Everly Eighty

Looks like a Don week this... After yesterday's feast of St. John Bosco (Don Bosco), today we are celebrating another Don... Don the elder Everly.... He and his younger brother Phil ruled the airwaves way before I was born (and most probably you too). Back in the 1950s, these two brothers with their guitars and harmonized vocals could keep you mesmerized - Yes I already mentioned the Everly Brothers.

Bird Dog/ Til' I Kissed You - I've never really understood the meaning of the Bird Dog song, though it can entertain with its funky beat... Could sway along to it and even snap my fingers to the beat... What's a bird dog? If you have an insight, share it with me...

This next song is a Love Song that sounds more appropriate when sung by a man and a woman. My favorite cover of Let It Be Me has been by country singers Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare... but here's the original nevertheless...

Got a couple of ballads going back to back - Love Hurts and Crying In The Rain

Don is eighty today... He lost his younger brother in 2014 at age 74. And he probably would like to sing this song to his bro... Walk Right Back...

The Everly Brothers were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Take a break from the music to check out this clip being introduced by Neil Young.

One of the best fusions of Country and Rock I've heard has been unmistakably the guitar sound of Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Chet Atkins... Here they both are with the guitaring brothers and Michael McDonald... Why Worry?

From waking you up in the morning to bidding you farewell and thereafter in your dreams, the Everly Brothers have a song for everything. Here they are singing their favorites introduced by another famous duo - Simon and Garfunkel... three of the best songs ever... Wake Up Little Suzie, All I Have To Do Is Dream, Bye Bye Love...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON EVERLY

P.S. Want to know more about the Everly Brothers? Check out their story here. 

Dreamy Duets and The Dooley Trio

Last evening while we were having dinner, my six-year old son raised a very important question...Are Dreams Real or Fake?

I remember a TV show I saw as a little boy that explained the entire concept of dreams. Another memory about 'dreams' from my childhood days is a song that would be always sung at any party or get-together in our family. And later on found it's way into every jam session that had talented singers capable of singing vocal harmony. 

Dre-e-e-e-am, dream, dream, dream....

The elder of 'The Everly Brothers', Don is 79 today. With younger brother Phil, they were among the earliest and the most influential duos of all time, having set unmatched standards for close two-part harmonies. From lilting ballads and sad stories like 'The Lightning Express' to their upbeat 'Bird Dog' or 'Wake Up Little Suzie', the harmony has always been absolutely fantastic. Happy #MusicalBirthday Don Everly. 

We have another harmonious #MusicalBirthday today. The lone surviving member of the very original line-up of this folk group that is still around, Bob Shane is three years older than Don...and was part of - not a duo - but a trio - The Kingston Trio. Happy #MusicalBirthday Bob Shane.

A folk group of the same generation of 50s and 60s, my favorite Kingston Trio song (and possibly of many many others) is the doleful tale about a Mr. Grayson, a beautiful woman and a convicted man named 'Tom Dooley'. 

I would love to have your feedback on the posts on this blog. Or even better, some suggestions for topics to be included in this blog. 

Looking to hear from you.