‘I just think they’re the greatest’: Paul McCartney admits he prefers The Everly Brothers to The Beatles
Paul McCartney has admitted he holds The Everly Brothers in higher esteem than his own band The Beatles.
The singer, 79, made the shocking remark in his latest book The Lyrics – while adding that the John Lennon had been heavily influenced by the late two-piece as well.
He wrote: ‘The biggest influence on John and Me was The Everly Brothers. To this day, I just think they’re the greatest. And they were different.
Shock: Paul McCartney has admitted he holds The Everly Brothers in higher esteem than his own band The Beatles (pictured in 2021)
‘You’d heard barbershop quartets, you’d heard the Beverley Sisters – three girls – you’d all heard that.
‘But just two guys, two good-looking guys? So we idolised them. We wanted to be them,’ the Hey Jude hitmaker concluded.
The Everly Brothers – consisting of Phil and Don – hold the record for the most top 100 singles by any duo in history.
Wow! The Everly Brothers – consisting of Phil and Don – hold the record for the most top 100 singles by any duo in history (pictured in 1965)
During the height of their success in the 1950s and 1960s, the country crooners charted nearly three dozen hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Cathy’s Clown hitmakers – who began as a family act with their parents Ike & Margaret – were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
After an acrimonious split in the early 1970s, the Everlys reunited in 1983.
Surprise: The singer, 79, (far left) made the shocking remark in his latest book The Lyrics – while adding that the John Lennon (far right) had been heavily influenced by the two-piece too (pictured in 1963 with George Harrison (centre left) and Ringo Starr (centre right)
Don and Phil whiled away much of their early childhood in Iowa before spending their teen years in Tennessee.
It was there that they began their careers the Nashville country music scene, spinning their wheels for years before scoring a hit with Bye Bye Love in 1957.
The number had been written by the husband-wife team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant who pitched it unsuccessfully to 30 acts before the Everly Brothers took it.
They spun it into their breakthrough success, scoring a number one on the country charts and even a number two on the pop charts.
A number of hits followed, from songs written by others like Wake Up Little Susie to songs Don wrote like Cathy’s Clown and (Til) I Kissed You.
Don passed away in August 2021 at the age of 84, seven years after he lost his brother Phil at 74-years-old
Throwback: Their breakthrough single was Bye Bye Love in 1957 and they continued to be a success through the late 1950s (pictured in 1959)
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