EVERLY NEWS
If we
have Everly News that can not be properly categorized then you most likely will
read about it here. And whether it concerns interviews, fanclub days or even
stolen equipment be sure to read about it on this page first
!
As usual anything forwarded to our Mailbox is greatly appreciated. Make a fellow fan happy !
Updated: October 2010
13 november
2010
(english
version below !)
Terug naar de jaren '50 en
'60 !
Muziekcentrum Schaaf presenteert:
Grandioos Rock
'n Roll feest
Special > Everly Brothers Tribute
* Super 'live'-bands en muzikanten,
vetkuiven, pettycoats
en meer
* Iedereen welkom
* Entree: €
10,00 (voor vele uren plezier)
Wegens groot
succes organiseren wij ook dit jaar weer een grandioze jaren-'50
en '60
avond. Urenlang swingen en genieten van 16.00 uur - 24.00 uur.
Fantastische
bands met 'live'-muziek van Elvis, Cliff, Buddy, Roy, de
Shadows
en al die andere kanjers, featuring the Everly Brothers!!!
Locatie
> Muziekcentrum Schaaf, Breedstraat 48, Leeuwarden.
Middagprogramma start 16.30 uur, avond programma start
19.00 uur.
Deuren van de zaal gaan open om 16.00
uur. Het foyercafé is uiteraard al eerder geopend.
Tickets reserveren op www.muziekcentrumschaaf.nl
Deze muzikale happening wordt, evenals vorige jaren, weer georganiseerd door leden van de familie De Haan,
in samenwerking met Frans van de Borg (Muziekcentrum Schaaf ) en Martial Bekkers van EBI (Everly Brothers International).
We streven ernaar om er weer een groots gebeuren van te maken. Het programma zal dit jaar nog afwisselender
zijn dan je van ons gewend bent. De muziek van de Everly Brothers zal speciale aandacht krijgen en daarnaast
zullen de legendarische klanken van vele beroemdheden uit de jaren vijftig en zestig in al zijn facetten aan bod
komen. Er gaat zoveel gebeuren dat we hebben moeten besluiten om, zoals gewoonlijk, NIET om 22.00 uur te
stoppen maar rond MIDDERNACHT. Dat wordt dus 8 lange uren genieten. Zorg dat je erbij bent en neem al je
vrienden en vriendinnen mee!
De
muziek wordt op zaterdag 13 november aanstaande verzorgd door een reeks
van verschillende acts!
1 - The Explosion Rockets
2 - No Twins, the singing brothers
3 - The Three Farmer Boys
4 -
Het Hanenkoor
5 -
Erwin & Jim
Nyhoff
6 - Keatling
7 - Lucha
THE EXPLOSION ROCKETS
De
organisatie is bijzonder trots dat de legendarische Explosion Rockets naar
Leeuwarden komen. Bijna iedereen van jullie kent ze natuurlijk
van de grandioze happening in Utrecht op de EBI Party ter gelegenheid van
het 40-jarig bestaan van EBI!
Deze vermaarde band uit Brabant is oorspronkelijk opgericht in 1959 en stond
destijds volop in het middelpunt van de Nederlands Rock & Roll scene.
In 1985 is de band heropgericht en in het kader van hun 25 –jarig
jubileum hebben zij in hun uitgebreide tourschema ruimte gemaakt
voor deze avond. Het repertoire van de band beslaat alle grote namen uit de
Rock ’n Roll en de Sixties. De voorzitter van de grootste
internationale Elvis fanclub (‘Elvis Matters’) noemde de Explosion
Rockets de beste Rock 'n Roll band van de Lage Landen.Zanger Ruud is inmiddels
bekend van het tv programma ‘op zoek naar Elvis’. Daarnaast is ook
hij een enorme Everly-fan en zal hij samen met de band zorgen
voor een
flink aantal Everly nummers in de setlist.
NO
TWINS
Deze echte ‘singing brothers’ zijn gek van de
muziek uit de jaren vijftig en zestig en dan in het bijzonder die van de Everly
Brothers.
‘We beschouwen het als een grote eer dat wij ook voor
Everly Brothers-fans en EBI mogen zingen’ aldus broer Patrick.
‘Bij onze optredens in het land is het gebruikelijk
dat we veel Everly hits zingen. Tijdens deze happening gaan we ook
een paar
minder bekende Everly-liedjes doen. We verheugen ons er enorm op’.
THREE FARMER BOYS
De Three Farmer Boys laten
zich het beste te omschrijven als een countrybilly trio dat muziek uit de jaren
vijftig speelt.
De band laat zich echter niet vangen in één muziekstijl en speelt op
internationale podia.
Zanger Ronnie heeft
ontzettend veel muziekkennis en wist ons enthousiast van alles te vertellen
over de Everly Brothers:
‘Ik was al vroeg verzot op de voor mij ´oudere muziek.´ Ik hoorde ooit de
akkoestische folkplaat 'Wednesdaymorning
3 a.m.' van Simon and Garfunkel. Iemand attendeerde mij hierna op 'Songs our daddy
taught us' van de Everly Brothers.
Nadat ik deze hoorde heb ik Simon and Garfunkel nooit meer gedraaid. De liefde
voor Everly muziek gaat zover dat ik
ook veel platen heb van
hun ‘voorgangers’, zoals de Louvin´ Brothers en de Blue Sky boys.
HANENKOOR
Dit koor
met diverse generaties familieleden van de familie de Haan is waarschijnlijk
het enige ‘Everly koor’ in de wereld.
Na haar eerste openbare optreden tijdens een Everly fanclubdag in 2007 zong het
koor vervolgens met veel succes op
diverse back to the sixties-feesten. Vanwege tijdgebrek heeft het koor in
december 2009 een laatste optreden gegeven, maar op
13 november aanstaande komt dit unieke koor (iedereen is familie van elkaar) graag
nog eens bij elkaar om het dak eraf te zingen.
ERWIN & JIM NYHOFF
Toch een
vader en zoon duo tijdens de tribute !
Erwin
Nyhoff is een grote naam uit de Nederlandse popgeschiedenis. In de jaren
negentig was hij de frontman van de gitaarband
Prodigal Sons. De groep maakte internationaal faam en stond in 1994 op Pinkpop.
Na het uiteenvallen van de band heeft Erwin met
‘Take your Time’ een schitterende americana-achtige plaat gemaakt.
Erwin’s muzikale roots liggen in de jaren 50 en 60. Zijn muzikale talent
is van vader op zoon overgegaan. Zoon Jim is een zeer getalenteerde zanger en
gitarist. Tijdens hun optredens doen zij ook fraaie
tweestemmige zangnummers, waaronder die van de Everly’s.
KEATLING
De band
Keatling is ontstaan uit een Nieuwjaarsrevu. Een paar mensen vond het
samen zingen en spelen zo leuk, dat al snel een
vast
groepje ontstond. Aangevuld met nog een gitarist en Keatling was daar. De
muzikale stijl van Keatling bestaat uit meerstemmige nummers,
westcoast-songs
en ook the Everly Brothers. Dit overgoten met de typische Keatling-sound. Met
twee gitaristen, die ook zingen,
een zanger
en drie zangeressen, af en toe mondharmonica, cajon, melodica en een mandoline
zie je zes bevlogen mensen
die
helemaal weg zijn van muziek. Er wordt gewerkt aan een website Keatling.nl, en
deze winter gaan we de studio in voor CD-opnames.
Maar eerst
nog onze homage aan de Everly Brothers in Muziekcentrum Schaaf. We
hebben er heel veel zin in!
LUCHA
Luca
bestaat uit 2 ‘jongens’ van de top 100- & rockband Nickelzson.
De band is veelgevraagd en heeft zelfs zijn jaarlijks festival in
hun
basisplaats Harlingen genaamd: Nickelszonfest. Hans en Lucien breken af en toe
even uit het rock gebeuren en spelen dan samen
in een
intiemere setting. Het is dan een beetje alsof ze teruggaan naar hoe het ooit
begon. Een studentenkamer, twee gitaren,
twee
stemmen en de liedjes uit de jaren 50 en 60, die ze leerden spelen op hun
eerste gitaar.
Ook lekker eten...
Jawel! Op 13 november kan er tegen een
redelijke prijs gebruik gemaakt worden van een Aziatisch buffet en zal
Martial unieke Everly-rariteiten en DVD’s tentoonstellen, die
allemaal te koop zijn.
Publiek, Publiciteit en sponsoring
Er staat deze keer bijzonder veel
kwaliteit op het podium van Schaaf. Toch hebben we ervoor gekozen om de
entreeprijs (€ 10,00 euro) superlaag
te houden om zo het evenement voor iedereen toegankelijk te maken. We
hebben geen winstoogmerk
en hopen dit evenement kostendekkend te kunnen organiseren.
Kom, mis 't niet! En neem iedereen mee
die een fantastische, lange happening wil beleven.
Algemene
Informatie:
Parkeren
in de buurt van Schaaf
Er zijn in de nabijheid van Schaaf een beperkt aantal parkeerplekken met een parkeermeter. Het handigst is om je
auto te parkeren in de parkeergarage Hoeksterend aan het Hoeksterpad 3 te Leeuwarden. Het maximale tarief per
dag is
hier op dit moment € 4,50. www.parkeergaragesleeuwarden.nl
Leeuwarden:
De hoofdstad van Friesland heeft voldoende mogelijkheden om er een leuk weekendje uit van te maken.
Veel
informatie vindt je op de site van de plaatselijke VVV. www.vvvleeuwarden.nl
Uiteraard
kunnen we je helpen als je wat meer specifieke informatie zoekt over
Leeuwarden en omgeving.
Hotels:
Er zijn
voldoende hotels beschikbaar in en om Leeuwarden.
De site www.booking.com geeft de nodige informatie over de hotels en de tarieven en is vaak de goedkoopste.
Hier
kun je een hotelovernachting kosteloos reserveren en binnen een aangegeven
tijdstip indien nodig annuleren.
Tips:
Hotel
het Anker is een low-budget hotel op ‘kruip’afstand van Schaaf. www.hotelhetanker.nl
Het Grand Hotel Post Plaza inclusief het Van Sminiahuys en Fletcher Stadhoudelijkhof liggen binnen vijf minuten loopafstand.
Het
Eden hotel ligt ook centraal op een minuut of tien loopafstand.
Niet
ver buiten het centum liggen onder andere het (nieuwe) WTC hotel, het
Eurohotel, het Campanille hotel en het Bastionhotel.
VRAGEN / INFORMATIE:
Voor
vragen en of opmerkingen kunt u contact opnemen met Chris de Haan.
058-2889067 of 06-48812909
Of per mail c.f.dehaan@online.nl
----------------------------------------
English version --------------------------------------------
13 November
2010
Back to the 50s and 60s !
The Everly
Brothers & Rock 'n Roll Tribute
* Superb 'live'-bands
& musicians,
Brylcream hair-do's,
petticoats and
more
* Everybody is welcome
*
Entrance: only € 10,00 (for many hours of entertainment)
Afternoon show starts
at 4.30 pm, evening starts at 7.00 pm.
Doors
open 4.00 pm.
Reserve your tickets
at www.muziekcentrumschaaf.nl
This event is organized and
presented by members of the De Haan Family with the kind help of Frans van de
Borg (Schaaf)
and Martial Bekkers (International Coordinator of the world wide Everly
Brothers International Organization).
It will be an extra big happening this
time with even more acts than we usually have in store for you. The music
of the Everly
Brothers will be the main course, but we assure you that besides that, the
legendary sound of the 50s and 60s music will
delight you.
There are so many good things happening
that it would be a pity to end it all at 10.00 pm, so this time we will keep
the party
going till midnight. If you’re there from the start you will enjoy great
music for almost 8 hours.
Bring on your friends & family to enjoy this together.
It will be an extra big happening this
time with even more acts than we usually have in store for you. The music
of the Everly
Brothers will be the main course, but we assure you that besides that, the
legendary sound of the 50s and 60s music will
delight you.
There are so many good things happening
that it would be a pity to end it all at 10.00 pm, so this time we will keep
the party
going till midnight. If you’re there from the start you will enjoy great
music for almost 8 hours.
Bring on your friends & family to enjoy this together.
The musical acts on Saturday,
13 November are :
1 - The Explosion Rockets
2 - No Twins, the singing brothers
3 - The Three Farmer Boys
4 -
Het Hanenkoor
5 -
Erwin & Jim
Nyhoff
6 - Keatling
7 - Lucha
THE EXPLOSION
ROCKETS
We are
very proud of the fact that the legendary Explosion Rockets are heading north
on this day. Of course most of you
will remember them as the band that highlighted EBI's 40th Anniversary Party in
Anniversary Tour. The band will play many great songs from many big names in
the history of Rock 'n' Roll. Main singer
Ruud is well known from the Dutch TV series ‘looking for Elvis’.
Besides that Ruud is a big Everly fan and will make sure
there’s a lot of Everly music on the set list. The Chairman of the
international Elvis Fan club 'Elvis Matters' states that the
Explosion Rockets are the best Rock 'n' Roll band of the European
Lowlands.
NO TWINS
These
real ‘singing’ brothers are crazy about 50s and 60s music
especially the music of the Everly’s. Brother Patrick says that
it is a
big, big honor to sing for Everly Brothers fans. 'At our regular show
we do a lot of big Everly hits, but on this day we are
finally
able to do some lesser known material besides the hits. We look forward to this
a lot'.
THREE FARMER BOYS
The Three
Farmer Boys are a countrybilly trio that plays a lot of fifties music.
The
band cannot be reckoned to one musical style though and that is probably why
they are playing on international stages.
Singer
Ronnie has a lot of musical knowledge and can tell many stories about the
Everly’s.
'When I was a young kid I was crazy about the acoustic folk album
'Wednesday morning 3 a.m.' by Simon and Garfunkel. Somebody asked my attention
for the Everly Brothers 'Songs Our Daddy Taught Us' album. Since then I never
listened to
the S
& G album again'.
HANENKOOR
This
choir with different generations of members of the De Haan family is probably
the only ‘Everly choir’ in the world.
After the
first performance in 2007 they were invited to sing on a lot of back to the
60s-parties.
A lack of time forced the choir to do their last performance in December,
2009. But they will return to the stage to sing
once
more for the Everly Tribute.
ERWIN & JIM NYHOFF
Father
& Son appear at the tribute !
Erwin
Nyhoff is a big name in Dutch pop history. In the nineties he was the front
singer of the internationally acclaimed
Prodigal
Sons. The band had hit records and played the main stage at the Pinkpop
festival. After the band quit Erwin made
a
wonderful
he grew
up listening to: the 50s and 60s. His talent for music has been passed on
to his son Jim, who is a talented guitar
player
& singer. Together they are singing a lot of harmony and of course a lot of
Everly music.
KEATLING
A 6 persons vocal harmony band singing a lot of Everly
Brothers & Westcoast songs.
LUCHA
Two guys from a top 100- & rockband Nickelzson who like to break
out every now and
then in an intimate two voices - two guitars setting. They are
playing the 50's en 60's songs they learned as a kid.
Nice
food...
Oh yes,
on 13 November there will be an Asian buffet where you can get meals or snacks
at a reasonable price.
Martial
will show his Everly rarities and DVD’s which are for sale.
Audience
& Publicity
There
is al lot of quality on stage on this day. The entrance price is very
reasonable (€ 10,00) because we wanted to keep
the
event accessible for everybody.
So
don’t miss this ! Please ask other people to join you who want to be
part of this wonderful happening.
If you
know people who love 50s and 60s music, make sure they know about this event.
You are helping us a lot if you
bring
this to the attention of music lovers on internet, Facebook, Hyves or anywhere
else.
If you
have an idea or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact us.
General
Information:
Parking
near Schaaf
You can
park your car in the nearby parking lot called Hoeksterend, Hoeksterpad 3
Leeuwarden.
You
will pay max. € 4,50 a day. www.parkeergaragesleeuwarden.nl
The
capital of the Dutch province
Check out www.vvvleeuwarden.nl for
some info.
If you need some more specific information, please let us know. We will gladly
help out.
Hotels:
The
site www.booking.com can
give you a lot of information and offers mostly the cheapest rates.
Hotel
Tips:
The
Anker hotel is a low-budget hotel within 50 meters from Schaaf. www.hotelhetanker.nl The
Van
Sminiahuys & Fletcher Stadhoudelijkhof are within five minutes walking
distance from Schaaf. The centrally located
Eden
Hotel is about a ten minutes walk. Not far outside the city center there
are: the (new) WTC Hotel, Eurohotel,
Campanile
Hotel and Bastion Hotel.
INFORMATION:
For
questions or info please contact Chris de Haan.
0031-(0)58-2889067
of 0031-(0)6-48812909. By mail c.f.dehaan@online.nl
An exclusive 4.5-hour DVD recording of
EBI’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY
PARTY
\
(c)
Martin Alberts
DOWNLOAD PARTY PROMO CLIP !
Recorded for Everly Brothers International at the Jacobi Theatre in
PRE-ORDER YOUR DVD SET OF
EBI'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
4.5 hours on two quality stereo DVD's
Release
date : 15 March 2007
Thanks
to the Rocky Top Music Group you can now pre-order 4.5 hours of
Everly partying on
2 DVDs for only € 19.50 Euros (US $25.00) plus shipping.
Shipping
outside Europe will be US $5.00, in
You
can pre-order the DVD Set until 15th March!
After mid March, the price will be € 24.50 (US $ 29.50) plus shipping.
Don't delay!
FREE EVERLY BROTHERS DVD WITH EACH PRE-ORDER
We will
send you a free Everly DVD for each pre-order!!
Rockets, Mike Everly,
Peter Thyssen and Erik Goossens, and Anthony Lauren
appeared before 250
utterly enthusiastic, die hard Everly fans at the Jacobi Theatre in
great buffet and a
presentation of awards given to Martial F. Bekkers, for 40 years of
EBI, Yvonne van
Rooijen and John Cornax for their continued efforts to give EBI
Parties the quality
that they’ve had for many years, and
Harmony Trail, without whom
Cameras were there to
record the best Everly Party ever, a fitting farewell to Harmony
Trail after 15
continuous years of successful shows at EBI’s Parties.
Everly harmonies,
complimented by the harmonies of Roy Orbison, Shakin’ Stevens,
Elvis and Cliff, rip-roaring
authentic rock ‘n roll and a
mouth watering buffet.
If you were not there with us you
missed a great meal
…..but we can now give you the wonderful music!!
Harmony Trail
Fred and Geoffrey van Vugt (featuring Sylvester van Vugt)
The Explosion Rockets are Ruud Kuijpers, Toon Tijs, Erik Peers,Thom Sens, Henk
Verkooijen, Piet Krol, and Martien van Engelen
Light Jacobi
Theater
Roadies Henk van de Schans and Maikel Wennekes
Technician
Piet Swinkels
EBI would like
to thank Ineke and Ben and the personnel of the Jacobi Theatre for their hard
work and great service, the perfect acoustics, the wonderful buffet and the
welcome equipment and facilities that were offered to us.
‘Broers’:
Peter Thyssen and Erik Goossens appear courtesy of Pilot Productions,
Martin King wrote the theatrical play ‘Brothers’ (‘Broers’) that we kindly
recommend
Credits for
photos and videos:
Sue and
Mike Brambles, Sophia and Robert Phillipson, Martin Alberts, Sylva Hostetler,
Ida and Rik Muller, Tonny Arkenbout and Arie Brinkman.
A Rocky Top Music Group Production in partnership
with Everly Brothers International,
Video Editing and Post-Production for DVD by Peter Guijken, Amsterdam
Audio Mix and Audio Post-Production
by Peter Guijken, Amsterdam
DVD Package Design and Graphics for Rocky Top Music Group by Chris Comman,
Amsterdam
For booking and
information The Explosion Rockets http://www.explosionrockets.nl
Fan club vermeegen27@zonnet.nl ask for their
CD’s and the DVD ‘Live On Stage’
Telephone
+31 (0)411 67 23 65
Cell
phone +31 (0)6 45 92 85 86
Mike Everly’s WebSite http://www.royorbisontribute.net
Martial wishes to thank all these and
especially Rob, Bas, Chris, Yvonne, John and
Finally a special word of thanks
to our sponsors who made Harmony Trail’s farewell
and our 40th Anniversary classy and unforgettable :
Ida and Rik Muller, Gerrit Vermeulen,
Peter Profittlich, Mia and Jan Garretsen, John van der Holst and his wife and
Frits Sontrop
~ In memory of the many friends we have lost along the way! ~
EVERLY THEATRE PLAY IN
DOWNLOAD VIDEOCLIPS : CLIP 1
CLIP 2
(this news item is especially for
Dutch-speaking fans)
BELANGRIJK: SHOW IN BRUSSEL ALLEEN OP 1 DECEMBER 2006
!!!
(laatste kans dus dit jaar.....................................)
In november en december zal in Antwerpen en Brussel de voorstelling 'Broers' gespeeld worden. Zoals al te raden valt gaat dit verhaal over de levens van Don & Phil, dus zeker de moeite waard om de onderstaande data in je agenda vrij te houden. Allereerst echter even een korte samenvatting van het verhaal:
*
BROERS
Broers wandelt terug in het leven van de beruchte ‘Everly Brothers’.
Een humoristisch, maar eerlijk verhaal over de 10 meest stormachtige jaren uit het leven van de beroemdste broers uit de popmuziek : Phil en Don Everly.
Laat je meeslepen door prachtige wereldhits zoals ‘Bye,bye love’, ‘Cathy’s clown’, ‘Crying in the rain’, ‘Wake up little Susie’, en vele anderen.
Ontdek waarom ze splitten, maar uiteindelijk toch weer samenkwamen. Ze konden niet met, maar ook niet zonder mekaar. Veroordeeld tot mekaar.
Peter Thyssen en Erik Goossens kruipen in de huid van Don en Phil Everly en zo wordt dit verhaal vol harmonie en ironie een geestige en onthullende voorstelling met veel muziek.
Een avond vol pure nostalgie, humor en ontspanning !
Speeldata
17,18
november 2006 in Fakkeltheater Antwerpen
Info en reservaties : www.fakkelteater.be
of +32 3 232 14 69
Ticketprijs 20 euro
1 december 2006 in Theater Arte in Brussel
Info en reservaties : www.theaterarte.be
of +32 2 227 97 11
Ticketprijs 20 euro
*
Heb je interesse ? Laat dit dan even aan Martial weten via ebi@everly.net
Binnenkort meer.................................................
EVERLYS RECEIVE
Governor Fletcher Presents Governor’s Awards in the Arts to Kentuckians
Across the Commonwealth
The Everly Brothers Top List of
Recipients
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Ernie
Fletcher honored nine recipients, including nationally acclaimed recording
artists The Everly Brothers, for their contributions to the arts in
"The individuals and
organizations selected for these awards have made
“As the Kentucky Arts Council
celebrates its fortieth anniversary we are proud to honor these outstanding individuals,
groups and programs,” said Executive Director Lori Meadows. “Artists and groups
that promote and support the arts add meaning and value to our lives. These
awards help quantify their contributions.”
The Governor's Awards in the Arts
recipients are selected annually in nine different categories, with the Milner
Award being the most prestigious and the first established by the Arts Council
(then
The 2005 recipient of the Milner
Award, which recognizes outstanding individual commitment to the arts and their
role in the economy, community and culture of
The National Award honors the Everly
Brothers, originally from the Central City area, as Kentuckians who have
achieved national acclaim for their artistic achievement. Don and Phil Everly
recorded such popular hits as "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye
Love," and "All I Have to Do Is Dream." The Everly Brothers
continue to perform internationally and return to
NEW EVERLY BOOK
The Everly
Brothers:
A Celebration in Photos, Fantasy and Verse
A Pictures and Poetry Biography
by Judi Gamin
Download
a Free Page
that was not in the book !
Our good
friend Judi Gamin just released a brand new Everly book. Here's what the
publisher has to say about it:
'This book is a
celebration of The Everly Brothers and their tremendous contribution to the
music industry, which has had an enormous impact on the music culture
internationally but for some reason does not get the attention deserved. By
writing this book, the author has attempted to reconcile that.
This book, in addition to
being a comparative analysis of the brothers’ individual music and writing
styles, as well as who and how they were influenced, also explains why a poetry
book was written. It also explores their place in history, reviews researched
facts in detail by footnotes, including their chart sales as recorded by
Billboard, some personal information, photos for fans exclusively, a list of
recorded contributions, and much more.
A Celebration In Photos,
Fantasy, and Verse is a Limited Collector’s Edition and the only book on the
market anywhere on the Everly Brothers that contains such detailed information
and exclusive photos. For the Everly Brothers aficionado, this book is a must.'
For more information and ordering
please visit the AtlasBooks Website
or
Call toll free 1(800)247-6553 to
order directly
EBI PARTY IN
Hardly any time left
to write a review about the Party at Spakenburg, The
Wonderful job, Yvonne!
Great performances of Harmony Trail,
including Sylvester. A special thanks to Gerrit Vermeulen to offer us a whole
PA system and light at the very last moment. As far as I know there was not one
complaint about the fact that unfortunately
one of their speakers broke down at the very last moment so Patrick and his
friends had to drive for a few hours for a new set! We just turned our planned
program around and Fred, Geoffrey and Sylvester did a wonderful series of sets
of songs just a bit later than planned.
Newest DVD's and exclusive video
footage were watched by many with open mouths.
Many fans there collected their tickets
for the Everly Brothers Concerts in
We started the official part of our
Party with an impressive moment of silence to remember our friend Ton van
Here's what Peter Aarts mailed to
Sera, Nimzo and all other members of Ton's family the
next morning :
Hi Sera, Nimzo and all
other Van Leuven family members,
Yesterday the annual "Everly Fan night'' took place and, as always, it
was a nice opportunity to meet with old acquaintances and friends in
a musical setting. Your
father was missed by many fans in attendance and it was made impossible
that anyone could have forgot.
During the evening, a
moment of silence was dedicated to Ton in remembrance of his many years of
friendship. There was a minute of silence so that all of
us remembered Ton. This was a special moment for all of us there and did
all of us alot of good.
The Party ended around 11 when Fred
and I thanked all the people present, especially the ones who were actively involved with the
organization of the event: The staff of the Restaurant, John and Lydia for all
the work they did all night, Yvonne of course who presented the lottery and a
round of Bingo, Chris for helping us out behind the Kentucky Shop, Bas who
welcomed all the people at the door, guarded the entrance and explained
people about the London Buffet/Party, Rob for showing all the very special video footage on a big video screen,
Gerrit and Patrick and his friends for the sound and light, and last but not least Fred,
Geoffrey and Sylvester for their close harmony singing that we all enjoy so much.
P.S. Next October, 2006, will be the
15th Anniversary of Harmony Trail. They will
perform their Everly songs at our Party for the very last time.
FAREWELL, TON VAN LEUVEN
July 1946 - August
2005
Don
and Phil have again lost a faithful number ONE fan, and we his (Everly) friends
have lost a great pall.
Ton
van Leuven was a first generation Everly Brothers fan and an enthousiast member
of ,,Everly Brothers International'' .
Lots
of us will remember his devoted articles in various
publications of ,,
He
was a precise person who loved to explore the files of the Everly Brothers
recording history, and then put them into detailed lists for others to enjoy.
Ton
also was the person who was a master in analyzing Everly songs and he picked
out even the smallest differences in ,,takes'' .
Ton
was a Everly Brothers connaisseur , we will miss him a lot.
We
wish his family , friends and acquaintances all the strength they will certainl
need in the days to come.
(and we at EBI want to
thank Peter Aarts for perfectly summarizing what Ton meant to us)
Lake Malone Inn a 'total loss' in fire
Sad news reached us this week. The
Lake Malone Inn, which is owned by Don Everly, has completely been burnt down
in a fire on Sunday 10th of July.
To read more about this tragic event
you can follow the links below:
Lake Malone Inn a 'total loss' in
fire
Lake Malone fire under investigation
EVERLY BROTHERS IN BBC TV
DOCUMENTARY
BROTHERS IN ARMS. BBC 1, 2 MAY.
22:45
with
thanks to Andrew Morgan, Will Bryant and Tessa Blakeley.......................
'We
now are allowed to confirm the transmission date and time for the BBC1 program
looking at brothers in pop groups together, including a feature on Phil and Don
Everly. It will be shown in the
Thank
you for all your invaluable help with the program'.
Brothers In Arms
'They
say that blood is thicker than water...Brothers In Arms puts that to the test
by examining the brothers who have formed and fronted rock bands. From the
Everlys to the Gallaghers via the Kinks and Spandau Ballet, Brothers In Arms
tells the stories of the bands of brothers who went from their bedrooms to
become household names - often with a
price to pay. With contributions from
Martin Kemp, Matt Goss, Dave Davies, Jason Everly, Albert Lee, David Knopfler
and the Campbell Brothers of UB40'.
Our
sincerest thanks to Tessa Blakeley (ladies first), Andrew Morgan and Will
Bryant at the BBC for their great service and what is going to be a wonderful
documentary.
If
you can download this program on your computer and make us a stereo DVD ......
we look forward to hear from you (ebi@everly.net) . And that
goes for any other piece of Everly footage that you may have on a video
cassette, CD Rom or DVD, OK?
Phil
Everly attends funeral Felice Bryant
Phil
Everly of the Everly Brothers and his wife Patti leave the Woodlawn Cemetery
chapel following the funeral of Felice Bryant in Nashville, Tenn., Friday,
April 25, 2003. Bryant's songs "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up
Little Susie" were big hits for the Everly Brothers. She wrote or co-wrote
with her late husband 800 songs recorded by more than 500 vocalists. (AP
Photo/John Russell).
Phil Everly Quote:
"I think maybe as much success as
their music has brought my brother and I, the personal relationship was more
beneficial, I would go to them for lovelorn advice when I was young, and
divorce advice when I was older."
Felice Bryant: 1925 - 2003
Felice Bryant, Hall of Fame Songwriter, Dies at 77
Calvin Gilbert
04/22/2003
"Country
Music Hall of Fame member Felice Bryant, a partner in one of most successful
and prolific songwriting teams in music history, died Tuesday morning (April
22) at her home in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Bryant, 77, had been diagnosed with
cancer.
She
and her late husband, Boudleaux Bryant, are credited with writing more than 800
songs -- including "Rocky Top," "Wake Up Little Susie" and
"Bye Bye Love" -- that resulted in international sales estimated at
more than 500 million copies. The couple's compositions played a key role in
the Everly Brothers' career, and their songs have been recorded by a wide range
of artists including Eddy Arnold, Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett, Simon &
Garfunkel, Sarah Vaughan, the Grateful Dead, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, the
Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Elvis Costello, Count Basie, Dean
Martin, Ruth Brown, Cher, R.E.M. and Ray Charles.
Born
Matilda Genevieve Scaduto on Aug. 7, 1925, in
Boudleaux
Bryant toured with jazz and country bands before the couple settled in his
hometown of Moultrie, Ga., where they began to concentrate on their
songwriting. Legendary music publisher Fred Rose pitched one of the Bryant's
songs to Little Jimmy Dickens. In 1949, "Country Boy" became Dickens'
second Top 10 hit.
At
Rose's urging, the Bryants moved to
The
Bryants reaped the financial benefits when rock 'n' roll was born in the '50s.
The couple co-wrote most of the Everly Brothers' early hits, including
"Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie,"
"Problems" and "Take a Message to Mary." Additionally,
Boudleaux Bryant was the lone songwriter on several of the Everly Brothers'
other hits, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream,"
"Devoted to You" and "Love Hurts." Buddy Holly recorded the
Bryants' "Raining in My Heart" during his final recording session in
1958.
Their other hits include "Baltimore"
(Sonny James), "Got a Hole in My Pocket" (Ricky Van Shelton),
"Out Behind the Barn" (Jimmy Dickens), "Hey Joe" (Carl
Smith), "Blue Boy" (Jim Reeves), "The Richest Man in the
World" (Eddy Arnold) and Chet Atkins' signature instrumental,
"Country Gentleman." Their "Rocky Top" was adopted as
Although
Felice Bryant preferred to co-write, one of her solo compositions, "We
Could," was recorded by a variety of artists, including George Jones and
Tammy Wynette, Kitty Wells, George Morgan, the Louvin Brothers, Charley Pride,
Al Martino, John Prine, Reeves, Dickens and others. She wrote the song as a
birthday gift to her husband.
Inducted
into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991, the Bryants are also members of
the
Funeral
arrangements are incomplete but will include a service in Gatlinburg and a
memorial at Woodlawn Funeral Home in
As Everly fans we can only conclude by saying, Felice Bryant will live
on in the music............in our hearts, just like her late husband Boudleaux.
Everly
Brothers Tribute Concert (16 March 2003)
(c) John Cornax
Muziekcentrum 'Zalen Schaaf' * Breedstraat 48 * Leeuwarden * tel. 058 - 2158003
Aanvang: 15.00 Einde: 19.00 Entree: €5
(English version below)
Op zondag 16 maart a.s. zal 'Oldies But Goldies' in samenwerking met Harmony Trail een Everly Brothers Tribute Concert organiseren in de foyer van Muziek Centrum Schaaf te Leeuwarden.
Zoals bekend verzorgt Harmony Trail jaarlijks de live muziek op onze EBI parties en zullen ze wederom weer vele Everly klassiekers ten gehore brengen op deze zondagmiddag.
Een optreden om niet te missen dus !
*
Sunday, 16th March,
2003 "Oldies But Goldies" organizes an "Everly Brothers
Tribute Concert" at the Foyercafé of the
Harmony Trail are father and son,
Wilfred and Geoffrey van Vugt. A few years ago the were the supporting act of
their idols in the Ahoy' Sportspalace in
Harmony Trail are often invited to "Golden Oldies" festivals in
the
ALBERT LEE & CO IN HOLLAND
Martial
& Albert at the Gig in
ALBERT LEE & HOGAN'S
HEROES
LIVE AT NIGHTTOWN,
4th December,
2002
by Martial Bekkers
I connected to Sue Hargreaves, enthusiastic manager of Albert Lee and Hogan's
Heroes, in time to make sure that this time I could not miss their gig in
Rotterdam.
I went with my friends
Arie (WebMaster of the
Of course I picked up a
copy of each of the CD's for myself plus a pair for Burt Poyck, a good friend
of Albert's and the band (hope you spend some nice sunny days at Burt's holiday
bungalows on the wonderful isle of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean's one
day.......any of you interested, just let me know). As an encore Albert
introduced an impressive rendition of 'So Sad' with a short remark about the
fact that Pete and he had regularly been on the road and in the studios with
the Everly Brothers. He then added 'this is for Martial' before going into the
song and I managed to get in a yell of thanks in the short silence that
followed. Really a very kind, warm gesture by him and the band that overwhelmed
me a bit(as Pete said afterwards, 'moments like these humble
you'!).
Sure regret we couldn't
invite Albert to our Party!? He knows we have tried everything. Had a great
time at
All info and the tour
schedule for 2002 and 2003 are available at the band's WebSite
http://www.albertleeandhogansheroes.com/
For further information
on Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes or how to purchase CD's
simply contact Sue Hargreaves:
- Tel.
01775
713598.
- Mobile
07931 467528
- email: suehargreaves@albertleeandhogansheroes.com
THE
BANDS NEW CD WILL BE ON
Everly Brothers -
DVD SET FOR RELEASE
EARLY 2003
In
any details are available right now.
The price is announced
to be around US $ 21.00 to 25.00 / € 22.00. Of course thanks
to the Rocky Top Music Group, if at all possible, you will be
able to pre order from EBI through the
You will find details as
soon as possible in our upcoming EVzines
It Takes Two
(click
pic for a special animation)
On Sunday, May 5th 2002 the BBC broadcasted
a very special programme on duos in pop music. Naturally the Everlys were
highlighted and with the help of EBI some very interesting clippings and pics
were shown of Don & Phil. The show focused on the problems that occur
within those musical relationships and very worthwhile interviews could be seen
with a.o. Phil, his son Jason and Albert Lee. Jane Maugham, the producer of the
show, really did a great job (thanks gal !)
Immediately after the broadcast Eric
South sent us some pictures he made straight from his television set. Please
click the pic above for a special animated selection of those pictures (thanks
Eric, they really look great..................)
Keep your eye on this section of the
site as we're trying to obtain permission to show you bits and pieces from the
show in streaming video (now wouldn't that be nice !)
Everlys
inducted in the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame
Music hall of fame recognizes state's pioneer sons,
daughters
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
The new
The event honored the
contributions of groundbreaking Kentuckians, including country singer/songwriter
Loretta Lynn, the late bluegrass great Bill Monroe, harmonizing pop
chart-toppers the Everly Brothers and famed "girl singer" Rosemary
Clooney.
The night was full of
laughter and song, as well as some tears. Two giant screens broadcast video
introductions of each, so the crowd laughed at the antics of the late Grandpa
Jones, tapped their feet to
Even the presenters were
top drawer: Everyone from longtime country music host Ralph Emery to longtime
Grand Ole Opry member John Conlee helped do the honors. Emery presented the
induction to his friend, country singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall, while Conlee
was there to present to the children of his mentor, the late Hee Haw performer
and banjo picker Grandpa Jones.
"It's a wonderful
night to celebrate Kentucky's musical heritage," said Connie Hunt
Peterson, chief executive officer and general manager of the Renfro Valley
Entertainment Center, where the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum will
open May 17. "There's nothing like your home state. It's always nice to
have the home folks bragging on you."
Of the living inductees,
only the Everly Brothers and Rosemary Clooney were not present. Clooney, 73,
had lung cancer surgery in mid-January and is still recovering at the Mayo
Clinic in
Margaret Everly, mother
of Don and Phil Everly, accepted for the Everly Brothers. "I'll have to
tell the boys I was here," she said.
Everlys
inducted in the Country Hall of Fame
CMT News
By Michael Gray
10/05/2001
After letting the news sink in for three months that they were going into the
Country Music Hall of Fame, new members showed great emotion about receiving
the highest honor in country music during Thursday night's (Oct. 4) formal
induction ceremony.
Uniformly poignant, the acceptance speeches ranged in tone and length, from
Phil Everly's brief and focused remarks to Sam Phillips' 20-minute,
stream-of-consciousness oration.
Brief video bios highlighting career achievements preceded each induction. The
video tributes were voiced by celebrities such as John Anderson (the Delmore
Brothers), Emmylou Harris (the Louvin Brothers), Mark Knopfler (the Everly
Brothers), Hall of Famer Brenda Lee (the Jordanaires) and others.
Family members of the posthumous inductees -- including Pierce, Law, the
Delmore Brothers, Homer & Jethro, Ira Louvin and Hoyt Hawkins and Neal
Matthews Jr. (of the Jordanaires) -- were present to honor their loved ones but
did not make speeches.
Phil Everly, the last to be ceremoniously inducted, kept his remarks short and
sweet. "I want to thank my father for teaching us," he said. "I
want to thank my mother for dreaming us. I want to thank Boudleaux and Felice
[Bryant] for writing us. I want to thank Chet [Atkins] for guiding us. And I
want to thank you all for honoring us."
In recent years, Hall of Fame gala events have often ended by participants
singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." In light of our recent
national crisis, Stuart, Malo and Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell concluded
Thursday's banquet by leading a sing-along of "
The Show will be
aired on Nov.7th. Please click HERE for more info
Final
Everly Tour ???
According to Don this
year's probably gonna be their final full-length Tour. Please read the article
below for more about this issue.
Arts & Entertainment : Friday,
July 20, 2001
Copyright © 2001 The Seattle Times Company
Concert Review
Everlys'
last tour features more than just their classic hits
The
Everly Brothers played here for the first time 44 years ago and for probably
the last time Wednesday night.
"This is probably our last
tour," Don Everly told a capacity crowd at the King Cat. "We'll play
Vegas and Tahoe a couple of times a year from now on, and that's about
it."
|
That would be a shame
because the great country-and-rock duo — one of the first inductees into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — still have a lot of life left in them. Both Don,
64, and Phil, 63, look remarkably young for their ages, and their harmonies,
while not as crisp as when they made their Seattle debut at the old Orpheum
Theater in "The Big Show of Stars for '57," are still warm and sweet.
Don hinted that the recent deaths of
their earliest champion in Nashville, Chet Atkins, and their close friend, John
Hartford (whose son Jamie plays guitar and mandolin in the Everlys' band),
influenced the brothers' decision to quit the road. "It seems like the
right time," Don said. They quit the road before, when they were estranged
for some 10 years, from 1973 to '83, but have been going strong ever since.
And they seem to still enjoy
playing. They've been doing it all their lives, starting as children in a
family band, and they do it well. The show was briskly paced and marked by fine
musicianship from the Everlys and their five-piece band, which also included
the great steel guitarist Buddy Emmons.
They could've done a whole set of their
classic rock hits — and they did do a lot of them — but instead varied the
songs by including old country favorites from their childhood, some of their
country hits (they recently were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame)
and a few covers.
The two always were able to switch
easily from romantic ballads to honky-tonk rock. They balanced love songs, like
the beautiful ballad "Devoted to You," the sublime "All I Have
To Do Is Dream," the aching "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)"
and the pleading "Let It Be Me," with lively workouts on
"Claudette," "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye
Love" and "('Til) I Kissed You." They displayed some of their
finest harmonies in "Cathy's Clown" and "Crying in the Rain."
Dressed in black suits (Don's had
some fancy red piping) and playing guitars, they opened with a couple of
regional Southern ballads, "Green River" and "Bowling
Green," which immediately evoked a down-home, party-time atmosphere.
Later they devoted a section of the
show to "songs our daddy taught us," according to Don (that's also
the title of one of their albums), which included "Longtime Gone," an
earthy country song. Among their largely forgotten gems was "I Wonder If I
Care As Much," which was the B-side of their first hit, "Bye Bye
Love." Among songs associated with other artists were "Lucille"
(Little Richard) and "Love Hurts" (Roy Orbison).
EBI Live On Radio 192 !
On Monday, July 23rd Martial and
myself will appear on Radio 192 to assist in the making of the 'Story of The
Everly Brothers'. Good news for all you people living outside The
The programm will be broadcasted on
Monday, July 23rd from 8.00 to 10.00 PM. Dutch time of course. This means that
e.g. in
Follow the link to Radio 192 and click on the menu option Live Radio. Note: for the broadcast you need the Real Audio Player. Click HERE to download it for free !
Farewell, Good Friends...................
Amidst the joy of Summer and with all
those great Warner releases around the corner we sadly also have to inform you
about the passing away of three persons who were very unique and special in the
Everly world. Please follow the links above to read more about these tragic
events......................
Birthday
Party
Just recently we
received a nice clipping from a showbizz mag (thanks Peter Aarts and Alyce
Cadena) featuring several members of Don's (ex) family. On the right you'll see
Edan, Erin,
R.I.P.
Ruud de Wolff (Blue Diamonds)
Yesterday the management of the Blue
Diamonds confirmed that last Monday (December 18th, 2000) Ruud de Wolff died.
Ruud (on the left in the picture)
had been ill for some time. He reached the age of 59.
Ruud and his brother Riem came to
The Blue Diamonds were considered as
a real threat to the sales figures of the Everly Brothers records with
the same title. In fact it got so serious that Decca records (
The Blue Diamonds had a worlwide hit
with a song called RAMONA in 1961.
Don and Phil at several occasions
that I have wittnessed personally talked with high esteem about The Blue
Diamonds, a quality close harmony duo.
When they thought of
Competitors whom they rated highly.
We vividly and gratefully
remember the days in 1988 when the Blue Diamonds and the EBI
Staff welcomed the Everly Brothers to
A few years earlier Ruud and Riem
had taken some time out to be with us at our best EBI Party ever in Soestduinen
in the
Our thoughts are with Riem and the
families of both Ruud and Riem that grieve over this big loss.
*
Vaarwel, Ruud de Wolff (Blue Diamonds)
Gisteren bevestigde het management van de Blue Diamonds officieel dat Ruud de Wolff afgelopen maandag (18 december 2000) is overleden in zijn woonplaats Driebergen.
Ruud (op de foto links) was al geruime tijd ziek. Hij werd 59 jaar.
Ruud
en zijn broer Riem kwamen in 1949 uit Indonesië naar ons land. Zij kregen
bekendheid als de 'Nederlandse EVERLY BROTHERS'. Eind vijftiger jaren
en begin zestiger jaren namen ze verschillende Everly hits op die de
Nederlandse en Duitse hitparades haalden. Ze zongen ''Let It Be Me'' - 'Till I kissed
You'' - Cathy's Clown" - That'll Be The Day'' - ''Lucille'' - ''So
Sad'' (in het Duits) en enkele andere Everly liedjes.
De Blue Diamonds werden als een echte bedreiging gezien voor de verkoopcijfers van de platen van de Everly Brothers met dezelfde titel. Het werd zelfs zo serieus dat Decca Records (Holland) van Warner Brothers USA het verzoek kreeg dat ze geen Blue Diamonds Everly hit cover in ons land mochten uitbrengen voordat de Everly versie hier uit was.
Er was toen niet alleen een scherpe rivaliteit tussen de twee duo's en hun platenmaatschappijen. Tussen bepaalde groepen binnen de gelederen van hun fans bestond zelfs een vorm van vijandschap, die toen we eindelijk volwassen werden, omsloeg in regelrechte waardering, respect voor het pure vakmanschap van de Blue Diamonds.
De Blue Diamonds hadden in 1961 een wereldhit met RAMONA waarvan er in vele landen totaal 7 miljoen over de toonbank gingen.
Don en Phil hebben zich in mijn persoonlijke aanwezigheid op verschillende gelegenheden erg lovend over de Blue Diamonds uitgelaten, een kwaliteits close harmony duo.
Als ze aan Nederland dachten waren de Blue Diamonds voor de Everlys vaak hun eerste gedachtenassociatie, concurrenten die ze zeer zijn gaan waarderen.
We herinneren ons met dankbaarheid en plezier die dagen in 1988 toen de Blue Diamonds en de EBI afvaardiging de Everly Brothers op Schiphol welkom heetten voor hun zeer succesvolle Some Hearts Tour.
Ekele jaren eerder (1985) hadden Ruud en Riem de tijd genomen om op onze beste EBI Party ooit in Soestduinen te zijn. Boudewijn Büch bracht er zelfs een deeltje van op de televisie.We wilden Ruud en Riem alleen maar in de bloemetjes zetten voor hun 25-jarig artiesten jubileum en symbolisch de strijdbijl begraven. Tot onze verrassing beklommen ze ons amateur podium en brachten ze een paar steengoede Everly songs voor de aanwezige fans. Wat een sympathiek gebaar van een act die we ons normaal natuurlijk helemaal niet konden veroorloven. Uniek, een avond om nooit te vergeten ....(met dank aan Miep en hun manager André van Keulen).
Onze gedachten zijn bij Riem, de families van Ruud en Riem en hun management met dit zware verlies.
An
interesting comment from Jason Everly (Phil's son)
"Q: What is the
most unforgettable thing that ever happened to you this year (1999) ?
A: Probably attending my
dad’s 60th birthday party. There were about 200 people there. All my
dad’s closest friends. Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, The Crickets it was amazing!
They tented the entire back yard. All my family was there. The
A Letter
from Margaret Everly
At
the morning of the EBI Party, Saturday, October 30 1999, we received a very
nice and welcome letter from Miss Margaret Everly, as you all will know the
mother of Donald and Phil Everly. Here
are just a few lines from that letter. Of course there's much more in the
letter but that's too private to share with you all.
Dear
Martial,
Just
a note - to let you know - how much I miss hearing from you all in
Sincerely,
Margaret E. Everly
Meanwhile
you will be interested to know I called Margaret to thank her, talk about the
old days, etc. I also took the opportunity to give our regards to her on behalf
of all the Everly fans. If there's
news she agrees on we can let you know we will certainly put it up on the Site.
Promise...and there will be news, no doubt about it.
If
you'd like to send your Xmas greetings to Miss Everly, please send your cards
or wishes to EBI at
Phil
Everly got married on 23 August 1999
On Monday, August 23
Phil got married (his 3rd marriage) to Patti Arnold. The event took place at
Ceasar's Palace in
Phil and his bride, Patti Arnold
"I've been through
two marriages and I've been single since the late 1970s. I was convinced I'd be
single for the rest of my life. "But in 1994 I threw a New Year's Eve
party and my son's friend brought some friends and Patti just happened to be
one of them.
"The minute I saw her
my jaw hit the ground. I spent most of the night talking to her and by midnight
I knew I'd met a very special person. "It didn't take me long after that
to realize this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
"But I wanted to err on the side of caution and not jump into another
marriage. So Patti and I made a pledge to each other: If we could be in a
serious relationship for five years, we would get married." After five
years, Phil and Patti -- who'd never married before -- were still going strong.
"So during the
Christmas holidays last year I got down on my knee, pulled out a 2 1 2-carat
diamond ring, placed it on her finger and asked her to marry me."
"We decided on a
"Viva
(c) The
National Enquirer, 1999
A
Harmonic Convergence With Phil Everly
By Ben
Wener / Knight Ridder
(c)
(we
would like to thank Elsie Lee for the info)
We're talking about
harmony - not racial harmony or world-peace harmony but simply singing in
harmony, something Phil Everly helped write the book on, as far as rock 'n'
roll (and country and even soul) is concerned. And we're (well, I'm) wondering
why in an age of sampling and freaky electro-modulated voices (like on that
irritating Cher thing) and plenty of the same old angst that smells like teen
spirit and can't find a major third or fifth to complement its melody - heck,
at a time when boy bands such as 'N Sync and 98 are supposed to be reviving the
form - harmony vocals seem to be a dying art.
Everly doesn't think so.
"A dying art?" he asked incredulously - or rather, as incredulously
as his soft, still slightly Southern drawl will allow. "I think there is a
tremendous amount of harmony groups out there today. Boyz II Men - they're
great! There are dozens of great bands that have taken what we did and built on
it in amazing ways." He's being generous. To these ears - and no doubt to
many others' - few if any (the Beach Boys come to mind) have bested what the
Everly Brothers have done, in their heyday or any time since, and their
influence is huge. Without them, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, the
Eagles, Crosby, Stills & Nash and countless others would not have been as
powerful. Without them, rock 'n' roll might not have found the sweetness at the
core of its rebellion.
The duo began in 1955
playing Appalachian folk on Nashville radio shows before achieving acclaim and
popularity with a string of classics that everyone knows (or should, if they
call themselves music fans): "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye
Love," "Bird Dog," "When Will I Be Loved" and the
gorgeously sparse ballads "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Let It
Be Me." Four decades on - and with the bad blood between Phil, 60, and his
brother Don, 62, long in the past - the group is still at it, regularly packing
houses in Las Vegas (mostly at the Orleans, something of a home away from home
for them).
Right away I admit a
glaring flaw in my music studies to Phil (whom I have trouble calling Phil): I
have never seen the Everly Brothers, despite easy and virtually free
opportunities this decade when they have played any number of
Phil is all too aware of
its reputation. "It's always something that people can write about and pin
something to," he said by phone from his home in
Of course, the brothers
put all of that to rest in 1984 with the release of their acclaimed Dave
Edmunds-produced comeback album, "EB 84," and their induction into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later. Much to his credit, Phil isn't
the sort of Hall-of-Famer who hates to look back. "Not a chance of
that," he said. "Those early years ... that was about as much fun as
you could have as a kid. It was like going to college with a bunch of rock 'n'
roll stars. It's the Golden Age, you know? We toured by bus and I was 19,
running around with Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran and everyone else. We were
all the best of friends. It was fantastic." And he'll speak at length
about any song you want, picking "Let It Be Me" as his favorite.
At the same time, he
hasn't gone deaf to modern sounds. "I sometimes think great, durable songs
with timeless lyrics have fallen by the wayside, but then you hear a song like
(he sings) 'What if God was one of us?' - and you just go, 'Whoa!' "
Still, the Everly Brothers have been fairly inactive as far as new material
goes. Recording since the '84 comeback has been very limited - only 1985's
winning "Born Yesterday" and 1988's "Some Hearts" have
followed - and the brothers seem to have settled into a pattern of occasional
reunions for about three months or so out of the year, mostly spent in Vegas,
the rest of the time spent apart with little, if any, contact.
Phil says he and his
fiancee, Patti, mostly keep busy now with wedding plans, while Don, inspired by
his life in Nashville with his fourth wife, Adela, is thinking of recording
solo again. I know it, then: This is my chance. I didn't want to see them in
anything larger than a club anyway - and when Phil tells me, "I don't know
if we'll do it another year, another day or nothing at all; there are no hard,
fast rules," I get anticipatory chills thinking this may be my only
chance. It will come as no surprise that I hold the group in the highest
regard. Sure, they had their share of misses, and by the late '60s it was
almost embarrassing how much they didn't fit in with the sound of the times.
But they are still the genuine article - and from what people who have seen them
recently tell me, they still sound amazing.
So I bristle when Phil
utters this sort of, um, hogwash: "I don't think we're the epitome of
anything." Excuse me ... what?! It's an old routine - fob off your
importance as no big deal. Legends use it to look more like average Joes. I'm
not buying it. "Look, harmony is wonderful, you know, but anyone can do
it. We're not the only ones," he explained. Then why still do it? Why
after all these years, if so many others have supposedly bested what you've
done, why keep heading out on tour? What's left to prove? There's silence at
first. I didn't mean it to come out that way, of course. I meant it to sound
more like, "How do you keep those songs sounding fresh after all this
time?" or maybe just "How do you keep doing it?" Nothing too
fawning, but something polite. Phil's polite. Too polite. My countenance of his
modesty is the sort of trick you pull on someone who's either whitewashing
their history or is getting way too full of himself. And Phil ... er, Mr. Everly,
was doing neither. It wasn't so much false modesty on his part as it was a
stupid question on mine. But he let me off easy. He simply turned the tables
and asked me some similarly obvious questions.
And regardless of what most cocky writers would have you think, when this sort of thing happens - and happens right - it can humble you. "Listen, you ever sing with someone?" he asked. "Yes." "What was that like?" "Like sex." "Pretty incredible, right?" "Yup." "It's a fantastic feeling. That's what I still enjoy. I've always enjoyed that. I like hanging out with the boys, too" - and here he reminds me that he's playing with some of the best, including Albert Lee on guitar and pedal-steel master Buddy Emmons, and how it's like one extended family - "but mostly I just like singing." "And they keep throwing money at us so we keep going. Look, we're just lucky that people remember what we did. There's an art to what we do. I see that. But, really, we just stand up and deliver a good time. That's all."
LIFE'S A
BREACH
May 12, 1999
Life's a Breach
Everlys
Remain Distant in Private but Continue Their Onstage Harmony to
Show They Still Have It
By MIKE
BOEHM, Times Staff Writer
Don Everly's enthusiasm for creating new music in the bosom of his
family has been rekindled, but it's as an Everly husband, not an Everly
Brother. His Hall of Fame partnership with younger brother Phil continues--the
two will play extremely rare small-club concerts Friday and Saturday in
Don, the darker-haired lead
singer, and Phil, whose soaring harmonies complete one of the most instantly
recognizable and influential twinnings of two voices in recording history,
still tour together for three or four months a year, playing shows in which Don
says the chief point is to prove they've still got it. But Don, a folksy, open
talker, says his spark has been lit again for making new music in the
old-fashioned way taught to him by his father, Ike.
For that, he credits his
fourth wife, Adela, a 30-year-old woman he met five years ago in a
Everly said his friend
Dan Goodman heard his new, folksy stuff, much of it focusing on his home state
of Kentucky, and proposed a Kentucky-roots project akin to Los Super Seven, the
acclaimed tejano all-star band Goodman helped organize last year with Freddy
Fender, Flaco Jimenez, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, Joe Ely and others.
"This project's close to my heart," said Everly, who grew up mainly
in Iowa, but was born in rural Kentucky and was steeped in the mountain-music
traditions of his father. "I can't mention the other people involved
[because] there haven't been any contracts [signed]. But a lot of people from
Fans who hear the inspired
vocal blend that was a crucial influence for the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel
and many others want to believe, no doubt, that life imitates art when it comes
to brotherly closeness and cooperation. "Wherever I go, it's 'Are you
still mad at each other?' I say, 'Do you have a family? Do you have a brother?'
"--the point being that the Everlys' frictions and differences are
commonplace. And most siblings were not joined at the hip from childhood--as
Don and Phil Everly almost literally were as they shared a single microphone.
"We give each other a lot of space," Don said with a chuckle.
"We say hello, we sometimes have a meal together" while on tour. In
fact, Don said, outside of music, he and Phil have always gone their own ways. He
can't remember playing childhood games together--only music. Don said he and
Ike Everly enjoyed father-son hunting outings; Phil didn't join them. Phil was
into sports during his school days, going out for basketball and track--an
interest Don didn't share. "Everything is different about us, except when
we sing together," Don said. "I'm a liberal Democrat, he's pretty
conservative."
Don Everly knew from age
8, when he first performed as "Little Donny" on his father's radio
show in
There were frequent
disputes with business handlers, and during the early '60s, Don became addicted
to a cocktail of drugs prescribed as a pick-me-up to help with the grind of
touring. It led, in 1962, to an attempted suicide by overdose in a
want to continue where that [prescription drug] experience was going. I
was beginning a long tour in
fulfill. Instead of ending on a bittersweet note, they blew up: Don was
drunk on tequila (violating one of the strictly followed professional tenets
his father had taught them), Phil smashed his guitar against the stage and
stormed off, and the older brother was left to complete the late show on his
own after sobering up between sets.
The Everlys reunited in
1983 and came up with two strong mid-'80s albums, "EB84" and
"Born Yesterday." The first included "On the Wings of a
Nightingale," a song Paul McCartney wrote for the occasion. "Born
Yesterday," one of the best releases of 1985, featured Don Everly's poignant
title track, with its oblique references to what it's like to go through a
fracturing relationship played out in the public eye: People see you and they
turn their heads, Whisper words you might have said. Point to a spot where you
may have bled, Then they write it on a wall.
But Everly doesn't
flinch from talking about the troubling relationships in his family. He has
been estranged from his mother, Margaret, since his father's death in 1975; he
also has no contact with his two oldest children. He remains in touch with son
Edan, a professional musician who joined him a year or two back to sing in a
benefit concert for Kentucky flood victims, and with daughter Erin, a former
model best known for a turbulent and--she later contended in a lawsuit--abusive
relationship with rocker Axl Rose, who wrote the Guns N' Roses hit "Sweet
Child O' Mine" about her.
Everly said he and his
brother, who has lived in Los Angeles for years, have too many musical
differences to attempt new recordings. "Enthusiasm is all, and he isn't as
interested in the
instinct," Everly said. "That's the charm of what the Everly
Brothers are: two guys singing as one. I want people to leave there thinking:
'Whoa, it's still happening, it's still good.' "
Copyright 1999 Los
Angeles Times. All Rights Reserved
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