The Everly Brothers were responsible for introducing a country style of harmony singing into rock’n’roll. While Don Everly (b. February 1, 1937), sang tenor, his brother Phil (b. January 19, 1939), sang high, keening harmonies. The brothers based their style on the singing of Appalachian groups such as The Blue Sky Boys and The Louvin Brothers. The Everly Brothers updated the sound for the 1950s, singing songs of teenage romance backed with a rock’n’roll beat. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the duo had a series of huge chart hits, with songs such as “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up, Little Susie,” and “Cathy’s Clown.”
Don Everly was born in Kentucky, and Phil in Illinois. Their parents, Ike and Margaret, were well known on the music scene of the South and Midwest. The family toured around the country and also had their own radio show, where Don made his first appearance at age eight.
When Phil graduated from high school, the brothers—fuelled by an interest in rockabilly and its latest variant, rock’n’roll—traveled to Nashville. It was here they met producer Chet ATKINS, who signed them up to Columbia Records. Within a year, Columbia had dropped the Everly Brothers, but they then met songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and signed with a new label, Cadence. The Bryants had written “Bye Bye Love,” but had been unable to find a suitable singer for the tune. The Everlys recorded it in their inimitable style and sold a million copies on release, almost hitting No. 1 on the charts.
After the success of their first album The Everly Brothers in 1958, they were seen as pop stars rather than as country singers. However, the Everlys continued to sing the traditional country songs they had learned when growing up. Their second album, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, paid homage to their musical roots with their versions of American folk songs, but the record failed to find a mass audience.
They went on to have a string of Top 10 hits with songs by the Bryants, and with their own songs. In I960, the brothers left their record company after a dispute and signed with the newly formed Warner Brothers label. Their first single for Warners was “Cathy’s Clown,” one of their own compositions, which featured a sophisticated, echo-laden production sound. The single proved to be the best-selling record of their career. The Everlys’ clean-cut image and rather sanitised country based rock’n’roll seemed to appeal to many who found other rock’n’roll acts too risque. At the height of their popularity, the brothers were second only to Elvis PRESLEY.
As the 1960s progressed, British groups like the BEATLES and the ROLLING STONES began to take over the American charts, making the Everly Brothers look and sound old-fashioned, although the Beatles often used Everly-style harmonies. However, the duo still had the occasional chart hit, and continued to make innovative music. Their 1968 album, Roots, in which they looked back to their rural past, is now regarded by critics as a forerunner of the country rock of bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers and the EAGLES.
By 1973, the Brothers’ music had been eclipsed and the strain started to show. After a violent argument on stage, Phil smashed a guitar and walked out, while Don announced that the partnership was over. It emerged that the brothers had had personal problems for many years, including drug addiction and nervous collapse. However, after a spell of solo work, the Everly Brothers reformed in 1983 and made a live album, Reunion. Today their musical output, with its unique blend of country singing and pop melodies, is regarded as classic rock’n’roll.
Dave DiMartino
SEE ALSO:
COUNTRY; FOLK MUSIC; POP MUSIC; ROCK’N’ROLL.
FURTHER READING
Dodge, Consuelo. The Everly Brothers: Ladies Love Outlaws (Starke, FL: CIN-DAV, 1991);
White, Roger. Walk Right Back: The Story of the Everly Brothers (London: Plexus, 1984).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
The Everly Brothers; Golden Years of the Everly Brothers; Roots; Two Yanks in England.