We have lost another musical legend as Phil Everly passed away at the age of 74 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Everly was a heavy smoker in his life which attributed to his severe emphysema and bronchitis. He was one half of the Everly Brothers, who were one of the most popular acts of the 1950’s and one of the most unique at the time.
The duo mastered two part harmonies and perhaps better than anyone else did at the time combined the Country Sound with the new Rock and Roll style. This gave them a broader appeal than most of their contemporaries and they racked up hit after hit in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Their sweet sounding voices masked an edge that their lyrics had, which again, helped them increase their fan base.
Chart wise, the Everly Brothers had 35 top 40 Hits, including three number one songs (Wake Up, Little Susie, All I Have to Do Is Dream and Cathy’s Clown) with four going number one on the Country Charts and three hitting the top on the R&B Chart. The Everlys were one of the ten acts to go into the inaugural Class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and they became one of the rare cases where they also entered the Country Music Hall of Fame which occurred in 2005.
The Everly Brothers left behind a strong legacy which has labelled them one of the most influential acts of the 1950’s. This includes the Beatles, who launched the British Invasion and have openly stated that the harmonies of the Everlys had a huge impact on their music. There is a reason that John and Paul said that one of the names they toyed around with was “The Foreverly Brothers”. Ironically, they may have helped inspire the Invasion, but they were not able to succeed during that time, as along with most of the other acts from the 1950’s they were quickly replaced in the musical world of pop culture.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com offer our condolences to the friends and family of Phil Everly at this time. Now we are going to listen to some of their greatest hits.
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