Phil Everly (L) and Don Everly (The Everly Brothers) perform on TV on April 1, 1960. Photo: V&A Images/Getty Images.

Don Everly, cofounder of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo the Everly Brothers with his brother Phil, died Aug. 21 at 84.

One of the best-selling and post popular groups of the 1950s, the Everly Brothers joined Elvis Presley as key figures in music’s transition from country to rockabilly to rock and roll. The close harmonies in their hit songs “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and “Wake Up Little Susie” were a direct influence on both the Beach Boys and the Beatles, among others.

I’m sad to hear about Don Everly passing. The Everly Brothers were a big influence on us and we learned a lot from their beautiful harmonies. Love & mercy to Don’s family. pic.twitter.com/khH6kfaPmP

— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) August 22, 2021

As the bands they influenced rose to prominence, the Everly Brothers’ popularity waned in the ’60s and ’70s. That’ when the brothers joined the Marine Corps Reserve and limited their touring and public appearances, though they did continue recording albums and touring in this time, including an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in their Marine uniforms. Though they later reunited, the Everly Brothers broke up when Phil walked off stage during a show at Knott’s Berry Farm in Southern California in 1973. Phil died in 2014.

Follow editor Daniel J. Willis at Twitter.com/BayAreaData.