Everly Brothers forever

October 20, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

When you look back at the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class, the list is a who’s who of early rock music with names such as Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis Presley.

Also in that class is the Everly Brothers, which older generations are quite familiar with while younger folks may be somewhat in the dark. Sure, they’ve heard the duo’s hits “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream” in the soundtrack of pop culture, but today the impact of Don and Phil Everly is underrated.

“In some ways, they’re part of the first moment of rock ’n’ roll but they’re key to the creation of the second big explosion in the ’60s with The Beatles, The Hollies,” said Rock Hall Vice President of Education and Public Programs Lauren Onkey. “The British Invasion bands are kind of unimaginable without the Everly Brothers.

“And then you hear their influence in the late ’60s with the emergence of The Byrds and getting into the ’70s with Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles and all of that country rock. I think that’s a straight line back to the Everly Brothers. And now you’re hearing it in what we call Americana. That mix of country, folk and rock ’n’ roll, their hands are all over it. It’s great songwriting, great harmony and rock ’n’ roll rhythms.”

First emerging in the mid-’50s, the Everly Brothers mashed up Appalachian folk, bluegrass and country for what amounted to a wholesome style of innocent rock. Other songs of note from their catalog include hits “Cathy’s Clown,” “When Will I Be Loved” and “[‘Til] I Kissed You.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is celebrating the sibling act with its 19th annual Music Masters Series. A weeklong number of events culminates with an all-star tribute concert scheduled for Saturday at the State Theatre.

This year’s affair features Graham Nash, Peter Asher, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Shelby Lynne, Alison Krauss, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Dawn McCarthy, Keb’ Mo’, Allison Moorer, JD Souther, The Secret Sisters, Ledisi and Waddy Wachtel.

Two-time Grammy Award winner Rodney Crowell will serve as musical director for the tribute concert with the house band featuring Grammy Award-winning guitarist Albert Lee, who served as musical director for the Everly Brothers’ 1983 reunion concert.

“The Everly Brothers have been a great part of my life, dating back to 1962 when I first met them,” said Lee via email. “I was, of course, a big fan of their music years before then. I worked with Don when they went solo and was so happy to have been a part of the reunion concert in 1983.

“It’s a wonderful thing that they are being honored by the American Masters Series, and I’m so looking forward to being a part of the show.”

While normally the annual Music Masters Series shows attract industry elite, this year’s bill seems to stand out. Onkey said Rock Hall officials noticed a fantastic response from artists interested in partaking in the tribute concert.

“A lot of that had to do with, of course, the love and respect for the Everly Brothers,” Onkey said. “It’s also the impact of our music director, Rodney Crowell, who has been such a fantastic partner this year putting together the show.

“He was helping recruit artists, too. We just got this extraordinary response, which is great because then you see the artists as fans themselves of this music.”

As for the Music Masters Series, next year marks the 20th anniversary of the program, which began in 1996 when Bruce Springsteen and others celebrated the music of Woody Guthrie.

Considering 2015 marks an important anniversary, does Onkey expect anything special?

“Gosh, I can’t think about next year right now,” she laughed. “But, I will be very conscious of the fact that it’s the 20th anniversary, and we’ll do our best to blow it out. It’s just a really special program.”