THE EVERLYS AND ME
BY
Frank
Allen
(original member of The Searchers)
I first heard those dynamic opening chords of Bye Bye
Love on the Jack Jackson television show in the late spring of `57. I`m pretty
sure it was the Jack Jackson show. I could be wrong. My memory, which once
reached out and grabbed what it wanted with the verve and vigour of youth, now
fumbles around the shelves of my mind with a panicky haste lest it should forget
what it was actually searching for in the first place.
Jack Jackson was the coolest of our deejays. Not such a
hard task. They were a new breed and still few and far between. And he was only
cool in relation to the other middle aged dinosaurs who played dance band music
in the main and whose idea of the cutting edge of pop was Guy Mitchell singing
She Wore Red Feathers And A Hooley Hooley Skirt. Jackson was middle aged, homely
looking and a cross between Alan Freed and Stan Freburg. His style was to cut
and edit tiny segments from the current hits and paste them together into
amusing sketches to be lip synched to by his cohorts. Every now and then a song
would be played in full and once in a while a rare but welcome treat was the
appearance of a guest star plugging his own disc. Just occasionally from the
dust and the dross would be dredged a nugget of pure gold. One year before he
had introduced me to the raw sexuality of Elvis Presley. I had never heard
anything like it before. And now I was hearing something completely different
but just as exciting and innovative in its own way.
Harmony was nothing new. We already had the Four Aces,
The Four Preps and a whole plethora of doo wop groups. Harmony when sang by the
Evs was. The sheer power of the opening riffs of that first disc was mind
blowing. All the more surprising when you think that it was actually just an
acoustic performance. Very light drums and merely a hint of electric guitar. But
it hit home like a steam hammer and those tight crisp vocals cut through the
sound waves like a knife slicing through soft butter.
Their harmony structure in the main was pretty simple with Phil`s notes normally three tones apart from the lead line. Occasionally there would be an interesting diversion such as Cathy`s Clown where the short word ‘love’ in Don`s part would be extended into six full syllables and a melody which cascaded down almost like a waterfall while Phil`s top line would hang onto just one note for the same length . This technique was copied six years on with great success by no less than The Beatles in the opening lines of Please Please Me.
Then at other times they would venture into territory which required a fine grasp of chord structure and musical theory. Don`t Blame Me stands out as an early shining example. Singing harmony does not come naturally to everybody. Ever since hearing The Evs way back in my youth it is where my musical ambitions have taken me. I have almost always headed for the harmony parts. In one of my very early groups our lead singer, who by the way had an excellent voice, was never able to stick to his part if a harmony voice was within earshot. I invariably found him wandering onto my notes thus ending up with neither one thing nor the other. I gave up my attempts until I found an outfit where the main man could cope with such distractions and embellishments.
But whether plain or fancy it was in essence the tones of their voices and their ability to convey the kind of angst that embodies the spirit of teenage love, whether lost or gained, that reached out to the listener and tugged at the heartstrings. And for me no one can tug at the heartstrings quite like they do.
*
My friend Bruce Welch of The Shadows, the legendary British group who went on from simply backing Cliff Richard to becoming an instrumental legend in their own right, insists that the secret of their distinctive sound is that they are brothers. That only holds true up to a point. Being brothers and raised in a close family environment they might naturally pre-empt what each other is about to do. Their voices might even, given the same genes, be similar in sound. But that does not necessarily mean that the sound is different or unusual. The Kalins were twins but they were never as special or as unique as The Everlys. The sound, as far as I am concerned, is in part due to the absolute conviction they give to every one of their recordings but more than that it is in the timbre of their individual voices. There is a unique woody quality that I have never heard in anyone else.
Phil`s voice in particular I can only compare to the sound of an oboe. His breathy tones vibrate as if they are passing over a quivering reed and passing down a finely crafted column of seasoned wood. His sound is neither masculine nor feminine. It is in a gender of its own. It seems to be in a pitch that is so unnatural that it stands alone in a world of mundanely predictable voices. Don`s wonderful sound, deeper and much more suited to the delivery of the tonic line, is in a more normal range but still has that amazing Everly breathiness. It is an impossible thing to describe accurately. I don`t have that command of words. Breathiness is as close as I get and it will have to suffice. I just hope you get the picture. Any half decent harmony duo with sharp tuneful voices could approximate The Kalin Twins. I have heard people imitate the voice of Elvis and at a pinch they could fool me or come close. I have heard people deliver a convincing Buddy Holly voice. I have never, even given the correct harmonies and exact phrasing, heard anyone able to duplicate the voices of Don and Phil.
As if the voices were not enough, when I first saw them I could hardly believe it. They may have seemed to some like ‘the boys next door’ but they were never like any boys who lived next door to me. They were young. They had the kind of incredible good looks that I would have sold my soul to possess. They had angels voices that they probably had indeed sold their souls for. How else could you acquire voices like that? And they were from America. It was so unfair. They had it all. And I was still struggling with the first faltering chords of the skiffle craze.
My guitar was a cheap steel stringed abomination to which being in tune was just something that happened to other instruments. They had Gibson J200s with special oversized pick guards. Brunette with white guards on some occasions and the next time blond with black adornments. Pretty soon, as hit followed hit followed hit, each one as good or better than the last, they sported guitars made for and named after them. Pretty little stars in the neck and beautiful tortoiseshell covering almost the whole of the sound board. I wanted those guitars. I still do. When I was speaking to Albert Lee not long ago he told me that he not only has one of the Everly models, he also has one of the original specially adapted early J200s. Albert, if ever your house is robbed of those instruments you might as well save the police a lot of time and trouble and send them round to me first. I`ll probably have to own up.
*
The first time I ever worked with the guys was at the famous Star Club in Hamburg. Those were still my pre-Searchers days when I was still the bass player with Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers. I had seen the Beatles for the first time on the last day of 1962, the night Kingsize Taylor recorded the famous bootleg tapes. They went home to unimagined glory. We found ourselves on a Star Club bill alongside The Everly Brothers. It was 1963 and their band were using a set of Gibson Firebird instruments that I found rather odd and somewhat displeasing to the eye. Even now, when I realise as a collector of vintage guitars their importance in the history of the Gibson company, I am still uncomfortable with their design. But heaven still existed in those beautiful Everly models that hung around the necks of Don and Phil. This was the time of their classic look. The tail coats, ruffled shirts and striped trousers. Probably the most distinctive look in the history of the brothers. Stunning is too light a word for how they looked and sung. I gawped at them nightly and never dared to utter more than a polite hello in their presence.
Later on in the seventies we found ourselves on the same record label and on the same show. They were recording for RCA and not having a good time of it. Their star had faded a bit though not as much as ours. They made some fine recordings at that time. The Brand New Tennessee Waltz stands out for me as special. But the resurgence did not happen either for them or for us. The wheel had not turned full circle and it was to be a while before the nostalgia boom was to kick in with a vengeance. We supported them on a London Palladium concert that had Dave Loggins opening, The Searchers closing the first half and the Everlys taking the whole of the post interval spot. This time I did manage some sort of conversation with Phil but I`m not sure how successful it was or how comfortable I appeared. It is hard talking to a god while looking through the eyes of a mere mortal. And The Everlys always had been gods to me. At important moments like this I invariably have the knack of making a complete fool of myself.
Their style of clothing now was casual and western. Like them we too were trying to follow the trends and dress down on stage. I don`t think it was entirely successful for either act but most people get a little lost at some point in their career. Or maybe we are just not able to view ourselves with the same kind of unshakeable nostalgic commitment of the die-hard fan whose insistence it is to keep everything the same forever. Sadly forever doesn`t exist and you are fighting a losing battle. Nevertheless we both saw the light later on. We got back into our black suits for the 1981 Royal Variety Show and The Everlys donned the black tuxedos for the comeback concert at The Albert Hall.
I missed that show much to my regret. We were only a mile away at the old PYE studios (now renamed PRT and the scene of all our original hit recordings) trying in vain once more to recapture some semblance of popularity through some new recordings. I would have been better off at the concert. Those recordings did nothing. In fact the only release they saw was on the rarities section of a 3 CD Searchers 30th anniversary collection. I was extremely jealous of the celebrities and fans who had been able to witness the talent and closeness that evening of the feuding siblings. For one night at least the were brothers in arms once more.
I managed to get to several other concerts over the ensuing years though simply as one of the audience. The Talk Of The South in Southend. The Circus Tavern in Surrey. These were the kind of club gigs that the brothers did not like but I still enjoyed them. Concerts suited them better. The Playhouse in Edinburgh, The Apollo in Hammersmith and a couple of returns to the Albert Hall. All were good. Some better than others. I have read on the website that The Everlys never give less than 100%. I don`t believe that is true. Not of them. Not of us. And not of most people. Artistes are human and suffer from the same ups and downs of mood as anyone. Shows vary. Sometimes in the quality of the performance, slight though it may be, and sometimes in the value for money department time-wise. We all succumb to weariness or homesickness or personal problems that no one but ourselves will understand. But they were never less than great. The Everlys` worst is greater than most artistes` best. And on their best nights they were beyond words.
*
I think that a lot of devotees like myself, though appreciative of the importance of the multitude of big hits which were and will remain forever classics, my delight is in the magnificent album tracks that are seldom heard. My favourite album, and I share this preference with Sir Tim Rice who kindly transferred it onto tape for me when I lost my vinyl copy, is It`s Everly Time. From that incredibly appealing collection, which boasts such wonders as Nashville Blues, That`s What You Do To Me, Some Sweet Day, So Sad and Just In Case, comes my favourite track of all. Sleepless Nights.
The words and the fascinating chord structure put together by the inimitable Felice and Boudleaux Bryant are completed to perfection by those astonishingly moving harmonies. Very few people either know or can sing that song. When the urge comes to warble it I have only found three to accompany me on that one. Billy Kinsley from The Merseybeats (Wishin` and Hopin`, Don`t Turn Around etc), Henry Marsh from the group Sailor (Glass Of Champagne) and the great Bobby Vee who seems to know every song under the sun. I don`t have to remind you of any of Bobby`s hits. They are too well known. Second choice would have to be Songs Our Daddy Taught Us with Kentucky heading the list.
Talking of singing, through the last few years I have arranged diner parties at my house at the end of which the guests dip into my guitar collection and sing the songs of our youth. Many of my fellow diners, who know before they arrive that they are going to have to sing for their supper, have been quite prestigious and I look on it as a privilege to have them performing by my side in a relaxed informal atmosphere. Bruce Welch is my most consistent guest. Before he and Hank Marvin joined up with Cliff Richard they were attempting to be Newcastle`s answer to the Everly Brothers. Bruce and I always get the proceedings going by launching into Cathy`s Clown, closely followed by Walk Right Back and Wake Up Little Susie.
Fellow musicians have included the likes of Paul Jones (Manfred Mann), Chas McDevitt (hit recorder of Freight Train), Lyn Paul (The New Seekers) and even one of the legendary guitarists of all time, Mark Knopfler. Wonderful as they all are my greatest wish is to have Don, or Phil, or both at my table to eat and talk and, especially, sing. My greatest regret is that it is unlikely ever to happen.
There is one more wish. Songs Our Daddy Taught Us was the original ‘unplugged’ album before MTV ever invented the concept. It seems like astonishing short-sightedness that no television producer has put together a show featuring The Everlys in an intimate setting with nothing more than those heavenly voices over acoustic instruments. Or has it happened somewhere and I have missed it? Surely not. Soft lighting, a stand up bass, drums, maybe a dobro and a fiddle. Okay, maybe just the tiniest touch of an electric guitar. But most of all those iconic jumbo Gibsons and the two sweetest harmony voices ever to come out of Kentucky. Let`s do it before it`s too late. Life is too short for regrets.