Watch Phil and his brother sing one of their hits “Wake Up Little Susie” in 1957
Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers music group passed away at the age of 74 years-old on Friday in Burbank California. According to AP, his death was due to complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after smoking most of his life. We remember him for his music with his brother Don.
So many hits, from “Wake Up Little Susie” to “Bye Bye Love,” “Cathy’s Clown,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “When Will I Be Loved?” These songs were written by Phil Everly and became chart toppers in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their music was loved by country, pop and even R&B listeners because of their clean-cut vocals, the rockabilly strum and twang of their guitars.
Even the Beatles, Linda Ronstadt and Simon and Garfunkel looked up to Phil and his brother as music role models.
The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Phil and his brother will always be known for their harmonies. In an interview in November, Phil Everly said: “We’d grown up together, so we’d pronounce the words the same, with the same accent. All of that comes into play when you’re singing in harmony.”
Paul Simon, whose song “Graceland” includes vocals by Phil and Don Everly, said in an email on Saturday morning: “Phil and Don were the most beautiful sounding duo I ever heard. Both voices pristine and soulful. The Everlys were there at the crossroads of country and R&B. They witnessed and were part of the birth of rock and roll.”
