With the passing of Charlie Louvin, the world has lost more than a musical pioneer and gifted showman; we have lost one of the kindest souls I’ve had the pleasure to have known. Everyone who knew Charlie knew what a giving man he was, but when you put all of the personal stories together, it adds up to far beyond what one might have imagined.

He had even gone as far as borrowing money from the bank to lend to a friend in need. Charlie was at any benefit, that he was asked to perform at,for friend or stranger; even when it cost him a paying gig, which it often did.

When a friend of his was unable to put food on the table, Charlie was by every week with groceries for this man’s family. He mowed many a lawn for bereaved families that had recently lost a loved one.

He believed in helping in small ways whenever he had the opportunity. He was always collecting soda tabs for Ronald McDonald house wherever he was, though it meant picking through garbage to get to them many times. He was a very humble man who was true to his roots in both music and life. And he was a man of his word; a hand-shake meant as much to him as a signed contract.

Charlie stuck to his guns throughout his career; this choice did not always make him the most popular singer in the industry. He was a Legend in his own time, even though this means little to the Country Music coats and ties of today, who appreciate a quick buck much more than talent.

Charlie was a warm-hearted fellow who was always quick with a joke. He was a great storyteller. This man had a great love for life and kept his sense of humor to the end. Charlie’s warm smile will be greatly missed, as will his continued musical contributions. He was called to be a man of music, but he always left room to be a man of God.