Tributes Pour In For Phil Everly

5 January 2014 | 12:09 pm | Staff Writer

The enormity of his influence is obvious.

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Following news of the death of the legendary Phil Everly, one half of the core line up of The Everly Brothers, the music world has paid tribute in droves with messages of tribute to the iconic artist.

Phil Everly passed away on Friday, US time, at the age of 74 from complications attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a combination of emphysema and bronchitis.

A few famous singing brothers have made mention of the influence of Phil and Don's singing together.

“My heart is so incredibly saddened by the passing of Phil Everly,” Brian Wilson wrote on his Facebook page. “The Everly Bros music was a huge inspiration for me growing up. As brothers, those harmonies just sound so sweet and tender, I think it's a family thing. I could never get enough of their voices. Love and Mercy to his family, friends and devoted fans.”

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Nancy Sinatra noted that touring with the Everly's was “one of the thrills of [her] life” in her twitter tribute.

While punk rocker Iggy Pop said the Everly Brothers were the kind of group that made music worthwhile bothering with.

"God bless Phil Everly," he wrote. "The Everlys were the real deal when it comes to American music. I saw them in the 60s at the 20 Grand in Detroit, and they seriously rocked the huge house, with just two Gibson Jumbos, and their voices. And man, did these guys have cool haircuts. I bought 'Songs our Daddy Taught Us' on download recently and there's a whole life lesson in there. It's brothers like the Everlys, that make the music scene of today worth bothering with. I am in their debt like so many others, for they have enriched my life."

Phil Everly and his brother Don started performing back in the mid-1950s and quickly became revered for their incredible harmonies, which saw them both sing individual melody lines that would be able to stand alone, as well as working in harmony with one another.

This style of close harmony singing became an enormous influence on some of the biggest acts of our time; The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel have all admitted to developing their styles of singing through performing songs of the Everly Brothers.

The band existed between 1957 and 1973, before Don and Phil fell out and reportedly didn't speak for a decade. They reunited in 1983 and continued to perform until recently. Just last year there were three Every Brothers tribute records released, courtesy of Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Dawn McCarthy, The Chapin Sisters and Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones.