Brothers helped shape rock ’n’ roll
Don Everly, whose soaring harmonies and aggressive rhythm guitar work as part of the Everly Brothers duo with his younger brother, Phil, influenced generations of rock performers, died Saturday at his home in Nashville. He was 84.
The musical harmony of the Everly Brothers, could be heard in many acts that followed them, including the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Hollies. At their peak, the brothers nearly rivalled Elvis Presley in commercial power.
Their first million-seller, Bye Bye Love (1957), a bouncy synthesis of country and rock buoyed by four guitars, made them one of the top acts in the country and led to appearances on variety programs
They had 31 records in the Billboard Hot 100, with 12 in the top 10.
Don wrote some of their most popular songs, among them (’Til) I Kissed You (1959), Cathy’s Clown (1960) and So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) (1960). Phil’s compositions included When Will I Be Loved (1960).
The brothers benefited from a relationship with the Nashville husband-and-wife songwriting team of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. The Bryants’ lyrics for songs such as All I Have to Do Is Dream, Bird Dog and Wake Up Little Susie captured the longing and drama of teenage love without trivializing it. They also covered rhythm-andblues songs such as Little Richard’s Lucille and Ray Charles’s This Little Girl of Mine in their country vocal style.
The duo charted only sporadically after 1962. They quarrelled with their publishing and management company, Acuff-rose, a move that restricted their access to new songs from the Bryants.
Everly, addicted to uppers and downers, twice attempted to kill himself with an overdose during an English tour in 1962.
The brothers’ personal relationship was less harmonious than their music. Their relentless performing over 30 years magnified their sibling rivalry and simmering resentments. They endured long periods when they sang together but wouldn’t talk to each other.
They also fractured on politics, with Phil a conservative and Don a liberal.