvin will hit venues all over the US through June, including Austin's South by Southwest festival next week. In mid-June, the country legend will be a highlight of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in his hometown of Manchester, TN. Details are listed below.
More tour dates are to come, including special summer appearances to celebrate Louvin's 80th birthday, according to his website.
The singer/songwriter's new self-titled set, released last month, comprises Louvin Brothers classics, country-music standards and a tribute to Louvin's late brother, Ira, who died in a 1965 car accident. The album features guests including Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy, Will Oldham, Tom T. Hall, George Jones, Bobby Bare Sr., Tift Merritt, Marty Stuart, David Kilgour, and members of Bright Eyes, Lambchop, Superchunk, Blanche and Clem Snide.
"My brother and I cut our teeth on some of those old songs and they influenced us tremendously. I'm glad we're able to remind people of them," Louvin said in a statement.
Louvin and the Louvin Brothers have been a major influence on country and alt-country music, inspiring countless covers of their songs by artists including Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, The Byrds, Emmylou Harris, Uncle Tupelo and The Raconteurs.
Charlie and Ira Louvin began touring heavily in the '40s and garnered commercial success in 1955, when Elvis Presley was their opening act, according to their bio. From 1955 through 1962, the Louvin Brothers churned out 12 country hits, including "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby," "You're Running Wild," "Cash on the Barrelhead" and "Knoxville Girl."
