Numb3rsWriteoff - Auto/Biograpy - Team Angst - The Brothers Eppes
Title: The Brothers Eppes
Author: CPWatcher
Pairing/Characters: Don Eppes, Charlie Eppes
Rating/Category: G/Gen
Spoilers: Episode titles, and characters, no main plots
Summary: Don and Charlie Eppes are rock stars
Notes/Warnings: Character death
This fic was written for the Angst vs Schmoop Challenge at numb3rswriteoff. After you’ve read the fic, please rate it by voting in the poll located here. (Your vote will be anonymous.) Rate the fic on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the best) using the following criteria: how well the fic fit the prompt, how angsty the fic was, and how well you enjoyed the fic. When you’re done, please check out the other challenge fic at numb3rswriteoff. Thank you!
The Brothers Eppes
The Brothers Eppes were one of the premier artistic duos to hit the music scene starting in the early 1990’s, often referred to as that decade’s Simon and Garfunkel. At the age of 13 and 18 respectively, brothers Charlie (9/5/1972 - 2/22/2010), and Donald (7/15/1967 - 2/22/2010), were discovered in 1985 while performing in a high school talent contest. Although the brothers lost the contest to a hard rock band, their performance left an impression on the recording executive sitting in the audience. Said Ian Edgerton, of Stealth Records, “I knew these brothers were something special the moment I heard them sing together. The hard part was convincing their father that they had a bright future in music.” Their father, Alan Eppes, owner and pharmacist of Eppes Drugs, a neighborhood drugstore on the south side of Chicago, had aspirations of his sons following in his footsteps and running the family business.
“Donnie was supposed to run the store. And Charlie was going to be the pharmacist, just like me and my brother, and my father and his brother before that,” said the senior Eppes in an interview with MTV. “I never wanted them to be rock stars.” But Margaret Eppes, the boys’ mother and first music teacher, convinced her husband to let the brothers’ record their first single a year later in September, 1986.
“Dreamland,” penned by singer-songwriter Donald Eppes, who also wrote and performed nearly all the songs the brothers recorded, was an immediate success, reaching number 24 on the Billboard’s Pop chart for 15 weeks after its debut. Donald’s smooth vocals and stunning lyrics were complemented by Charlie’s vividly rich musical composition.
In June 1987, the duo released their second single, “Dark Matter,” a soft rock tune that made Billboard’s Pop 100 for 8 weeks, reaching number 32. The brothers released three more singles between 1988 and late 1989, including “Contenders,” which made the year’s top 500.
Producer Mildred Finch sent the brothers into the studio in 1990 to work on their first album. “Velocity” was released in the spring of 1991, having immediate success on the record charts, spawning three Billboard Pop 100 singles. The success of their first album culminated in the duo’s first U.S. tour in 1992, a 15-city run that had them opening for the rock band Genesis.
Even as the brothers were reveling in the glow of their success, behind the scenes there was constant gossip about dissension between the pair. The official report to MTV and the other media outlets was artistic differences between the brothers. However, sources close to the pair stated it was more likely the result of both brothers competing for the affections of the same woman. While its unknown exactly who the mystery woman was, sources speculate that it may have been Val Eng, a studio extra who sang vocals on several singles. Donald had been seen kissing Ms. Eng at several local nightclubs. Neither Donald, or Charlie, nor Ms. Eng would offer any corroboration to the rumors, but Ms. Eng was released from her contract with the duo a short time later.
In 1995 the album “Double Down” was released, which included four chart topping singles, “Burn Rate,” “Chinese Box,” “Black Swan,” and “Devil Girl”. The following year the brothers rejoined Genesis and started their first world tour, a proposed two-year venture, with stops in twelve countries. Six months into the tour however, tragedy struck the duo, with Donald Eppes being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The debilitating disease left him with weakness along the right side of his body, cutting short the world-tour for the pair.
Three years later, Donald had recovered enough to get back into the studio, where he and Charlie began work on their third album. The project was slow going, as Donald continued to relapse with his MS. In 2001, the Brothers Eppes released “Uncertainty Principle.” Technically a rock album, the songs were predominately composed of soft rock love songs. “Obsession,” “Cover Me,” and “Tabu” all made the Adult Contemporary 100 and the Pop 100. Two other singles, “Sacrifice,” and “For Bettor or Worse” made the Pop Top Ten list. The media outlets speculated that the lyrics to both songs told the story of how the two brothers worked through their differences when family and health took precedence over fame and fortune.
The duo expanded their ranks in 2005 when they were joined by three permanent band members, Colby Granger (horns), David Sinclair (drums) and Terry Lake (guitar). With the new addition, the group put out its fourth album, “The Man”. Three tracks made the Billboard’s Top 100 - (Who’s) The Man, In My Skin, Need You.
More misfortune hit the group in 2006, when Terry was killed in an automobile accident while driving to the rehearsal. Megan Reeves joined the band shortly thereafter. Additionally, in 2009, Liz Bentacourt and Nikki Davis joined as backup singers as the group began recording a fifth album, "Unrequited."
However, the album would wind up short five tracks as Charlie was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer during the middle of recording. Ensusing chemotherapy sessions and medical complications prevented the younger brother from returning to the recording studio. It was reported that at the same time Donald Eppes' multiple sclerosis flared up as well, casuing him difficulty with vision and speech. These factors may have contributed to the brothers' fatal plane crash in February 2010.
Donald, an accomplished pilot, had been ferrying brother Charlie to the Mayo clinic for a hoped for treatment to his final stage cancer. However the plane went down in a fiery crash soon after takeoff. While the NTSB ruled the crash as mechanical error, sources close to the family stated that Don was despondent over the last few weeks when Charlie's prognosis was deemed terminal.
The brothers were survived by both parents.
Author: CPWatcher
Pairing/Characters: Don Eppes, Charlie Eppes
Rating/Category: G/Gen
Spoilers: Episode titles, and characters, no main plots
Summary: Don and Charlie Eppes are rock stars
Notes/Warnings: Character death
This fic was written for the Angst vs Schmoop Challenge at numb3rswriteoff. After you’ve read the fic, please rate it by voting in the poll located here. (Your vote will be anonymous.) Rate the fic on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the best) using the following criteria: how well the fic fit the prompt, how angsty the fic was, and how well you enjoyed the fic. When you’re done, please check out the other challenge fic at numb3rswriteoff. Thank you!
The Brothers Eppes
The Brothers Eppes were one of the premier artistic duos to hit the music scene starting in the early 1990’s, often referred to as that decade’s Simon and Garfunkel. At the age of 13 and 18 respectively, brothers Charlie (9/5/1972 - 2/22/2010), and Donald (7/15/1967 - 2/22/2010), were discovered in 1985 while performing in a high school talent contest. Although the brothers lost the contest to a hard rock band, their performance left an impression on the recording executive sitting in the audience. Said Ian Edgerton, of Stealth Records, “I knew these brothers were something special the moment I heard them sing together. The hard part was convincing their father that they had a bright future in music.” Their father, Alan Eppes, owner and pharmacist of Eppes Drugs, a neighborhood drugstore on the south side of Chicago, had aspirations of his sons following in his footsteps and running the family business.
“Donnie was supposed to run the store. And Charlie was going to be the pharmacist, just like me and my brother, and my father and his brother before that,” said the senior Eppes in an interview with MTV. “I never wanted them to be rock stars.” But Margaret Eppes, the boys’ mother and first music teacher, convinced her husband to let the brothers’ record their first single a year later in September, 1986.
“Dreamland,” penned by singer-songwriter Donald Eppes, who also wrote and performed nearly all the songs the brothers recorded, was an immediate success, reaching number 24 on the Billboard’s Pop chart for 15 weeks after its debut. Donald’s smooth vocals and stunning lyrics were complemented by Charlie’s vividly rich musical composition.
In June 1987, the duo released their second single, “Dark Matter,” a soft rock tune that made Billboard’s Pop 100 for 8 weeks, reaching number 32. The brothers released three more singles between 1988 and late 1989, including “Contenders,” which made the year’s top 500.
Producer Mildred Finch sent the brothers into the studio in 1990 to work on their first album. “Velocity” was released in the spring of 1991, having immediate success on the record charts, spawning three Billboard Pop 100 singles. The success of their first album culminated in the duo’s first U.S. tour in 1992, a 15-city run that had them opening for the rock band Genesis.
Even as the brothers were reveling in the glow of their success, behind the scenes there was constant gossip about dissension between the pair. The official report to MTV and the other media outlets was artistic differences between the brothers. However, sources close to the pair stated it was more likely the result of both brothers competing for the affections of the same woman. While its unknown exactly who the mystery woman was, sources speculate that it may have been Val Eng, a studio extra who sang vocals on several singles. Donald had been seen kissing Ms. Eng at several local nightclubs. Neither Donald, or Charlie, nor Ms. Eng would offer any corroboration to the rumors, but Ms. Eng was released from her contract with the duo a short time later.
In 1995 the album “Double Down” was released, which included four chart topping singles, “Burn Rate,” “Chinese Box,” “Black Swan,” and “Devil Girl”. The following year the brothers rejoined Genesis and started their first world tour, a proposed two-year venture, with stops in twelve countries. Six months into the tour however, tragedy struck the duo, with Donald Eppes being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The debilitating disease left him with weakness along the right side of his body, cutting short the world-tour for the pair.
Three years later, Donald had recovered enough to get back into the studio, where he and Charlie began work on their third album. The project was slow going, as Donald continued to relapse with his MS. In 2001, the Brothers Eppes released “Uncertainty Principle.” Technically a rock album, the songs were predominately composed of soft rock love songs. “Obsession,” “Cover Me,” and “Tabu” all made the Adult Contemporary 100 and the Pop 100. Two other singles, “Sacrifice,” and “For Bettor or Worse” made the Pop Top Ten list. The media outlets speculated that the lyrics to both songs told the story of how the two brothers worked through their differences when family and health took precedence over fame and fortune.
The duo expanded their ranks in 2005 when they were joined by three permanent band members, Colby Granger (horns), David Sinclair (drums) and Terry Lake (guitar). With the new addition, the group put out its fourth album, “The Man”. Three tracks made the Billboard’s Top 100 - (Who’s) The Man, In My Skin, Need You.
More misfortune hit the group in 2006, when Terry was killed in an automobile accident while driving to the rehearsal. Megan Reeves joined the band shortly thereafter. Additionally, in 2009, Liz Bentacourt and Nikki Davis joined as backup singers as the group began recording a fifth album, "Unrequited."
However, the album would wind up short five tracks as Charlie was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer during the middle of recording. Ensusing chemotherapy sessions and medical complications prevented the younger brother from returning to the recording studio. It was reported that at the same time Donald Eppes' multiple sclerosis flared up as well, casuing him difficulty with vision and speech. These factors may have contributed to the brothers' fatal plane crash in February 2010.
Donald, an accomplished pilot, had been ferrying brother Charlie to the Mayo clinic for a hoped for treatment to his final stage cancer. However the plane went down in a fiery crash soon after takeoff. While the NTSB ruled the crash as mechanical error, sources close to the family stated that Don was despondent over the last few weeks when Charlie's prognosis was deemed terminal.
The brothers were survived by both parents.