On their new album Ghost Stories, The Whitmore Sisters – Eleanor and Bonnie – cover another iconic sibling duo: The Everly Brothers. But they don’t go for an obvious oldies-radio hit like “All I Have to Do Is Dream” or “Cathy’s Clown.” Instead, they dig out the 1984 Paul McCartney-penned chestnut “On the Wings of an Nightingale,” and make it sound every bit as classic as anything in the Brothers’ catalog. In some ways, their cover actually sounds more like the Everly Brothers than the original, which piles on some unfortunate ’80s production.
Older sister Eleanor may be best known as a member of Steve Earle’s longtime backing band The Dukes and Duchesses with her husband Chris Masterson, who produced Ghost Stories. In a bio on the band’s website, she says, “We did want to nod to the influence of sibling harmony. Will Rigby (dBs) had sent Chris and I the demo Paul McCartney had made for the Everlys.” “In addition to McCartney’s songwriting,” Bonnie adds, “his bass-playing was a huge influence on me.”
Listen to the Whitmore Sisters’ cover below, followed by the Everly Brothers’ original recording and that McCartney demo too.
Check out more Everly Brothers covers here and more McCartney covers here.
