The Everly Brothers were at the crossroads of country music and R&B in the late 1950’s and served as an influential act on a generation of bands that followed them in the 1960’s. The most notable band they influenced was The Beatles– early in John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s career they actually referred to themselves as “the British Everly Brothers”, which is probably the greatest nod of recognition you could have in retrospect. The Everly Brothers were known primarily for their close harmony singing, which basically describes melodies that are sung within a narrow range. Put another way, all vocal melodies are sung no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes, giving everything a very tight and concise feel that evokes a group of folks singing a song together in a living room. Hearing this album you can hear the influence they had on The Beatles nearly immediately, especially with some of The Beatles earlier work like With The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night.
They’re Off & Rolling is the Everly Brothers debut album and served as an important historic album in the history of rock and roll and helped lay the groundwork for the genre to completely take over mainstream music in the early 60’s.
Standout Songs: “This Little Girl of Mine”, “Rip It Up”, “Wake Up Little Susie”
