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Stars Who Died In Tragic Accidents [TA] Continued
Billy Walker was scheduled to perform on Tuesday, May 23, 2006, on the Opry with Terri Clark, Cherryholmes, Restless Heart, Porter Wagoner and others.
Side note: Billy Walker was on the same gig with Patsy, Cowboy and Hawkshaw ... he was supposed to be on the plane that killed the three stars but he got an emergency phone call and had to take an earlier commercial plane so Hawkshaw took his place.
Our focus here is supposed to be Ira Louvin, yet, I found it nearly impossible to separate him out due to the fact Ira was dead within two years of the Louvin Brothers split. Charlie, however, went on to solid success ... six top 20 hits and numerous chart hits. What is well-known about Ira, he was a highly skilled tenor, an excellent mandolin player and a proficient songwriter. After the split, Ira recorded some fine songs ... Make Believe It's Me - Ira Louvin with wife Anne Louvin 1965, You're Looking For An Angel 1965, Life Is Too Short 1965...
According to Alabama State Troopers, Billy lost control of his 1996 Chevrolet Van at about 12:40 A.M. Sunday and ran off Interstate 65, near Ft. Deposit, Alabama, just south of Montgomery, and overturned.
The Accident
Billy Walker Car Crash continued: On May 21, 2006, an automobile accident took the lives of country music star Billy Walker and his wife Bettie along with band members Charles Lilly Junior and Daniel Patton Senior. Billy’s young grandson Joshua Walker survived the crash. On Saturday, May 21, 2006, the group performed a Saturday night gig at the Palm Lake Opry and RV Park in Foley, Alabama. They decided to make the late-night drive back to Nashville instead of staying in Alabama until morning.
for the breakup is not pertinent to this write-up. Both of the brothers went on to successful solo careers, Charlie much more so. They had 10 top 20 hits prior to the split ... I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby in 1956 was their only #1.
Mini Bio: Most if not all of you know of the Loudermilk Brothers, ummm, make that the Louvin Brothers ... they changed their surname due to Loudermilk being considered unmarketable at the time. Known for their superior harmony, the excellent Country, Bluegrass and Gospel duo had numerous hits, were members of the Grand Ole Opry and, of course, toured extensively. As were the previous artists, the Louvin Brothers were friends of Miss June. Charlie and Ira began their long career together in 1940 ... at the time, they were mostly Gospel. Truth is, Ira longed to be a Baptist minister, not a musician, but due to divorces, he was not allowed. Over time they had to trend over to secular music ... soon thereafter, they began charting. The successful brother act broke up in 1963 ... the reason
Ira Louvin
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Ira Louvin <> April 21, 1924 – June 20, 1965 <> Car Accident <> The Louvin Brothers were indicted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001
