Tragic Songs of Life

Having previously recorded one single for Apollo Records and a series of sides for Decca, the Louvins signed with Capitol Records in 1952. They recorded over ten singles for Capitol, with the earliest all Gospel songs, before "When I Stop Dreaming" became their first secular release in 1955. Tragic Songs of Life was their Capitol debut,[3] and served as somewhat of a concept album, drawing heavily on artists they admired such as Bill Monroe, The Monroe Brothers, The Blue Sky Boys, and The Callahan Brothers.[2][4] The majority of the songs are tragic heartbreak and misfortune songs and classic murder ballads.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
No Depression	(A)[2]

Mark Deming stated in his Allmusic review "...this is a landmark of traditional country music that remains powerful more than fifty years after it was recorded."[1] Don Yates of No Depression magazine singled out the Louvins' version of “In The Pines” writing "It’s perhaps their most powerful rendering of traditional folk music’s bleak vision of a dark and forlorn land, where love is absent and death is the only certainty. It’s the centerpiece of what is arguably the Louvins' finest album."[2] The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[3]

• In 1992, all of the tracks from Tragic Songs of Life were included in the Close Harmony 8-CD box set issued by Bear Family Records.
• Tragic Songs of Life was reissued on CD by Capitol in 1996.
• Tragic Songs of Life was reissued on CD by Raven records in 2007 along with Satan Is Real. Four bonus tracks were included.[5]

1. "Kentucky" (Karl Davis) – 2:40
2. "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" (A. P. Carter) – 3:14
3. "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" (Traditional) – 2:55
4. "What Is Home Without Love" (Traditional) – 3:00
5. "A Tiny Broken Heart" (Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin, Eddie Hill) – 2:34
6. "In the Pines" (Traditional, Alan Riggs) – 3:15
7. "Alabama" (C. Louvin, I. Louvin, Hill) – 2:43
8. "Katie Dear" (William Bolick) – 2:34
9. "My Brother's Will" (Ken Nelson) – 3:16
10. "Knoxville Girl" (Traditional) – 3:49
11. "Take the News to Mother" (Walter "Joe" Callahan, Homer "Bill" Callahan, W. R. Caloway) – 2:48
12. "Mary of the Wild Moor" (Traditional, Dennis Turner) – 3:11

• Charlie Louvin – vocals, guitar
• Ira Louvin – vocals, mandolin
• Paul Yandell – guitar

Production notes:

• Ken Nelson – producer
• John Johnson – reissue producer

• Rabin, Nathan. The Louvin Brothers’ tragic songs of Satan’s realness Retrieved January 23, 2010.
• Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers interview with co-author