As a music writer, I have discovered one invariable constant when interviewing artists, whether they come from country, blues, Tejano or pop.
Musicians HATE touring.
For every one performer who loves the open road, there are forty more who despise the long hours it takes to get from one place to another, dealing with high gas prices by car and pain-in-the-backside security measures by plane.
It kind of makes you wonder why the hell 79-year-old Charlie Louvin is hitting the road with a new album after flying under the radar for more than a decade.
Charlie and his older brother Ira made a monumental impact on country music during the 1950s, creating classic country-songs that have since been covered by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Uncle Tupelo and the Raconteurs.
He has been on his own since 1963 after he and Ira separated due to creative differences. Ira died two years later in a car crash in Missouri.
They were both inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Louvin may be in his twilight years, but he has just released a new self-titled collaboration album that is looking to attract that eclectic, music-loving college crowd.
Artists joining Louvin on the release — a collection of classic hits by the Delmore Brothers, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers — include George Jones, Jeff Tweedy, Tom T. Hall, Elvis Costello, Will Oldham and Tift Merritt.
Louvin plays Nimbus Tuesday (April 17). The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $7. Nimbus is located in the middle of nowhere, 3850 E. 44th Street.
In a recent phone interview from Seattle, we got Louvin’s take on….
His last stop through Tucson: “The last time we came through Tucson the air conditioner went out on our bus. I think it was about 115 degrees outside. You’d figure we could just open the windows but when we did it was like opening an oven door. The wind was horrible. It was deathly hot.
His longevity in the business: “I never was a doper. I’m also a non-drinker. I am just blessed with good health. I’ve been given the opportunity to do this again. It’s hell to start over at almost 80 but I’ve been given this chance. If I don’t get out there and make an effort, give it my best, that just means I am lazy.
His evening plans: “We are cooling our heels for once. I did a radio interview earlier today and was invited to a bluegrass jam session. I don’t think we will do it. I don’t know how far it is. Somebody says they’ll drive us there but nobody said they would drive us back. We would drive ourselves but we are traveling by bus. A bus is hard to get rid of. I think we’ll just stay in tonight.”
His self-titled release: “We were hoping college radio would pick up on it and so far we’ve had scary luck. Several years ago I cut a CD for some guy out of Miami. We called it “50 Years of Making Music” and I had Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker on it. I had someone for every song. But because it didn’t have the distribution, nobody knew it. This one has distribution.
“It is a light-hearted project. We had the right on the contract to artistically agree or disagree with the songs. I was a Carter Family fan from way back yonder. I also liked the Delmore Brothers and Jimmie Rodgers. All the songs were familiar to me and the boss man thought it would be good to work them toward college kids.
“I’ve always admired Tom T. Hall. I’ve enjoyed Bobby Bare a long time too and I’ve known Possum Jones since before he had any records. All of them are good in their fields but some are different then what I am used to. It was a learning process for me.”
George Jones: “The Possum has been a friend of mine for at least 50 years. I went down to his house and asked him if he would be on my record and he told me to name the place and the time. He drove down and I watched him get with it. He has been and still is a very successful artist. I knew him when he was making $50 a day and today he is making $50,000.”
Retirement: “I am going to keep going as long as I can sing on key. When I can’t do that anymore, then I’ll quit. I’ve been lucky. I always sing very close if not right on. I can still do that. I sing my songs in the same way I recorded them way back yonder.”
