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It was announced that Don Everly, the last surviving member of the Everly Brothers, died at his Nashville home on Saturday at the age of 84. A representative for the singer confirmed his death to the Los Angeles Times, and at present no cause of death has been disclosed.
In a statement to Times the family shared, “Don lived by what he felt in his heart. Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live out his dreams… with his soul mate and wife, Adela, and to share the music that made him an Everly Brother.
Don, along with his younger brother Phil, as the Everly Brothers harmonizer, were pioneers in the rock ‘n roll genre, but their sound and contributions were felt far beyond a single genre. The sister group were part of the inaugural class inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, alongside Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and now the last surviving member of the class, Jerry Lee Lewis. The Grammys recognized the importance and success of the brothers’ careers, presenting them with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. It was later, in 2001, that the Everly Brothers also took their place in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
As CMHOF writes, “In purely commercial terms, the Everly Brothers were one of the most successful groups in popular music between 1957 and 1962. Only Elvis Presley, Pat Boone and perhaps Rick Nelson surpassed them. . “
With a catalog of hits like “Wake Up Little Susie”, “All I Have To Do Is Dream” and “Bye Bye Love”, the harmonizing brothers, Don and Phil Everly, have become influences for just about every vocal group. who have tried harmonies. Perhaps these were the words of Paul Simon in a 2004 essay for Rolling stone who said it best, “The impact of the Everly Brothers exceeds even their fame.”
And in a 2014 piece for CMT.com, Calvin Gilbert highlighted the impact of the Everly Brothers by sharing five songs that came to life after being covered by other artists.
“Goodbye love”: Simon & Garfunkel covered it on their album Bridge Over Troubled Water in 1970, and George Harrison revised some lyrics from the version he recorded on his Dark Horse album in 1974.
“Gone, gone, gone”: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss featured on their album Raising Sand in 2009.
“Let it be Me”: The song originated in France and had been recorded by others before the Everly Brothers tackled the English version. One of their flagship songs, it only reached 7th place on the Billboard 100 chart. Nonetheless, the vocal harmonies created by the brothers were used by others in several later releases. Among those who covered the song were Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson, Roberta Flack, Bob Dylan, Andy Williams, Sonny & Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Sam & Dave, Tom Jones and Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry.
“Love Hurts”: Roy Orbison, Cher, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Webb and Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris all recorded their versions of the song which first appeared on an Everly Brothers album in 1960. However, the best-known recording is probably the hard rock ballad version of the group Nazareth, which took them to the Top 10 in 1976,
“When will I be loved”: At the height of her success, Linda Ronstadt reached the Top 10 with her version of the song written by Phil.
Don Everly is survived by his mother, Margaret; his wife Adela; his son, Edan; and her daughters Venetia, Stacy and Erin.
