The Everly Brothers - Legacy

Legacy

The Everly Brothers had 35 Billboard Top 100 singles, 26 in the top 40. They hold the record for the most Top 100 singles by any duo, and trail only Hall & Oates for the most Top 40 singles by a duo.

In the UK The Everly Brothers had 30 chart singles, 29 in the top 40, 13 top 10 and 4 at No. 1 between 1957 and 1984. They have had 12 top 40 albums, between 1960 and 2009.

In 1986 the Everlys were among the first 10 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During the ceremony, they were introduced by Neil Young, who observed that every musical group he belonged to had tried and failed to copy the Everly Brothers' harmonies. That year on July 5, the Everlys returned to their boyhood home of Shenandoah to a crowd of 8,500 for a concert, parade, street dedication, class reunion and other activities. Concert fees were donated to The Everly Family Scholarship Fund which gives scholarships to middle and high school students in Shenandoah every year.

In 1997 the brothers were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004. Their pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The Everly Brothers have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Everly Brothers No. 33 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Times. They are also No. 43 on the list of UK Best selling singles artists of all time.

They were also songwriters, penning "Till I Kissed You" (Don), "Cathy's Clown" (Don and Phil), and "When Will I Be Loved" (Phil). "Cathy's Clown" and "When Will I Be Loved" later became hits for Reba McEntire and Linda Ronstadt, respectively; (for the latter, the Everly Brothers sang the chorus). Also, the Norwegian band a-ha covered "Crying In The Rain" in 1990 for their fourth album, East of The Sun, West of The Moon.

The Bee Gees acknowledged that they would sing in the style of the Everlys and then add a third harmony. This is evident on the Bee Gees' 1967 hit, "New York Mining Disaster 1941."

Paul McCartney paid tribute by mentioning "Phil and Don" in his 1976 million-seller, "Let 'Em In."

They still perform occasionally, despite having declared their retirement. They joined Simon & Garfunkel as the featured act in Simon and Garfunkel's Old Friends reunion tour of 2003 and 2004. As a tribute to the Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel opened their own show and had the Everlys come out in the middle. The live album of the tour Old Friends: Live on Stage contains Simon and Garfunkel discussing the Everlys' influence on their career, and features all four performers joining in on "Bye Bye Love" (The subsequent DVD features two extra solo performances by the Everlys). For Paul Simon, it was not the first time he had performed with his heroes. In 1986, The Everlys sang background vocals on the title track of Simon's album Graceland.

On Labor Day Weekend 1988, Central City Kentucky began The Everly Brothers Homecoming event to raise money for a scholarship fund for Muhlenberg County students. The Homecoming became a popular annual event for fourteen years, ending in 2002. Don and Phil toured the United Kingdom in 2005 and Phil appeared in 2007 on recordings with Vince Gill and Bill Medley. Also in 2007, country singer Alison Krauss and former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant released "Raising Sand" which included a cover of the 1964 hit single, "Gone, Gone, Gone" produced by T-Bone Burnett.

Don Everly's daughter, Erin Everly, was briefly married to the front man of Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose.

Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis named his son, Everly, after the members of the band.

Throughout the 1950s, The Everly Brothers used Gibson J-200 guitars, some with dual white pickguards. In 1962, Gibson Guitar Corporation collaborated with the brothers to produce the Gibson Everly Brothers Flattop, a signature acoustic guitar.

Today, Phil Everly is involved with his own musical instrument accessories company. Everly Music Company produces products designed by Phil and Jason Everly, Phil's eldest son, for guitar and bass.

The late singer and songwriter Elliott Smith made reference to the song "Cathy's Clown" in his "Waltz No. 2":

The Beatles based the vocal arrangement of "Please Please Me" upon "Cathy's Clown".

Keith Richards called Don Everly "one of the finest rhythm players."

Jack White, and The Raconteurs, featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe, in their acoustic version of "Old Enough," reference "Wake Up Little Susie" in a portion of the bridge.