Famous Duos through History
Two can often be better than one; many famous duos throughout history have discovered this to be true in their successful careers or reigns. People working in pairs have appeared in just about every walk of life; music, sports, dance, politics, comedy, magic and even caricatures. Even food is often paired, with some choices together for life. Every culture has their own specific favorites for duos; too many collectively to list. Arguably, favorites will differ from person to person, as individual tastes and interests differ. There are, however, some outstanding examples of pairs that outshine others in their fields; duos that are known world round.
In the Beginning….
The very first duo to ever exist in the world’s history was Adam and Eve. It could even be said that this couple is the most famous duo to ever enter the population, since it would be difficult to find any person who did not have knowledge of them. The beginning of the human population, Adam and Eve brought life and, according to the Old Testament, sin to everyone who would be born thereafter.
Singing Duos
Music has been part of the world’s culture since the beginning of time. In the early 1900’s, if your act was not a duo, you probably would not get very far in the entertainment field. Beautiful harmonization and diverse personalities led to the popularity of the singing duo. In many fields, such as country music, the duo consisted of two siblings. The timbre of their voices was similar yet different; offering harmonies that blended incredibly well together. The Everly Brothers were a huge sensation of the 1950’s; credited as being possibly the most important duo in rock music. Their unique style was country with a hint of rock; initiating the term rockabilly in music. So profound was the harmony of the two brothers that their music impacted later duos such as Simon and Garfunkel.
Even soloist artists team up to record together; some are unlikely teams yet become temporary famous duos because of their differences. David Bowie and Bing Crosby joined together to sing what is a now classic and hauntingly beautiful rendition of the Christmas song “Little Drummer Boy” combining it with strains of another Christmas favorite “Peace on Earth”. Kid Rock of rock and roll fame teamed with Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert to provide unusual country offerings.
Many a couple has attended a costume party as a Hollywood singing duo. Sonny and Cher are highly popular choices, with outlandish outfits for Cher and the more inhibited Sonny.
Dancing Duos
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers took the world by storm with their fancy foot stepping and choreographic art form. Quite probably the most famous duos of the dance world, Fred and Ginger were the darlings of the Depression era. The ten movies in which they starred were intended as fluff film, designed to take the movie goer’s mind off from the events of the day and bring a little glitz, glamour and gaiety to their lives if only for a short time. Despite the intent, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were then and still are considered to be the cream of the crop of dance.
Fictional Duos
Some of the most enjoyable duos we know are fictional. Cartoons and fictional characters have built some highly recognizable teams that will live on forever. Consider Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; characters many grew up with up over the years and that children are still enjoying to this day. Comic book characters Batman and Robin emerged from the pages of the popular comic books as the “dynamic duo” to star in their own weekly television show and then broke out onto the big screen in several movies that had high viewer numbers. These same movies can now be purchased in DVD form.
Love Duos
Everlasting love can only describe such classic characters of Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespearian couple embodies the very word “love” in many hearts through their strong commitment to each other and their love.
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