https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/02/sunday-morning-coming-down-87.phpSUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWNFor a change of pace and for the sheer pleasure of the thing, I would like to pay tribute to Don Everly on the occasion of his birthday yesterday; he turned 83. Younger brother Phil died at the age of 74 six years ago. In the Cosmic American Music the Everly Brothers have a constellation all to themselves. They brought the close harmony singing of traditional country music into the mainstream of American popular music. ...
More than a few great musicians learned close harmony singing by listening to their records. To take just one example, Paul McCartney acknowledged his debt to the Everlys in “Let ‘Em In.†Simon and Garfunkel learned harmony singing by imitating the Everlys’ records. And so on.
The Everly Brothers’ debut album on Cadence in 1958 remains a keeper. It was full of hits including several we all know as classics, most of them written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. I learn from Rachlis that the Bryants’ “Bye Bye Love†had been rejected by 30 acts before the Everlys rescued it for their hit — “ten days after its first release…eventually reaching the Number Two spot on the pop listings and Number One on the country charts.†...
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