Legendary Musician and Singer-Songwriter Paul Simon Headlines Phil Everly Benefit Concert in Nashville, Proceeds to support the COPD Foundation

October 02, 2014

NASHVILLE, TN - October 2, 2014 - The COPD Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of patients with COPD and related disorders, hosted "A Tribute to Phil Everly" benefit concert on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at the home of Sylvia Roberts located at 1358 Page Road, Nashville, Tennessee. The evening's festivities featured a rare acoustic performance by 12-time Grammy winner Paul Simon. The concert was hosted to honor the legacy of Phil Everly who passed away in 2014 due to complications from COPD.

Phil Everly, along with his brother Don Everly, formed one of the most influential duos in music, the Everly Brothers. The enduring influence of their close, expressive harmonies is evident in the work of British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Hollies, and of folk-oriented acts such as Simon and Garfunkel, not to mention countless solo artists including Paul Simon himself who remarked, "I wish I'd have met him earlier. He was such a good friend." Most of the Everlys' hit singles - "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do Is Dream" - merged Nashville's clean instrumental country style with innocuous teenage themes, and were smoother than other contemporary country-rock hybrids like rockabilly. Their mastery is revealed in their ballads, among them "Let It Be Me."

In attendance at the event was Phil Everly's wife, Patti Everly. "In addition to being a gifted singer, musician, and songwriter, Phil was also an amazing husband, dedicated father, grandfather, and uncle. COPD took Phil too early. Phil's music changed our world, and now it's time to get behind the COPD Foundation and change the world again where no one has to live with COPD," said Ms. Everly. She continued, "I am grateful for the support of Paul Simon in helping to raise awareness about this devastating disease and be a part of this special evening with proceeds going towards the COPD Foundation."

There is very little research funding for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a preventable and treatable disease, but the lack of research, awareness, and education has resulted in millions of unnecessary hospitalizations, complications, and even deaths of patients. Characterized by breathlessness, frequent coughing and wheezing, COPD is a progressive disease with no cure yet. The COPD Foundation is working to advance knowledge about COPD while simultaneously providing a myriad of free services to COPD patients and their family members who struggle daily with it.

About Phil Everly 

Phil Everly was born in Chicago, IL on January 19, 1939, but grew up in Iowa. He began singing country music with his brother in 1945 on his family's radio show in Shenandoah, Iowa. Notable songs of the Everly Brothers was "Cathy's Clown", "Wake up Little Susie", "Bye Bye Love", "When Will I Be Loved", and "All I Have to Do is Dream". The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and were known for mixing rock 'n' roll music with country music. Phil Everly last performed in public in 2011, but his son Jason said he had been actively writing songs, living part of the year in Burbank and the rest in Nashville.

About Paul Simon

During his distinguished career Paul Simon has been the recipient of many honors and awards including 12 Grammy Awards, three of which ("Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Graceland") were albums of the year. In 2003 he was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel. He is a member of The Songwriters Hall of Fame, a recipient of their Johnny Mercer Award and is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist. He was a recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors in 2002 and was named as one of Time Magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World" in 2006. In 2007, Mr. Simon was awarded the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. In 2011 Mr. Simon was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences.