Phil and Don Everly
Sad news. Phil Everly, one half of the iconic singing duo, The Everly Brothers has died after a long illness, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Phil Everly, who with his brother, Don, made up the most revered vocal duo of the rock-music era, their exquisite harmonies profoundly influencing the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and countless younger-generation rock, folk and country singers, died Friday in Burbank of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Patti Everly, told The Times. He was 74.
“We are absolutely heartbroken,” she said, noting that the disease was the result of a lifetime of cigarette smoking. “He fought long and hard.”
During the height of their popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s, they charted nearly three dozen hits on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, among them “Cathy’s Clown,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love,” “When Will I Be Loved” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream.” The Everly Brothers were among the first 10 performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it got off the ground in 1986.
The duo had a profound effect on many singing duos, including Simon and Garfunkle. And, their sound was an early harbinger of the country rock sound that would bloom in the 60s and 70s. Their harmonies were sublime. RIP Phil.
VIA the LA Times
All I Have to Dream/Cathy’s Clown
Wake up Little Susie
Let it Be Me – Live 1983 – Royal Albert Hall
Everly Brothers Country Music Hall of Fame Video
