Everly Brothers 1963-09-23 The Olympia Paris France – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Editors Note: I ran this concert several years ago, before Phil’s death – and now with the news that Don has gone, it only seems fitting to run this concert again as a tribute and a memory of two essential and legendary figures in music.
Something historic tonight. A rare live concert performance by The Everly Brothers, as recorded by ORTF at the Olympia in Paris on September 23, 1963 in what has to be one of the most frantic 20 minutes on tape.
The Everlys signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1960, where they recorded for 10 years. Their first Warner Bros. hit, 1960’s “Cathy’s Clown”, which they wrote and composed themselves, sold eight million copies and became the duo’s biggest-selling record. “Cathy’s Clown” was number WB1, the first selection Warner Bros. Records ever released in the United Kingdom.
Other successful Warner Bros. singles followed in the United States, such as “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)” (1960, pop No. 7), “Walk Right Back” (1961, pop No. 7), “Crying in the Rain” (1962, pop No. 6), and “That’s Old Fashioned” (1962, pop No. 9, their last top 10 hit). From 1960 to 1962, Cadence Records released Everly Brothers singles from the vaults, including “When Will I Be Loved” (pop No. 8), written and composed by Phil, and “Like Strangers”.
In the UK, they had top 10 hits until 1965, including “Lucille”/”So Sad” (1960, No. 4), “Walk Right Back”/”Ebony Eyes” (1961, No. 1), “Temptation” (1961, No. 1), “Cryin’ in the Rain” (1962, No. 6) and “The Price of Love” (1965, No. 2). They had 18 singles into the UK top 40 with Warner Bros. in the 1960s. By 1962, the Everlys had earned $35 million from record sales.
Tonight it’s a concert featuring a high-voltage back-up band with some occasionally strange miking that emphasizes the vocals in a way where the band almost (but not quite) disappears. But this is live and on-the-fly and the engineer was working overtime keeping it all together.
Bottom line: It’s a great show by two of the true legends of early Rock n’ Roll and one you really can’t miss.
And if you aren’t familiar, just crank this one up and get into it.
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UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! This is GREAT, Gordon!!!