Don Everly, one half of The Everly Brothers, passed away last night in Nashville. No cause of death was released. He was 84. His younger brother, Phil, died in January 2014.
Between 1957 and 1962, The Everly Brothers scored 15 Top 10 hits including "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have To Do is Dream" and "Cathy's Clown". Other memorable hits include "Bye Bye Love", "Bird Dog" and ""(Till) I Kissed You". Born in Kentucky, their songs were also popular on the country charts.
A profound influence on The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees and Simon & Garfunkel, the Everlys were part of the inaugural class inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
Sadly, behind all the success, existed considerable tension between the two brothers. The two were estranged for most of the 1970's and when they did reunite after a decade hiatus they generally toured with separate dressing rooms and only met onstage where harmony could be found. Their temperaments were very different with Don being very gregarious and Phil being far more reserved. The same was true with their politics. Phil was a staunch Republican while Don supported Democrats including Hillary Clinton whom he publicly endorsed in January 2016. Don Everly indicated he was only comfortable endorsing a political candidate after his brother's death so as not to put a further strain on their relationship.
Whatever their disagreements they remained in sync musically. A few years back, I saw the Everly Brothers on the Christmas edition of The Johnny Cash Show where they were joined by their father Ike who was also a skilled guitar player his own right. Indeed, Don Everly's first name was Ike. Here they are going back to their Appalachian musical roots. R.I.P.
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