Travel Song Top Ten: Let Us Travel, Travel On (#4)

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Monday means PT. They’re making me a meth addict! (The medication they’re giving me is dexamethasone, a steroid that seems to work!) I’m going to travel today, which means another song with “travel” in the title. Another obvious entry..... #4: Let Us Travel, Travel On - Louvin Brothers But of course the Louvin Brothers would have to show up at some point in the countdown!!! I love harmony. These guys are why. I grew up on them, and to this day I cannot find any harmony that matches them. The Louvins started as a gospel duo on Capitol. I’ve told this story before, but I love repeating it because it’s hilarious and ironic given today’s “gotta sound like everything else” mentality. When the Louvin Brothers wanted to do secular music the record label told them they already had a brother duet playing guitar and mandolin, and they didn’t want any copycats. The Louvins hedged their bets and career on one song (“When I Stop Dreaming”). The Louvins ended up in the Country Music Hall of Fame, while that “other” brother duet — Jim & Jesse — went on to have a stellar bluegrass career but are basically afterthoughts in country. This is one of the early gospel tunes the Louvins recorded before the transition to “secular” country. It’s been covered numerous times, most recently by Marty Stuart. The harmonies shine brightly. Let Us Travel, Travel On Written by Ira and Charlie Louvin Recorded by the Louvin Brothers Released as a single, 1954 I’ll bid this world farewell: