nero my god to thee...

 being raised in anhy church always leaves an indelible mark.

for me it was the music. blessed assurance, onward christian soldiers, stand up for jesus.

looking back now the other mark  was when a band of the US Navy or it might have been US Marines ame to our town and  played to all the kids who had been rounded up to fill The STADIUM. Those guys knocked it out.

Lately though it has been the Louvin Brothers  version of Nearer My God To Thee. A truly remarkable piece of  country gospel close harmony singing vocals backed with a dynamic driving mandolin from Ira the  elder of the the two Louvin brothers ranked no 4 in Rolling Stones top twenty vocal duos.

As usual in country music the gifted ones are also wild and he was too. He took it to the edge and died young in a car crash. I heard the wreck on the highway.

The louvins were actually Loudermilks, cousins to the great John D. Loudermilk but their agent told them to change their name. Short and sweet and on the cover of a whole bunch of some of the finest singing you will hear anywhere anytime anyplace. 

The song is in 3/4 time in the key of E with a unique metre. tricky stuff hehehe.

I do have another vocal version by Jo Stafford and Kenneth Mckellar but it is not a s finely tuned as the brothers exquisitely crafted version

I Like The Christian Life is another fine louvin compostion  featured on the  nifty Byrds album Sweethearts Of The Rodeo. Gotta watch them metres.

Ira and Charlie Louvin