Song:Hoping That You're Hoping
Album:When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of the Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers are country gospel pioneers known for their close harmonies. They scored a total of six top ten hits in the 50s including the 1956 single Hoping That You're Hoping. Charlie and Ira Loudermilk were from Henegar, AL. Their cousin is legendary songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Ira played mandolin and Charlie played guitar. Their biggest musical influence was probably The Delmore Brothers. They grew up singing in church. They started performing in the early 40s. This was interrupted when Charlie was in the service during WWII. When he returned, they started calling themselves The Louvin Brothers. They thought it was a better stage name. They recorded a single for Decca in 1949. And then they recorded several singles for MGM. They signed with Capitol in 1953. But again Charlie was in the service during the Korean War. After he returned, Capitol producer Ken Nelson convinced them to record secular music and appear at the Grand Ole Opry. He told them the sponsor was a tobacco company and "you can't sell tobacco with gospel music". Their single When I Stopped Dreaming reached #8 on the Country Singles chart. This was followed by I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby which was their only #1 hit. Hoping That You're Hoping was the third single. It reached #7. And that was followed by three more top ten hits. But the rise of Rock 'n' Roll hurt them in the late 50s. Capitol wanted them to sound like The Everly Brothers. They continued to record for Capitol in the early 60s. Also, Ira's heavy drinking became a big problem. And that was the main reason The Louvin Brothers split up in 1963. This comp from Razor & Tie is a good intro to their music. Ira Louvin died on June 20, 1965 at age 41 when a drunk driver struck his car. Charlie Louvin continued to perform and record for Capitol. He scored three top ten country hits in the late 60s. After he left Capitol in 1972, Charlie recorded sporadically. But he continued to appear regularly on the Grand Ole Opry. After Charlie was diagnosed with cancer, he appeared with his son Sonny Louvin on RFD-TV's The Marty Stuart Show. He died on Jan. 26, 2011 at age 83. The show aired on Jan. 29, 2011 with a dedication. Here's The Louvin Brothers performing Hoping That You're Hoping on the Grand Ole Opry TV show July 21, 1956.
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