Everett Lilly in West Virginia Music Hall of Fame

From West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

Everett Lilly inducted into the WV Music Hall of Fame
By Suzanne Higgins

December 9, 2008 ·
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame inducted 12 new members at an awards ceremony at the Cultural Center last month. Everett Lilly is the sole survivor of “The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover."

“The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover” were neighbors as boys growing up in Clear Creek in Raleigh County. They are credited with bringing southern Appalachian music to the upper northeastern region of the United States, and to as far away as Japan. Their music is often called bluegrass but 85 year old Everett Lilly describes it this way.

“American Folk Mountain Country music. It’s telling about somebody’s life,” he said.

Everett and his older brother Michael Burt, known as “Bea” started their duet professionally in the 1930’s on local radio and the national radio show Jamboree USA in Wheeling. Don Stover joined in the 1950’s. At that point they were invited to Boston where fans were so enthusiastic about their music the band stayed for 18 years. They played 7 nights a week, 50 weeks a year.

Lilly says his voice and his brother’s always blended beautifully. He says they knew what each other would be thinking on stage, even without discussion or rehearsals.

“It’s just something you feel from one to another, you know, if you’re family,” he said prior to his induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

“The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover” are also members of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame. Stover passed away in 1996, Bea in 2005.

Lilly says he considers himself a musician first and says he believes he’s taught his sons a few things when it comes to music. When he can, Everett continues to perform with his sons in their band called the Lilly Mountaineers. They just won the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Association Recorded Event of the Year.

Look for profiles of other inductees in the 2008 West Virginia Hall of Fame on West Virginia Morning at 7:30 on West Virginia Public Radio.

Our television program Outlook will feature all of the new 2008 inductees. Look for that special broadcast Thursday, December 18 and 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 21 at 6:00 p.m. on West Virginia PBS.