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Louvin Brothersthe Louvin Brothers played a dual role in country music's evolution following World War II. On one hand, their close, Appalachian harmonies linked country to its humble past. On the other, they provided a blueprint for a number of nascent rock acts, most notably the Everly Brothers. And, while the Louvins recorded many secular classics ("If I Could Only Win Your Love"), they are best remembered for their fervent gospel sides. In a perfect world, Christmas With The Louvin Brothers (Capitol, 1961) would fall into this category, since it consists exclusively of religious carols like "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" rather than secular tunes like "Jingle Bells."

Sadly, such is not the case. While not a bad record, Christmas With The Louvin Brothers isn't the home run one might expect. Ira and Charlie sound oddly uninspired - perhaps the birth of their savior wasn't as compelling as the eternal fires of hell (c.f. Satan Is Real). Students as astute as Emmylou Harris evidently listened to this record (and others) by the Louvin Brothers, but most of these tracks sound darn near rote. (It's worth noting that for reasons I have yet to discern, many sources list the album as "Country Christmas.")

Louvin BrothersAs the Lovin Brothers' career declined following the rise of rock & roll, Ira took to drink and fell from grace. He died in 1965, two years after the duo split. Charlie soldiered on, eventually assuming the well-deserved status of elder statesman of country music. After many years out-of-print, Razor & Tie reissued Christmas With The Louvin Brothers in 1997 as a companion to their excellent retrospective, When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of The Louvin Brothers (1995). The CD rearranges the cover art while appending both sides of the brothers' 1960 stab at a secular holiday single. The a-side, "It's Christmas," is fine, while the b-side, "Santa's Big Parade," is so awful it's good - and unintentionally hilarious!

Finally, well before they recorded Christmas With The Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira performed a maudlin medley called "Shut-In At Christmas/Shut-In's Prayer" in 1952 as part of their regular radio broadcast called "Songs That Tell A Story" on WZOB in Fort Payne, Alabama. In 1978, Rounder Records released it on a LP also called Songs That Tell A Story (reissued on CD in 1991). The song also appears on Rounder's Christmas compilation, Must Be Santa (1995). The Louvin Brothers apparently never recorded the song for commercial release, but much later Charlie Louvin recorded a solo version of "Shut-In At Christmas" for Grand Ole Christmas (1998) on a label called Rejoice Music of Nashville.

Consumer Notes: In the digital age, the Louvin Brothers' Christmas album has gone through something of a ringer. The aforementioned Razor & Tie reissue is the only time it's ever been available on CD, but it went out-of-print fairly quickly. In 2007, a Capitol digital edition retained the new cover art, but lost the bonus tracks. Then in 2020, a new expanded digital edition added back the bonus tracks and restored the original, quaint 1961 cover art. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • The First Noel (1961)
  • It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (1961)
  • It's Christmas Time (1960)
  • Santa's Big Parade (1960)
  • Shut-In At Christmas/Shut-In's Prayer (1952)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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