James Taylor, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell and others will take on songs written or popularized by the Louvin Brothers on Livin', Lovin', Losin', a tribute album to the popular bluegrass duo due September 30th.

The Louvin sibs -- Ira and Charlie -- were born in Alabama in the mid-Twenties, began performing in the early Forties and enjoyed a string of hit singles in the late Fifties and early Sixties, before rock & roll pushed country and bluegrass out of mass favor. The duo's high harmonies and fire-and-brimstone lyrics made them stand out among various familial bluegrass ensembles, perhaps in the most iconic fashion on their 1960 album, Satan Is Real, which featured the brothers, arms outstretched, before a plywood Satan and a pile of burning coals.

While the Louvins' trademarks have gone in and out of country vogue over the past four decades, traditionalists like Harris and Parton were always reliable champions for their music, as was Charlie Louvin, who continued to perform after his brother's death in a car accident in 1965 (the brothers had dissolved their partnership a year earlier).

Livin', Lovin', Losin' shows the brothers' cross-genre appeal, bringing in a handful of pop artists -- Taylor works up "How's the World Treating You" with Alison Krauss, and Rondstadt sings "New Partner's Waltz" with Carl Smith -- in addition to a multi-generational collection of country and bluegrass stars, including Haggard, Del McCoury, Marty Stuart, Rodney Crowell, Pam Tillis, Vince Gill and others.

True to the Louvins' original format, each song features a pair of vocalists. Though a few additional tracks are expected to be added, the thirteen cuts confirmed so far tend to dig a bit deeper into the Louvin catalogue, leaning more towards songs the brothers wrote than some of their popular covers. The collection is being produced by bluegrass vet Carl Jackson, who played with Jim and Jesse as a teen, before moving on to Campbell's band and eventually a solo career.

The Livin', Lovin', Losin' track listing:

"Cash on the Barrel Head," Joe Nichols, Rhonda Vincent
"My Baby's Gone," Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell
"I Can't Keep You in Love With Me," Vince Gill, Terri Clark
"Are You Teasing Me," Patty Loveless, Jon Randall
"Keep Your Eyes on Jesus," Pam Tillis, Johnny Cash, the Jordanaires
"The Angels Rejoiced," Dolly Parton, Sonya Isaacs
"New Partner's Waltz," Linda Rondstadt, Carl Jackson
"You're Running Wild," Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley
"I Wish You Knew," Kathy Louvin, Pamela Brown Hayes
"How's the World Treating You," James Taylor, Alison Krauss
"Must You Throw Dirt on My Face," Merle Haggard, Carl Jackson
"When I Stop Dreaming," Glen Campbell, Leslie Satcher
"Let Us Travel (Travel On)," Marty Stuart, Del McCoury

ANDREW DANSBY
(June 30, 2003)