Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers

Description

Get ready for one of America's great untold stories: the true saga of the Louvin Brothers, a mid-century Southern gothic Cain and Abel and one of the greatest country duos of all time. The Los Angeles Times called them "the most influential harmony team in the history of country music," but Emmylou Harris may have hit closer to the heart of the matter, saying "there was something scary and washed in the blood about the sound of the Louvin Brothers." For readers of Johnny Cash's irresistible autobiography and Merle Haggard's My House of Memories, no country music library will be complete without this raw and powerful story of the duo that everyone from Dolly Parton to Gram Parsons described as their favorites: the Louvin Brothers.

Born in Henagar, Alabama, Charlie Louvin recorded from 1947 to 1962 with his brother, Ira, as the Louvin Brothers. In 1955, they became members of the Grand Ole Opry and churned out thirteen hits on the Billboard country chart, including "When I Stop Dreaming," "Cash on the Barrelhead," and "Knoxville Girl." Charlie's solo career began in 1964 with the top five hit "I Don't Love You Anymore," and he followed it with twenty-nine Billboard-charting singles and four Grammy nominations.Benjamin Whitmer is the author of the novel Pike and a lifelong country music fan. He lives and writes in Denver.

"One of the most important and illuminating memoirs ever written by a country singer." -- Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal "I think I've already found my favorite book of 2012." -- Chris Talbott, Associated Press "Satan Is Real has the best-designed book cover of 2012 ." -- Paper Magazine "The anecdotes alone offer significance to any person interested in the anthropology of Americana music. Magnanimous without feigning and brusque without malice, Charlie Louvin's clear-eyed commentary is straightforward and unapologetic." -- Oxford American "Masterful graceful." -- Alec Solomita, Wall Street Journal "Raw honesty, genuine grit, common sense, and smokin' down-home flavor." -- Publishers Weekly "A real classic of Americana." -- Booklist "The mix of light and darkness that filled their music was mirrored in their lives." -- Ian Crouch, The New Yorker "[A] chilling portrait of a brilliant musician intent on self-annihilation." -- Kirkus "Grand themes of life, death, religion, salvation, damnation, human choices and, sometimes, joy." -- Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times "Simple and plain-spoken, yet powerful and resonant." -- Daily Journal "There was something scary and washed in the blood about the sound of the Louvin Brothers." -- Emmylou Harris "Charlie...was a true punk, in the best sense of the word." -- Lucinda Williams "You can't find anybody, I don't think, that was not inspired by them." -- Vince Gill "They influenced everybody." -- Phil Everly "The Burritos' favorite artists." -- Gram Parsons "The Louvin Brothers were my favorite when I was young and growing up in the business." -- Dolly Parton "Probably the greatest traditional country duo in history." -- Grove Dictionary of American Music "The most influential harmony team in the history of country music." -- Los Angeles Times "One of the pre-eminent brother acts in country music and an inspiration to several generations of rock musicians." -- New York Times