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Living Legend to play next MOTS

Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin will perform in the Music on the Square Winter Concert Series November 14 at 7:30 p.m. MOTS' winter concerts are held in the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the Visitors Center or charged by phone at 423-753-1010. Seating is limited! Call for reservations now!

The magical harmonies and depth of feeling found on Louvin Brothers recordings of the 50s and 60s inspired a new generation of musicians, firmly establishing the Louvins' stature as one of the most influential duos in country music history.

In 2006, the Tompkins Square label reached out to Charlie about making his first new studio album in over 10 years. Guests on the album include Elvis Costello, George Jones, Jeff Tweedy, Will Oldham, Tom T. Hall, Tift Merritt, Marty Stuart, Bobby Bare Sr., David Kilgour, members of Bright Eyes, Lambchop, Clem Snide, Superchunk and more.

Charlie was born July 7, 1927 in Henager, Alabama. He and his older brother Ira worked as field hands on the family farm. In the evening, they would listen to the country hits of the day on their father's Victrola. Inspired by the tight-harmony duets of The Delmore Brothers, Monroe Brothers and Blue Sky Boys, the brothers began developing a distinctive style called "shape note singing" based on gospel harmonies they had learned in church.

The duo nailed down steady work in the 40s on local radio stations in Knoxville and Memphis. They also toured heavily in Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee during this period. On one swing through Dyess, Arkansas, Charlie remembers an encounter with a teenager named Johnny Cash. "We were playing with Eddie Hill. I was selling tickets and I saw this young man standing outside alone. I asked him to show me where the bathroom was. As we walked back, he noticed I had two soda crackers in my shirt pocket. He asked me why, and I said, 'To keep from starving to death.' I invited him in to the show I could tell he didn't have any money. Years later in his book (Man In Black, 1975), he said he always ate two soda crackers before he went on stage."

The Louvins scored their first record deal with Apollo in 1947, released a single on Decca in 1949, and recorded 12 sides for MGM in 1951 and 1952. One of those sessions took place with Hank Williams waiting outside for his turn in the studio. Their recording and performing schedule was sporadic due to Charlie's military service during the Korean War. Upon his return to the States, they began recording for Capitol Records, which remained their label home until the brothers parted ways in 1963.

Marking a shift from gospel to secular material, the Louvins scored their commercial breakthrough in 1955 with the top ten hit "When I Stop Dreaming." They toured in early 1955 with soon-to-be superstar Elvis Presley as their opening act, and became members of the Grand Ole Opry. From 1955 through 1962, the Louvin Brothers churned out 12 hits on the Billboard country chart, including "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby," "You're Running Wild," "Cash On The Barrelhead" and "Knoxville Girl."

Although the Louvins hit machine had slowed by the early 60s, they instead created a string of themed albums, cult favorites that still resonate with today's alt-country audience, including A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers and Satan Is Real. By 1963, with a shifting marketplace and interpersonal tensions mounting, the Louvin Brothers parted ways. Ira released his lone solo album, The Unforgettable Ira Louvin, in 1964. He died in a car crash in Missouri on June 20, 1965.

Charlie's solo career began in 1964 with the top five hit "I Don't Love You Anymore," and he followed it with six Billboard-charting singles from 12 Capitol LPs. By the late 60s, a renewed interest in the music of the Louvin Brothers began to take shape.

The Louvins' continued legacy is at least partly attributed to Gram Parsons, who, according to legend, paid people to scour LA record shops looking for their out-of-print sides. His versions of Louvins classics "The Christian Life" from the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, or "Cash on the Barrelhead" from Grevious Angel, serve as the blueprint for so much "alt-country" that was to follow. Emmylou Harris' first hit was the Louvins' "If I Could Only Win Your Love." Uncle Tupelo covered "Great Atomic Power" on their third album, March 16-20, 1992. "The Christian Life" has been worked into The Raconteurs' live set recently.

The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2001. In 2003, Charlie was invited to open on a national tour with Cheap Trick and Cake. That year also saw the release of Livin', Lovin' Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers on Universal South, a Louvin Brothers tribute album featuring James Taylor, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash among others. The collection went on to win two Grammy Awards in 2004. Charlie embarked on a national tour with his band in 2007, including special appearances to celebrate his 80th birthday (July 7th, 2007).

Wylie & The Wild West Opens MOTS Winter Series!

Music on the Square's Winter Concert Series begins Thursday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. with a blend of Western swing, classic country, cowboy and folk by acclaimed cowboy band Wylie & The Wild West. MOTS' winter concerts are held in the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the Visitors Center or charged by phone at 423-753-1010. Seating is limited! Call for reservations now!

Other performers scheduled to perform during the MOTS Winter Concert Series include: The Charlie Louvin Band on November 14, 2008; Mary Gauthier on February 27, 2009; The Music of Coal, Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields, featuring Darrell Scott on March 20, 2009 and East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass Program Benefit Show on April 10, 2009. All tickets are available now. Make your reservations now.

Acclaimed Cowboy Band Opens MOTS Winter Series

Music on the Square's Winter Concert Series begins Thursday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. with the acclaimed cowboy band Wylie & The Wild West. MOTS' winter concerts are held in the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone Street. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the Visitors Center or charged by phone at 423-753-1010. Seating is limited! Call for reservations now!

Wylie Gustafson's blend of Western swing, classic country, cowboy and folk– served up with a healthy helping of his infectious energy–gets the crowd moving every time. No less authority than Billboard Magazine declared, "When Wylie & The Wild West play, folks get up and dance!" From festivals to state fairs, bars to barn dances, it rings true.

When asked to define his music, Wylie states, "We are a good-time cowboy band. The young urban crowds in Seattle appreciate us as much as working cowboys. Our music is not limited to one type of listener."

Keeping his home base near Dusty, Washington (population 11), Wylie's dynamic stage presence keeps getting him invited back to venues year after year. He has appeared on the Grand Ol Opry more than 50 times. The band has performed at such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the National Folk Festival, Merlefest, A Prairie Home Companion, the Bumbershoot Festival and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada.

Wylie & The Wild West were honored by the Academy of Western Artists and the Western Music Association with awards for the 2005 Group of the Year, 2004 and 2005 Yodeler of the Year, and 2006 Best Western Swing Album. Their music is in regular rotation on the world's most-listened-to satellite radio station, Willie's Place–XM Radio Channel 13, with more than 3 million listeners.

"Obviously Wylie makes phenomenal music," Chris Tahti, director of the Minnesota State Fair, says. "But he's not just a good recording artist, he's a great performing artist. People plan to be here to see him. The best part of his performance is the reactions of people who don't know who he is. They walk by, and he pulls them into the seats. He's a magnet," Tahti beams. "Not only does he draw a crowd, he keeps them there."

With the twelfth release of his career, Bucking Horse Moon, and his ever-increasing media profile (feature spreads in everything from The Seattle Times to Western Horseman), Wylie & The Wild West are bringing their rollicking sound to new audiences the world over.

In April 2008, Wylie appeared on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien promoting his instructional book and CD, How to Yodel: Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils, published by Gibbs-Smith. That was Wylie's famous Ya-hoo-ooo! you heard in the Yahoo.com advertising campaign.

All of Wylie's music is dashed off with a hardy dose of trail dust. For him, his Western lifestyle and the recording studio are inseparable. Wylie is an accomplished cutting horse enthusiast who was the 2005 NCHA Western National Finals Champion. That shiny belt buckle he wears wasn't won on eBay. He and his wife Kimberley actively operate one of the Northwest's premier cow horse training facilities: www.crossthreequarterhorses.com.

In this era of prepackaged superstars–of pale imitations of country music being pushed onto the public by faceless media giants–the music of Wylie & The Wild West is a beacon of truth and honest beauty. "In our music and our presence," Gustafson explains, "we try to be ourselves." By being himself, Gustafson has become one of the most exciting and endearing acts in contemporary music: country, Western, folk or otherwise.

The Wild West includes Ray Doyle: guitar, baritone guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals; T. Scot Wilburn: guitar, fiddle and steel; Rick Bryceson: drums.

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Doyle followed his family to America as a youngster. He has become a student and stalwart of the California country music scene and joined the Wild West Show in 1991. Doyle is the band leader and musical anchor. Wilburn is a native Montanan. His father played in the 40s and 50s with the famous Northwest combo, The Snake River Outlaws. Wilburn was brought up with the backdrop of Montana's beauty and Western music as his living soundtrack. He joined The Wild West in 2001. A Spokane, Washington native, Bryceson is well known on the city's music scene. Having played with a variety of bands through the years, including a stint in San Francisco, he is well-versed in a variety of musical styles ranging from salsa to jazz to big band. He started playing with The Wild West in December 2007.

Other performers scheduled to perform during the MOTS Winter Concert Series include: The Charlie Louvin Band on November 14, 2008; Mary Gauthier on February 27, 2009; The Music of Coal, Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields, featuring Darrell Scott on March 20, 2009 and East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass Program Benefit Show on April 10, 2009.