NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF/AP) — After decades in rock 'n' roll and crafting a unique sound in the genre, Don Everly -- of the Everly Brothers -- died in Nashville this weekend. He was 84.
The Country Music Hall of Fame announced his death on Sunday morning. The Hall of Fame inducted the Everly Brothers in 2001. He and his brother landed in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the 1980s. His brother, Phil Everly, died in January 2014.
“As a singer, a songwriter, and a guitar innovator, Don Everly was one of the most talented and impactful artists in popular music history," said Kyle Young, CEO of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "His influence reverberates through songs like ‘So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad),’ ‘I Wonder If I Care as Much,’ and ‘Cathy’s Clown,’ through open tunings and rhythmic sensibilities that helped give rise to Keith Richards and many others, and through the ethereal harmonies he conjured with his brother Phil.”
In the late 1950s and 1960s, the duo molded rock ‘n’ roll with their high, yearning harmony, while their poignant lyrics embodied teenage restlessness and energy. Their career spanned five decades, although they performed separately from 1973 to 1983. In their heyday between 1957 and 1962, they had 19 top 40 hits, including “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “Wake Up Little Susie."
