The Everly Brothers were important to people who were forming musical taste in the 50s, but also have had retro popularity. The songs hold up and get covered regularly.
Phil Everly (74), the younger of the two harmony-singing brothers, The Everly Brothers, died today. He collapsed in Los Angeles, away from his home in Tennessee, and could not be revived. He suffered from COPD.
The Everly Brothers are the most important vocal duo in rock. The enduring influence of their close, expressive harmonies is evident in the work of British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Hollies, and of folk-oriented acts such as Simon and Garfunkel, not to mention countless solo artists, among them Dave Edmunds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt. Most of the Everlys’ hit singles — “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” — merged Nashville’s clean instrumental country style with innocuous teenage themes, and were smoother than other contemporary country-rock hybrids like rockabilly. Their mastery is revealed in their ballads, among them “Let It Be Me.”
In addition to many hit records, there was also songwriting credits. Rest in Peace, Phil. The world is a better place for having had your music in it.
Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recipients of a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Everlys were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.