So, The Beatles are the greatest band of all time, right? Not if you ask Paul McCartney.
Sir Paul himself feels that The Everly Brothers deserve the honor.
British newspaper the Daily Mail reports that, according to a passage in his new book The Lyrics, the former Beatle says he and band mate John Lennon were plenty inspired by the pioneering American rock ‘n’ roll duo.
“The biggest influence on John and me was The Everly Brothers. To this day, I just think they’re the greatest,” McCartney expressed. “And they were different.”
“You’d heard barbershop quartets, you’d heard [British pop trio] the Beverley Sisters — three girls — you’d all heard that. But just two guys, two good-looking guys? So we idolized them. We wanted to be them,” he remarked.
The Everly Brothers, comprised of brothers Don and Phil Everly, are credited for pioneering the country-rock genre. The duo also experimented with infusing pop elements into their music, which include the hit singles “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie” and many more. Other artists influenced by the duo included Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees and The Hollies.
Don passed away in August of this year. He was predeceased by Phil, who died on January 3, 2014.
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