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By Barry Levine

In time for a heated election, the Mount Rushmore Memorial in South Dakota with 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four U.S. presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt — is getting a power cleaning.

The Mount Rushmore building process started in 1927 and took 14 years to complete.

The Old Rocker has decided we need Rock Rushmores for the greatest performers in the modern era from 1955 through 1970. This installment, the first of three, features duos. As with Mount Rushmore, there will be four in each category listed in alphabetical order.

The second installment will be groups.

MALE DUOS

Everly Brothers — One of the most successful and best duos of all-time, the Everly Brothers, Don and Phil, certainly deserve to have their faces on Rock Rushmore. From 1957 through 1970, they had 11 No. 1 hits on the pop and country charts.

Topping both charts were “Wake Up Little Susie” in 1957 and “All I Have To Do is Dream” and “Bird Dog” in 1958. The Everlys’ other No. 1 hit on the pop chart was Cathy’s Clown” in 1959. Among their other Top 5 hits were “Bye Bye Love” in 1957, “Problems” in 1958, “Til I Kissed You” in 1959 and “Crying in the Rain” in 1962.

Jan & Dean – Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, who with The Beach Boys, were pioneers of surf music.

They had 26 Top 40 hits from 1958 to 1966. Their peak years were 1963 and 1964 when they charted 16 Top 40 hits. They had their only No. 1 hit in 1963 with “Surf City.” Their other Top 10 hits were “Baby Talk” in 1959, “Honolulu Lulu” and “Drag City” in 1963, “Dead Man’s Curve” and “the Little Old Lady from Pasadena” in 1964.

Berry combined with Arnie Ginsburg (Jan & Arnie) in 1958 to have a Top 10 hit with “Jennie Lee.”

Sam & Dave – Sam Moore and Dave Prater, of Ocilla, soul and R&B specialists, performed together from 1961 to 1981. Although they did not have a long list of Top 40 hits, what they did have was a major impact on the industry.

They had their biggest hits during the 1960s with “Soul Man,” “Hold On, I’m Comin’” and “I Thank You.” “Soul Man” reached No. 2 in 1967, “I Thank You” No. 9 in 1968 and “Hold On I’m Coming” No. 21 in 1966.

The duo earned industrywide respect and were enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

Simon & Garfunkel – The most famous folk-rock group of the 1960s, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel burst onto the scene in 1965 when “Sounds of Silence” climbed to No. 1. The duo’s other No. 1 songs were “Mrs. Robinson” in 1968 and “Bridge over Troubled Water” in 1970.

Among their other major hits were “Homeward Bound” and “I am a Rock” in 1966, “At the Zoo” and “Fakin’ It” in 1967, “The Boxer” in 1969 and “Cecilia” in 1970.

Simon & Garfunkel broke up in 1970 because of artistic differences but reunited in 1981 for a free concert in Central Park in Manhattan. More than 1 million attended the show.

MALE/FEMALE DUOS

The Carpenters – Karen and Richard Carpenter, a brother-sister tandem, began their meteoric rise in 1969 when “Ticket to Ride” climbed into the Top 20. They followed with their first No. 1 hit, “Close to You.”

They had two other No. 1 hits: “Top of the World” in 1973 and “Please Mr. Postman” in 1974.

The Carpenters also had several Top 3 hits, including “We’ve Only Just Begun” in 1970, “For All We Know,” “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “Superstar” in 1971, “Hurting Each Other” in 1972, “Sing” and “Yesterday Once More” in 1973, and “Only Yesterday” in 1975.

Their career ended in 1983 when Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia.

Les Paul & Mary Ford – Introduced by Gene Autry in 1946 and married two years later, Les Paul and Mary Ford reached the apex of their success during the 1950s.

Together, they changed the sound of pop music.

From 1950 until 1954, they had 16 Top 10 hits, including an astounding five in a nine-month span: “Tennessee Waltz,” “Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “How High the Moon” (No. 1 for nine weeks), “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise,” and “Whispering.”

From August 1952 to March 1953, they had five more Top 10 hits: “My Baby’s Coming Home,” “Lady of Spain,” “Bye Bye Blues,” “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” and “Vaya con Dios” (No. 1 for 11 weeks).

They continued to produce Top 40 hits with “Hummingbird” in 1955, “Put a Ring on My Finger” in 1958 and “Jura” in 1961.

Paul was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, which made the sound of rock ‘n’ roll possible.

Sonny & Cher – The husband and wife pop-rock duo had failed singles to start their career, but managed to hit the top of the charts with “I Got You Babe” in 1965.” That was their only No. 1 single.

They had five other Top 10 hits: “Baby Don’t Go” in 1965, “Laugh at Me” in 1966, “The Beat Goes On” in 1967, “All I Ever Need is Love” in 1971 and “A Cowboy’s Work is Never Done” in 1972.

They became TV darlings during the mid-1970s with two Top 10 TV shows, “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” and “The Sonny & Cher Show.” The couple’s career ended in 1975 with their divorce.

Ike & Tina Turner – The husband and wife team had one of the most volatile relationships in rock history. Ike was a successful blues singer when he met Tina, a teenager trying to break into the business. Tina started singing with Ike’s band, and in 1960 she had his baby. They married two years later.

As Tina’s career took off, their relationship became more contentious. The couple finally divorced in 1978, and Tina proceeded to launch a comeback.

They had two major hits on the pop charts: “A Fool in Love” in 1960 and “Proud Mary” in 1971. “Proud Mary” originally was recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969 and became a No. 2 hit.

Ike & Tina Turner fared much better on the R&B charts, notching five other Top 10 hits.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].