The death last night of Phil Everly, the younger of the Everly Brothers duo, truly is the end of an era. The importance of their influence on the world of popular music is impossible to overstate. Pop, rock, folk and country music in general owe a huge debt to them and The Beach Boys and The Beatles in particular have both acknowledged the inspiration they received.
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| Phil Everly: Born January 19th 1939, died January 3rd 2014
Linda Ronstadt, said: "They had that sibling sound. The information of your DNA is carried in your voice, and you can get a sound with family that you never get with someone who's not blood-related to you. And they were both such good singers -- they were one of the foundations, one of the cornerstones of the new rock 'n' roll sound."
They had such perfect close harmony that their live performances were a delight. I saw them on stage several times, most notably their 'Reunion Concert' at The Royal Albert Hall in London in 1983. I was the only person in the audience whom I had never heard of; talk about star-studded! They retained their popularity much longer in the UK than in the USA and were frequent visitors here.
They spent their early years growing up in Shenandoah, Iowa where their parents had a musical show on the radio so Don and Phil started to learn their craft from an early age.
There are some relevant links at the end of this post.
The Everly Brothers with Buddy Holly
Their many hits include:
Bye Bye Love; All I Have to Do Is Dream; Wake Up Little Susie; Poor Jenny; Take a Message to Mary; Bird Dog; When Will I be Loved; 'Til I Kissed You; Let It Be Me; Like Strangers; Cathy's Clown; So It Was, So It Is, So It Always Will Be; So Sad/Lucille; Walk Right Back; That's Old-Fashioned; Ebony Eyes; Temptation; Don't Blame Me; Crying In The Rain; The Price of Love; No One Can Make My Sunshine Smile; On the Wings of a Nightingale. There are many more.....
Of course our loss is as nothing compared to that of Phil's family and friends. His brother Don was reported as being unable to speak about it. Although they had a famous ten-year split, Phil once said that they were closer than most brothers are. Their lack of ego and show-biz behaviour coupled with their homely charm says a lot about them.
Don and Phil.....thank you.
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10 comments:
When their music comes on the radio, I know all the words and sing along. They made beautiful harmony together.
Despite the objections of other family members, I too sing along with them!
Beautiful harmony indeed.
Very nice tribute. I enjoyed listening to their music when I was a kid.
Hi Sherry. Thank you; they seem to have been popular with all generations. My daughters have both been playing their music all day!
Hi bazza,
You brought back some memories of my youthful days with the articulate, thoughtful tribute to Phil Everly.
So many hits, so many reflections.
Gary
Hi Gary. It seems that even the younger generation enjoy their music too. But to us old-timers, as you say, memories of our 'youthful days' are involved.
So many fine songs, what a contribution to the music industry. A sad loss, but a good post.
Hi Bazza,
Sorry I haven't been around for a while, things have been a bit hectic, my wife has been in hospital and I have been trying to juggle two jobs as well as the normal Christmas things!
Anyway, enough of that. The Everly Brothers music is known by so many people, but I bet a lot of them don't realise who the songs are by when they hear them, they just hum or whistle, or even sing along! A sad day, but, a thoughtful tribute by yourself Bazza.
Thanks,
J
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AC: Thank you for that. My daughters both referred to this post on their Facebook pages and it's been seen about 200 times so far!
John: Hello there. Happy New Year to you. So sorry to learn that your wife has been unwell. I hope she is well now.
Certainly no need to apologise; it's always good to hear from you whenever you can visit here!
It's really amazing how popular the Everly Brothers are.
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