Bye Bye Love

Sad to learn this weekend of the passing of Phil Everly, who (along with his brother Don) made up one half of the legendary singing duo The Everly Brothers. One of the first popular groups to meld country, folk and r&b (thus ushering in the sound of rock and roll), the brothers released several classic hits and albums during the 1950s and 1960s, and went on to influence countless generations of musicians in the years to come.

It was during my second year of college that I got my first taste of working in radio/broadcasting, scoring an internship at WKLX in my hometown of Rochester, New York—I was thrilled! My job was to call listeners and get feedback on songs that the oldies station had in their musical library. I was already a big fan of the Beatles, but playing snippets of all these songs from the 1950s and 1960s served as quite the musical education. 

I suddenly became obsessed with such artists as Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers— the latter, in particular, had such beautiful harmonies (Phil generally taking the highs, and Don the lower range) and guitar work, and their music was an interesting blend of upbeat rhythms and darker themes (think "Bye Bye Love," "All I have To Do Is Dream," "Wake Up Little Susie"). The following year my respect for the Everlys grew even more, when A-ha covered their introspective 1962 hit, "Crying in the Rain"—it turns out that Phil and Don Everly influenced many of my all-time favorite acts, including The Beatles, 

A-ha, and Simon & Garfunkel (you could certainly hear it in the latter).

The Everly Brothers join Simon & Garfunkel onstage at the Pepsi Arena,
Albany, New York, June 10, 2004. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.

In terms of music, 2004 was a big year for me: I began hosting the TV show "Berkshire Soundstage" and attended several memorable concerts (I called it "research"). One of the absolute highlights was getting the chance to see Simon & Garfunkel's "Old Friends" tour in Albany, New York, which included a set from the duo's own heroes, The Everly Brothers. I remember being quite impressed by their stripped-down set, and those gorgeous harmonies, still intact all those years later... I believe their brief performance actually outshone Paul and Art's that night!

Prior to Phil Everly's death, I had actually been thinking quite a bit about the legacy of his group —2013 saw the release of two strong tribute albums of the Everly Brothers' music ("What The Brothers Sang" by Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie Prince Billy; and "Foreverly" by Norah Jones and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong), and the sheer perfection of their arrangements captured my attention once again. In addition, my growing awareness of the Appalachian folk music traditions, which the Everlys combined into their sound, has made me appreciate their work even more. 

There is obviously something to the fact that such artists as Paul Simon and Graham Nash talk about the Everly Brothers' influence, or that their work would be covered so reverently by artists such as Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (on their beautiful album, "Raising Sand") or A-ha (who played original guitars gifted by the brothers on their final tour): "gone, gone, gone," but surely never to be forgotten.

Related Links:

everlybrothers.net

"Phil Everly, Half of a Pioneer Rock Duo That Inspired Generations, Dies at 74," New York Times, January 4, 2014

"Phil Everly Dies; Transformed Rock 'N' Roll With Brother Don," NPR, January 4, 2014

"Serendipitously Intertwined" (statement from A-ha about Phil Everly's death), January 4, 2014, www.a-ha.com

"10 Great Covers of Everly Brothers Songs," USA Today, January 3, 2014


"Phil Everly, Everly Brothers Vocal Legend, Dead at 74," Rolling Stone, January 3, 2014