The music industry certainly has changed in the past almost 60 years, as evident in a 1968 interview with the Everly Brothers. Made up of siblings Don and Phil Everly, Don reveals that their perception back then was much, much different than now. But even then, Don reveals how the industry changed in the decade since their self-titled sebut album came out in 1957.
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"And how the business has changed in that time," Don tells the Record Mirror. "When we started, young performers like us were regarded as a kind of hoodlums, a necessary evil. Those who ran the business belonged to an older generation. They didn't understand the music they were selling. It was a big drag."
Don likely never could have imagined the changes in the music industry since then. Especially since, by his own admission, he was surprised at the change since they started releasing music.
"Now we can work with people who are sympathetic," Don says. "We're not regarded as hoodlums any longer. And since we've been established, we've been able to experiment more. In the early days, we were expected to record what we were told and to stay in the groove. They wanted us to keep repeating the same sound, though we wanted to do different things. 'Bye Bye Love' was followed by a Ray Charles thing, 'Leave My Woman Alone.' Then we did an album of 'Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.'"
The Everly Brothers And Their Diverse Musical Styles
Part of what made the Everly Brothers so successful is their diverse musical styles, refusing to adhere to just one genre in their albums.
"We've recorded country, R&B, twenties songs, and semi-classical material," Don says. "If we'd stayed doing variations of one style, we wouldn't have held the public's interest for long. Of course, we can't expect everybody to like everything we do, though there is a group of fans who buy anything we do."
It's because of their own love of music that the Everly Brothers were able to release so much diverse music.
"Phil and I often get goose bumps from the excitement of what happens when we're playing," Don says. "We don't know how it happens, but sometimes SOMETHING does. It's a great feeling, like jazz musicians get when they're jamming."
