the Everly Brothers

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = The Everly Brothers

| image = Everly Brothers - Cropped.jpg

| caption = Phil and Don Everly in 1958

| origin = Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.

| genre = {{Flatlist|

}}

| discography = The Everly Brothers discography

| years_active = 1956–1973, 1983–2005

| label = Cadence, London, Heliodor, Warner Bros., RCA Victor, Razor & Tie, Mercury

| past_members = *Don Everly

Phil Everly

}}

The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, and pop,{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-everly-brothers-mn0000046699/biography |title=The Everly Brothers |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |publisher=Allmusic |access-date=September 20, 2021}} becoming pioneers of country rock.

Don and Phil Everly were raised in a musical family. As children in the 1940s, they appeared on radio in Iowa singing with their parents as "The Everly Family". During their high school years in Knoxville, they performed on radio and television. The brothers gained the attention of Chet Atkins, who began to promote them. They began writing and recording their own music in 1956. The brothers' first hit song was "Bye Bye Love", which hit No. 1 in the spring of 1957. Additional hits, including "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", and "Problems", would follow through 1958. In 1960, they signed with Warner Bros. Records and recorded "Cathy's Clown", which was their biggest-selling single. The brothers enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1961 and their output dropped off, though additional hit singles continued through 1962. Their final top 10 hit was "That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)".

The Everly Brothers experienced a decline in popularity in the United States in the 1960s due to changing tastes in popular music, long-simmering disputes with Acuff-Rose Music CEO Wesley Rose, and increased drug use by the brothers. However, the duo continued to release hit singles in the U.K. and Canada and had many successful tours in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the brothers began releasing solo recordings; they ended their musical partnership in 1973. In 1983, the Everly Brothers reunited. They continued to perform periodically until the death of Phil Everly in 2014.

The Everly Brothers had a major influence on the music of the generation that followed them. Many of the top acts of the 1960s were heavily influenced by the close-harmony singing and acoustic guitar playing of the Everly Brothers; those acts included the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, and Simon & Garfunkel. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked the Everly Brothers No. 1 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.{{Cite magazine|date=December 17, 2015|title=20 Greatest Duos of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-greatest-duos-of-all-time-16272/1-the-everly-brothers-239717/|access-date=September 6, 2020|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}} The brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1986 and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Don Everly was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019, earning the organization's first Iconic Riff Award for his distinctive rhythm guitar intro on "Wake Up Little Susie".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/musicians-hall-of-fame-2019-inductees-alabama-don-everly-859832/ |title=Alabama, Don Everly Set for Musicians Hall of Fame |author=Stephen L. Betts|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=July 16, 2019 |access-date=March 8, 2020}}

History

=Early life, family, and education=

Don was born in Brownie, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on February 1, 1937, and Phil in Chicago, Illinois, on January 19, 1939. Their parents were Isaac Milford "Ike" Everly Jr. (1908–1975), a guitar player, and Margaret Embry Everly (1919–2021). Don and Phil were of mostly German and English descent and had some Cherokee ancestry as well.{{Cite web|url=https://musicrow.com/2021/12/margaret-everly-dies-at-age-102/|title=Margaret Everly Dies At Age 102|first=Robert K.|last=Oermann|date=December 17, 2021}}{{cite web |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |title=Biography of the Everly Brothers |publisher=AllMusic Guide |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4208|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=September 20, 2009}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/shopper-news/bearden/2019/02/21/everly-brothers-mother-99-recalls-bearden-cas-walker-chet-atkins/2879557002/|title=Everly Brothers' mother, 99, recalls Bearden, Cas Walker and the ducktails|first=John|last=Shearer|website=Knoxville News Sentinel}}{{Cite web|date=November 21, 2019|title=Everly Brothers Childhood Home|url=https://www.facebook.com/everlybrotherschildhoodhome/posts/happy-100th-birthday-margaret-everly-joined-by-friends-and-fans-all-around-the-w/1538411049631429/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/355612454577967/1538411049631429 |archive-date=February 26, 2022|url-access=registration|access-date=August 23, 2021|website=Facebook|language=en}}{{cbignore}} Actor James Best (born Jewel Guy), also from Muhlenberg County, was a first cousin, the son of Ike's sister.

Margaret was 15 when she married Ike, who was 26. Ike worked in coal mines from age 14, but his father encouraged him to pursue his love of music and Ike and Margaret began singing together.Jerry Bledsoe. "Ike and Margaret Everly Don't Like Doing Nothing". Greensboro (NC) Daily News, November 29, 1971, p. B1. The Everly brothers spent most of their childhood in Shenandoah, Iowa.{{cite web|url=http://www.radioiowa.com/2014/01/05/shenandoahs-phil-everly-of-everly-brothers-fame-dead-at-74/|title=Shenandoah's Phil Everly, of Everly Brothers fame, dead at 74|last=Henderson|first=O. Kay|date=January 5, 2014|publisher=Radio Iowa|access-date=January 19, 2014}} They attended Longfellow Elementary School in Waterloo, Iowa, for a year"Everly Brothers Back Home Before 2,100". Waterloo (IA) Daily Courier, February 9, 1958, p. 14. but then moved to Shenandoah in 1944, where they remained through early high school. Ike Everly had a music show on KMA and KFNF in Shenandoah in the mid-1940s,

The family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1953, where the brothers attended West High School (Knoxville, Tennessee).{{cite web|url=https://knoxfocus.com/archives/everly-brothers-knoxville/|last=design|date=November 30, 2014|title=The Everly Brothers in Knoxville – By Mike Steely|website=The Knoxville Focus|access-date=September 11, 2021}} In 1955, the family moved to Madison, Tennessee, while the brothers moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Don had graduated from high school in 1955, and Phil attended Peabody Demonstration School in Nashville, from which he graduated in 1957.John Larson. "The Everly Brothers Now Want to Act". Boston Globe, December 25, 1960, p. 14. Both could now focus on recording."Everly Brothers Surprised". Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, July 5, 1970, p. H8.

=Early career (1940s-1950s)=

File:The Everly Brothers - Cash Box 1957.jpg, July 13, 1957]]

As children, Don and Phil Everly sang on KMA and KFNF in Shenandoah as "Little Donnie and Baby Boy Phil". The brothers also sang on radio with their parents as the Everly Family."Rock-a-Billy Everly Boys". Blytheville (AR) Courier-News, July 31, 1957, p. 8.

While in Knoxville, the brothers found work performing on Cas Walker’s Farm and Home Hour, a regional radio and TV variety program. The brothers caught the attention of family friend Chet Atkins, manager of the RCA Victor studios in Nashville.“Everly Brothers' mother, 99, recalls Bearden, Cas Walker and the ducktails,” Knoxville News Sentinel, February 21, 2019 Shortly thereafter, their mother moved the family to Nashville.Lazell, Barry ed., with Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton, Rock Movers & Shakers. Billboard Publications, New York, 1989, p. 171. Despite affiliation with RCA Victor, Atkins somehow arranged for the Everly Brothers to record for Columbia Records in early 1956. Their "Keep a-Lovin' Me", which Don wrote and composed, flopped, and they were dropped from the Columbia label.{{cite web|url=https://www.grunge.com/468223/the-untold-truth-of-the-everly-brothers/|last=MacGilbert|first=Molly |date=July 22, 2021|title=The Untold Truth of the Everly Brothers|website=Grunge |access-date=September 11, 2021}}

Atkins introduced the Everly Brothers to Wesley Rose, of Acuff-Rose music publishers. Rose told them he would secure them a recording deal if they signed to Acuff-Rose as songwriters. They signed in late 1956, and in 1957 Rose introduced them to Archie Bleyer,Alan Frazer, "The Everly Saga, $$." Boston Sunday Advertiser, July 23, 1961, p. 22. who was looking for artists for his Cadence Records. The Everlys signed and made a recording in February 1957. "Bye Bye Love" had been rejected by 30 other acts. Their record reached No. 2 on the pop charts, behind Elvis Presley's "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear", and No. 1 on the country and No. 5 on the R&B charts. The song, by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant,{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19757/m1/ |title=Show 9 – Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. [Part 1] }} became the Everly Brothers' first million-seller.

File:(Till) I Kissed You - Oh, What a Feeling - Billboard ad 1959.jpg advertisement, August 17, 1959]]

Working with the Bryants, they had hits in the United States and the United Kingdom, the biggest being "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Bird Dog", and "Problems". The Everlys, though they were largely interpretive artists, also succeeded as songwriters, especially with Don's "(Till) I Kissed You", which hit No. 4 on the US pop charts.Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, NY 1992, p. 165.

The brothers toured with Buddy Holly in 1957 and 1958. According to Holly's biographer Philip Norman, they were responsible for persuading Holly and the Crickets to change their outfits from Levi's and T-shirts to the Everlys' Ivy League suits. Don said Holly wrote and composed "Wishing" for them. "We were all from the South", Phil observed of their commonalities. "We'd started in country music."{{cite book |first=Philip |last=Norman |year=1996 |title=Buddy Holly: The Definitive Biography of Buddy Holly |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |isbn=0-306-80715-7 }} Although some sources say Phil Everly was one of Holly's pallbearers in February 1959, Phil said in 1986 that he attended the funeral and sat with Holly's family, but was not a pallbearer.{{cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-rolling-stone-interview-the-everly-brothers-19860508|title=The Rolling Stone Interview: The Everly Brothers|last=Loder|first=Kurt|date=May 8, 1986|magazine=Rolling Stone| access-date=May 29, 2014}} Don did not attend, saying, "I couldn't go to the funeral. I couldn't go anywhere. I just took to my bed."

=Mid-career (1960s–1973)=

file:Everly Brothers in 1965.jpg

After three years on Cadence, the Everlys signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1960, where they recorded for 10 years. Their first Warner Bros. hit, 1960's "Cathy's Clown", which they wrote and composed themselves, sold eight million copies and became the duo's biggest-selling record.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b077x1fh|title=The Everly Brothers: Harmonies from Heaven|website=BBC|access-date=September 11, 2021}} "Cathy's Clown" was number WB1, the first selection Warner Bros. Records ever released in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-everly-brothers/cathys-clown|title=Cathy's Clown by The Everly Brothers|website=Songfacts|access-date=September 11, 2021}}

{{Blockquote|We're not Grand Ole Opry ... we're obviously not Perry Como ... we're just pop music. But, you could call us an American skiffle group!|{{clarify span|text=NME|reason=Source of quote unclear...in fact opaque: the quote appears to be from one of the Everly Brothers, not a *magazine* speaking in the first person. If the first, it needs proper attribution; if the second, it should be deleted as confusing and non-germane.|date=February 2024}} – November of 1960{{cite book

| first= John

| last= Tobler

| year= 1992

| title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years

| edition=

| publisher= Reed International Books Ltd

| location= London

| page= 88

| id= CN 5585}}}}

Other successful Warner Bros. singles followed in the United States, such as "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (1960, pop No. 7), "Walk Right Back" (1961, pop No. 7), "Crying in the Rain" (1962, pop No. 6), and "That's Old Fashioned" (1962, pop No. 9, their last top 10 hit). From 1960 to 1962, Cadence Records released Everly Brothers singles from the vaults, including "When Will I Be Loved" (pop No. 8), written and composed by Phil, and "Like Strangers".{{cite web|url=https://musicfinder.online/the-everly-brothers/|title=The Everly Brothers |website=Music Finder| date=September 10, 2014 |access-date=September 16, 2021}}

In the UK, they had 18 singles into the top 40 with Warner Bros. in the 1960s, including a string of top 10 hits through 1965 that featured "Lucille"/"So Sad" (1960, No. 4), "Walk Right Back"/"Ebony Eyes" (1961, No. 1), "Temptation" (1961, No. 1), "Cryin' in the Rain" (1962, No. 6) and "The Price of Love" (1965, No. 2).

By 1962, records by the Everlys had reportedly generated $35 million in sales. In 1961, the brothers had a falling out with Wesley Rose during the recording of "Temptation". Rose was reportedly upset that the Everlys were recording a song which he had not published and, hence, for which he would not be paid any publishing royalties. Rose made efforts to block the record's release. The Everlys held firm to their position, and as a result, in the early 1960s, they were shut off from Acuff-Rose songwriters. These included Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who had written and composed most of their hits, as well as the Everlys themselves, who were still contracted to Acuff-Rose as songwriters and had written several of their own hits. From 1961 through early 1964, the Everlys recorded songs by other composers to avoid paying any royalties to Acuff-Rose. They used the pseudonym "Jimmy Howard" as writer or arranger on two selections they wrote and recorded during this time. This ruse, however, was ultimately unsuccessful, as Acuff-Rose gained legal possession of the copyrights once the deception was discovered.{{cite web|url=https://alancackett.com/phil-everly/|title=Phil Everly|website=Alan Cackett |access-date=September 15, 2021}}

Around this time, the brothers also set up their own record label, Calliope Records, for solo projects. Using the pseudonym "Adrian Kimberly", Don recorded a big-band instrumental version of Edward Elgar's first "Pomp and Circumstance" march, which Neal Hefti arranged and which charted in the United States top 40 in mid-1961. Further instrumental singles credited to Kimberly followed, but none of those charted. Phil formed the Keestone Family Singers, which featured Glen Campbell and Carole King. Their lone single, "Melodrama", failed to chart, and by the end of 1962, Calliope Records had gone out of business.

The Everly Brothers' last United States top 10 hit was 1962's "That's Old Fashioned (That's The Way Love Should Be)", a song recorded but unreleased by The Chordettes and given to the brothers by their old mentor, Archie Bleyer.

In succeeding years the Everly Brothers sold fewer records in the United States. Their enlistments in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in October 1961 took them out of the spotlight.Natalie Best. "Rock 'n' Roll Marine Weds With Brother As Best Man". San Diego Union, February 14, 1962, p. B1. One of their few performances during their Marine Corps service was on The Ed Sullivan Show, on February 18, 1962, when they performed "Jezebel" and "Crying in the Rain" while outfitted in their Marine uniforms.George Varga. "Everly Brothers Served at Camp Pendleton". San Diego Union-Tribune, January 6, 2014. [http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/Jan/06/everly-brothers-served-at-camp-pendleton/]{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdaX7LG67to| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218172952/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdaX7LG67to| archive-date=February 18, 2014 | url-status=dead|title=The Everly Brothers – Crying In the Rain...|via=YouTube}}

Following their discharges from active duty, the Everlys resumed their career, but with little success in the United States. Of their 27 singles on Warner Bros. from 1963 through 1970, only three made the Billboard Hot 100, and none peaked higher than No. 31. Album sales were also down. The Everlys' first two albums for Warners (in 1960 and 1961) peaked at No. 9 US, but after that, of a dozen more LPs for Warner Bros., only one made the top 200 – 1965's "Beat & Soul", which peaked at No. 141.{{cite web|url=https://nysmusic.com/2021/08/23/don-everly-1937-2021/|last=O'Shea|first=Tim|date=August 23, 2021|title=Don Everly, 1937–2021|website=NYS Music|access-date=September 17, 2021}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-everly-brothers/chart-history/tlp/|title=Chart History: The Everly Brothers – Beat & Soul|magazine=Billboard|access-date=September 17, 2021}}

The Everlys' dispute with Acuff-Rose lasted until 1964, when they resumed writing and composing as well as working with the Bryants. By then, however, both of the brothers were addicted to amphetamines. Don's condition was worse, as he was taking Ritalin; his addiction lasted three years, until he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for treatment.The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001) The mainstream media did not report either brothers' addiction. When Don collapsed in England in mid-October 1962, reporters were told he had food poisoning;"Don Everly Ill, Taken to Hospital", San Diego Union, October 15, 1962, p. 8. when the tabloids suggested he had taken an overdose of pills, his wife and his brother insisted he was suffering physical and nervous exhaustion."Singer Don Everly Flies to N.Y. Hospital". Boston Traveler, October 16, 1962, p. 54. Don's poor health ended their British tour; he returned to the United States, leaving Phil to carry on with Joey Page, their bass player, taking Don's place.{{cite web|url=https://www.smoothradio.com/news/music/everly-brothers-feud-split-reunion/|title=How The Everly Brothers repaired their broken relationship after breaking up during a live concert|website=Smooth Radio|access-date=September 17, 2021}}

Though their U.S. stardom had begun to wane two years before the British Invasion in 1964, their appeal was still strong in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The Everlys remained successful in the United Kingdom and Canada for most of the 1960s, reaching the top 40 in the United Kingdom through 1968 and the top 10 in Canada as late as 1967. The 1966 album Two Yanks in England was recorded in England with the Hollies, who also wrote many of the album's songs. The Everlys' final U.S. top 40 hit, "Bowling Green", was released in 1967.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/the-everly-brothers-don-everly-dies-at-84/|last1=Kim|last2=Bloom|first1=Michelle Hyun|first2=Madison|date=August 22, 2021|title=The Everly Brothers' Don Everly Dies at 84|website=Pitchfork|access-date=September 17, 2021}}

By the end of the 1960s, the brothers had returned to country rock, and their 1968 album, Roots, was hailed by some retrospective critics as "one of the finest early country-rock albums".{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r6937|pure_url=yes}}|title=Roots The Everly Brothers|publisher=Allmusic.com}} However, by the end of the 1960s, the Everly Brothers had ceased to be hitmakers in either North America or the UK, and in 1970, following an unsuccessful live album (The Everly Brothers Show), their ten-year contract with Warner Bros. lapsed. They were the summer replacement hosts for Johnny Cash's ABC-TV television show in 1970; their variety program, Johnny Cash Presents the Everly Brothers, featured Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Wonder."Everly Brothers Return". Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 5, 1970, p. 29E.

In 1970, Don released his first solo album, which was unsuccessful. The brothers resumed performing in 1971 and issued two albums for RCA Records in 1972 and 1973. Lindsey Buckingham joined and toured with them in 1972. The Everlys announced their final performance would take place on July 14, 1973, at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, but tensions between the two surfaced and Don told a reporter he was tired of being an Everly Brother.Marilyn and Hy Gardner, "Everly Brothers Too Close for Too Long". Springfield Union (MA), August 24, 1973, p. 27. During the show, Phil smashed his guitar and walked off. Don performed solo the following night, commenting to the audience "The Everly Brothers died ten years ago".{{cite magazine |last=Cocks |first=Jay| url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,143390,00.html | title=The Everly Brothers in Arms|date=June 24, 2001|magazine=Time}} The two would not reunite musically for more than ten years.

=Solo years (1973–1983)=

Phil and Don pursued solo careers from 1973 to 1983. Don found some success on the US country charts in the mid- to late-1970s, in Nashville with his band, Dead Cowboys, and playing with Albert Lee. Don also performed solo at an annual country music festival in London in mid-1976. His appearance was well received, and he was given "thunderous applause", even though critics noted that the performance was uneven.Ed Blanche, "Everly Laid Back". Springfield (MA) Union, June 21, 1977, p. 26.

Phil sang backup for Roy Wood's 1975 album Mustard and two songs for Warren Zevon's 1976 self-titled album.album liner notes While Zevon was part of Phil Everly's back-up band, Phil also suggested the title and subject matter for Zevon's breakthrough hit single "Werewolves of London".George Plasketes (June 15, 2016). [https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-secret-inspiration-behind-warren-zevons-werewolves-of-london-4a5fa337a7f1 The Secret Inspiration Behind Warren Zevon's ‘Werewolves of London’], Medium.com, accessed July 30, 2018

Don recorded "Everytime You Leave" with Emmylou Harris on her 1979 album Blue Kentucky Girl.{{cite web |url=http://www.artandculture.com/users/1120-everly-brothers |title=Everly Brothers @ Art + Culture |publisher=Artandculture.com |access-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-date=December 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219114555/http://www.artandculture.com/users/1120-everly-brothers |url-status=dead }}

Phil recorded more frequently, but with no chart success until the 1980s. He wrote "Don't Say You Don't Love Me No More" for the 1978 Clint Eastwood comedy film Every Which Way But Loose, which he performed as a duet with the film's co-star Sondra Locke. Phil also wrote "One Too Many Women In Your Life" for the 1980 sequel, Any Which Way You Can, and played in the band which backed Locke.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/05/phil-everly|last=Sweeting|first=Adam|date=January 5, 2014|title=Phil Everly obituary – Half of the brilliant duo that transformed 1950s pop music|website=The Guardian|access-date=September 20, 2021}}

In 1983, Phil had UK success as a solo artist with the album Phil Everly, recorded mainly in London. Musicians on the LP included Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, Rockpile and Dire Straits drummer Terry Williams, and keyboard player Pete Wingfield. The track "She Means Nothing to Me", written and composed by John David Williams and featuring Cliff Richard as co-lead vocalist, was a UK Top 10 hit, and "Louise", written and composed by Ian Gomm, reached the Top 50 in 1983.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Phil-Everly-Phil-Everly/release/3645876|title=Phil Everly |website=Discogs|date=September 6, 1983 |access-date=September 21, 2021}}

=Reunion and later career (1983–2005)=

The brothers' reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 23, 1983, which ended their ten-year-long solo careers, was initiated by Phil and Don alongside Terry Slater, with Wingfield as musical director. This concert was recorded for a live LP and video broadcast on cable television in mid-January 1984."Cable Concert Appearance Reunites the Everly Brothers". Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger, January 6, 1984, p. 38. The brothers returned to the studio as a duo for the first time in over a decade, recording the album EB '84, produced by Dave Edmunds. The lead single, "On the Wings of a Nightingale", written by Paul McCartney, was a success (Top 10 adult contemporary){{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/eb-84-mw0000189823/awards |title=EB 84 – The Everly Brothers | Awards |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 5, 2014}} and returned them to the US Hot 100 (for their last appearance) and the UK charts. McCartney made his esteem for the duo explicit, saying, "When John and I started to write songs, I was Phil and he was Don."Hutcheon, David, Mojo Magazine, November 2021, "Bye Bye Love (Don Everly obituary), p. 116

File:Everlys 3.jpg

Their final charting single was 1986's "Born Yesterday", from the album of the same name. They collaborated with other performers, mostly singing either backup vocals or duets, including additional vocals on the title track of Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland. In 1990, Phil recorded a duet with Dutch singer René Shuman. "On Top of the World" was written and composed by Phil, who appeared in the music video they recorded in Los Angeles. The selection appeared on Shuman's album Set the Clock on Rock. A 1981 live BBC recording of "All I Have to Do Is Dream", which featured Cliff Richard and Phil sharing vocals, was a UK Top 20 hit in 1994.{{cite AV media notes | title='All I Have to Do Is Dream' (single)| author=Cliff Richard with Phil Everly|date=1994| publisher=EMI| location=United Kingdom}}

In 1998, the brothers recorded "Cold" for Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Jim Steinman's musical Whistle Down the Wind, and the recording was used in stage versions as source music. It was the final studio recording the Everly Brothers would make as a duo.{{cite web|url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-everly-brothers-songs-decade-by-decade/|last=Anderson|first=Skip|date=c. 2018|title=Top 10 Everly Brothers Songs Decade By Decade – Top 10 Everly Brothers songs from the 1970s to 1998 (# 10 – Cold)|website=Classic Rock History |access-date=September 22, 2021}}

The brothers joined Simon & Garfunkel in their "Old Friends" reunion tour of 2003 and 2004. As a tribute to the Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel opened their own show and had the Everlys come out in the middle of it. The live album Old Friends: Live on Stage contains Simon & Garfunkel discussing the Everlys' influence on their career and features all four on "Bye Bye Love"; the subsequent DVD features two extra solo performances by the Everlys. This was not the first time Paul Simon had performed with his heroes; in 1986, the Everlys had sung background vocals on the title track of Simon's album Graceland. Simon & Garfunkel's 1981 Concert in Central Park featured their interpretation of the Everlys' "Wake Up, Little Susie".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/simon-and-garfunkel-reunite-in-central-park-110446/|last=Connelly|first=Christopher|date=October 29, 1981|title=Simon and Garfunkel Reunite in Central Park|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 22, 2021}}

Phil Everly sang "Sweet Little Corrina" with country singer Vince Gill on his 2006 album These Days.{{cite web|author=Thom Jurek |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/these-days-mw0000402550 |title=These Days – Vince Gill | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |website=AllMusic |date=October 17, 2006 |access-date=December 3, 2013}} Everly had previously supplied harmony vocals on JD Souther's "White Rhythm and Blues" on his (Souther's) 1979 album You're Only Lonely.

=Later developments=

Don Everly attended the Annual Music Masters as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame paid homage to the Everly Brothers on October 25, 2014. Don took the State Theater stage and performed the Everlys' classic hit "Bye Bye Love".{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Iq382I_UQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/i4Iq382I_UQ| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Don Everly sings Bye Bye Love 10 /25 /2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|date=October 27, 2014|work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} His final performance was a guest appearance with Paul Simon on Simon's 2018 farewell tour in Nashville. Don and Simon performed “Bye Bye Love”, with Simon on Phil Everly's original tenor harmony.{{Citation|title=Paul Simon with Don Everly "Bye Bye Love" at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville 6/20/18| date=June 20, 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2U3jqLX8Qs| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/K2U3jqLX8Qs| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|language=en|access-date=August 23, 2021}}{{cbignore}}

Don Everly publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential election in January of that year.{{cite web|url=http://www.kmaland.com/news/don-everly-backs-hillary-clinton/article_4755c096-c5e1-11e5-bb1b-4313ed84baee.html|title=Don Everly backs Hillary Clinton|author=Mike Peterson|date=January 28, 2016|work=KMAland.com}} This marked the first time he had ever publicly supported a political candidate. Don stated that after his brother Phil's death, he felt free to express his views more openly, noting that the brothers' opposing views had made it impossible for them to lend active support to political candidates.

=Deaths=

Phil Everly died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on January 3, 2014,{{cite web| url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/03/showbiz/singer-phil-everly-dies/|title=Singer Phil Everly – half of legendary Everly Brothers – dies|last=Botelho|first=Greg|author2=Todd Leopold |date=January 4, 2014|publisher=CNN|access-date=May 28, 2014}} aged 74, of lung disease.{{cite web|author=|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25601185 |title=US Musician Phil Everly dies aged 74 |publisher=BBC |date=January 4, 2014 |access-date=January 4, 2014}}{{cite news|last=Saul |first=Heather|title=Phil Everly dead: World mourns younger of US rock and roll duo The Everly Brothers| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/everly-brothers-phil-dies-aged-74-9038640.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/everly-brothers-phil-dies-aged-74-9038640.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=January 4, 2014}}{{cite news| url=https://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/04/local/la-me-phil-everly-20140104| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112155724/http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/04/local/la-me-phil-everly-20140104| url-status=dead| archive-date=January 12, 2014|title=Half of rock vocal duo the Everly Brothers|last=Lewis|first=Randy| date=January 4, 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 28, 2014}} Patti Everly blamed her husband's death on his smoking habit, which caused him to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; she stated that Phil had spent his final years having to carry oxygen tanks with him wherever he went and taking 20 different types of medication per day.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2014/10/27/phil-everlys-widow-shares-pain-copd-death/18010401/|title=Phil Everly's widow shares the pain of his COPD death|first=Brad|last=Schmitt|newspaper=The Tennessean|access-date=August 26, 2021}}

In a 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Don Everly said that he had given up smoking in the late 1960s and that Phil had stopped too. However, Don indicated that Phil had resumed smoking during their breakup and had continued until 2001. Don said that weak lungs ran in the family, as their father, Ike, had died of black lung disease. Don admitted that he had lived "a very difficult life" with his brother and that he and Phil had become estranged once again in their later years. Don attributed their estrangement to "their vastly different views on politics and life", with music being the one thing they shared closely. Don said, "it's almost like we could read each other's minds when we sang". However, Don also stated that he had not gotten over Phil's death: "I always thought about him every day, even when we were not speaking to each other. It still just shocks me that he's gone". Don added that because he was the older brother, he had always believed he would die before Phil.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-don-everly-brothers-phil-death-obituary-20140402-story.html|title=Don Everly on death of brother Phil: 'I think about him every day'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 3, 2014}} In a 2016 interview, Don said he was still coping with the loss of Phil and that he had kept some of his brother's ashes in his home. He added that he would pick up the ashes every morning and say "good morning", admitting that it was a peculiar ritual.{{cite web|url=http://www.kmaland.com/news/don-everly-remembers-early-years/article_effb8932-c6aa-11e5-9981-2303fdd38fec.html|title=Don Everly remembers early years|author=Mike Peterson|date=January 29, 2016|work=KMAland.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822064354/https://www.kmaland.com/news/don-everly-remembers-early-years/article_effb8932-c6aa-11e5-9981-2303fdd38fec.html |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |url-status=live}}

Don died at his home in Nashville on August 21, 2021, at the age of 84.[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/don-everly-country-rock-duo-the-everly-brothers-dies-at-84-1235001251/ Trilby Beresford, "Don Everly, Half of Country Rock Duo The Everly Brothers, Dies at 84", Hollywood Reporter, August 21, 2021]. Retrieved August 22, 2021

Style and influences

The Everly Brothers' music fused elements of rock and roll, country and pop. Their style has been classified as country rock,{{cite web |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/down-in-the-bottom-the-country-rock-sessions-1966-1968 |title=Down In The Bottom: The Country Rock Sessions 1966–1968 {{!}} The Everly Brothers |date=March 23, 2020 |publisher= Record Collector |access-date=September 20, 2020 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/1837351/don-everly-of-country-rock-group-the-everly-brothers-dies-at-84/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822140441/http://www.cmt.com/news/1837351/don-everly-of-country-rock-group-the-everly-brothers-dies-at-84/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |title=Don Everly, of Country-Rock Group The Everly Brothers, Dies at 84 |last=Goldberg |first=Melissa |date=August 22, 2021 |publisher=CMT |access-date=September 20, 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/don-everly-half-of-the-everly-brothers-pioneering-country-rock-legend-dies-at-age-84/ |title=Don Everly, Half of the Everly Brothers, Pioneering Country-Rock Legend, Dies at Age 84 |last=Hoffman |first=Jordan |date=August 22, 2021 |publisher=Vanity Fair |access-date=September 20, 2021 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/don-everly-country-rock-duo-the-everly-brothers-dies-at-84-1235001251/ |title=Don Everly, Half of Country Rock Duo The Everly Brothers, Dies at 84 |last=Beresford |first=Trilby |date=August 21, 2021 |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=September 20, 2021}} rock and roll,{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2021/08/r-i-p-don-everly-one-half-of-the-everly-brothers-dies-at-84/ |title=R.I.P. Don Everly, One-Half of The Everly Brothers Dies at 84 |last=Young |first=Alex |date=August 22, 2021 |publisher=Consequence |access-date=June 9, 2022}} rockabilly and country. The duo are retrospectively considered to be pioneers of country rock. Don and Phil, both guitarists, used vocal harmony mostly based on diatonic thirds. On most recordings, Don sang the baritone part and Phil the tenor harmony.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.sacurrent.com/sasound/phil-everly-of-the-everly-brothers-dead-at-74/|title=Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, Dead at 74|publisher=San Antonio Current|access-date=January 10, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111061023/http://blogs.sacurrent.com/sasound/phil-everly-of-the-everly-brothers-dead-at-74/|archive-date=January 11, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/01/07/ever-j07.html|title=An appreciation of Phil Everly and the Everly Brothers|date=January 7, 2014 |publisher=World Socialist Web Site|access-date=January 10, 2014}} One notable exception is "Since You Broke My Heart" (1958). Although Don was mainly low, and Phil was mainly high, their voices overlap in a very intricate and almost subtle fashion. Another notable example is "I'll See Your Light" (1977), which is one of the few songs in which Phil consistently has the low harmony while Don is consistently high. Don usually sang the solo lines (for example, the verses of "Bye Bye Love"); among the few exceptions is the 1965 single "It's All Over", on which Phil sang the song's solo lines.{{cite web|url=https://www.beachamjournal.com/journal/2021/01/phil-everly-of-the-everly-brothers-was-born-82-years-old-today.html|date=January 19, 2021|title=Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers was born 82 years old today|website=Frank Beacham's Journal|access-date=September 22, 2021}}

Legacy

In the late 1950s, the Everly Brothers were the rock and roll youth movement's addition to close harmony vocal groups, many of which were family bands. They influenced rock groups of the 1960s, with such major acts as The Beatles,{{cite book|author=MacDonald, Ian|title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties|publisher=Random House|year=1997|isbn=0-7126-6697-4}} p. 293. The Beach Boys,{{cite book|author=Granata, Charles L.|title=I Just Wasn't Made for These Times: Brian Wilson and the Making of Pet Sounds|publisher=MQ Publications|year=2003|isbn=1-903318-57-2}} pp. 35–36. and Simon & Garfunkel{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/the-everly-brothers-20110420|title=100 Greatest Artists: 33. The Everly Brothers|last=Simon|first=Paul|date=April 20, 2011|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=January 19, 2014}} performing Everly songs as part of their early musical development.

The music of the Everly Brothers influenced the Beatles. Among other indications of the influence, they based the vocal arrangement of "Please Please Me" on "Cathy's Clown".{{cite book|author=MacDonald, Ian|title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties|publisher=Random House|year=1997|isbn=0-7126-6697-4}} p. 55. McCartney also referred to 'Phil and Don' in the lyrics to "Let 'Em In" from the 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound.

Keith Richards called Don Everly "one of the finest rhythm [guitar] players".{{cite book|author=Richards/James Fox |title=Life|url=https://archive.org/details/life00richar |url-access=registration |publisher=Little, Brown and Company|year=2010|isbn=978-0-316-03438-8}} p. 242.

Paul Simon, who worked with the pair on the song "Graceland", said on the day after Phil's death, "Phil and Don were the most beautiful sounding duo I ever heard. Both voices pristine and soulful. The Everlys were there at the crossroads of country and R&B. They witnessed and were part of the birth of rock and roll."{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|title=Phil Everly, Half of a Pioneer Rock Duo That Inspired Generations, Dies at 74| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/arts/music/phil-everly-half-of-pioneer-rock-duo-dies-at-74.html?_r=0|access-date=January 4, 2014|newspaper=New York Times|date=January 4, 2014}}

=Achievements and honors=

The Everly Brothers had 35 Billboard Top 100 singles, 26 in the top 40. They hold the record for the most Top 100 singles by any duo and trail only Hall & Oates for the most Top 40 singles by a duo. In the UK, they had 30 chart singles, 29 in the Top 40, 13 Top 10, and 4 at No. 1 between 1957 and 1984. They had 12 Top 40 albums between 1960 and 2009.{{cite web|url=https://cultlegends.com/product/the-everly-brothers-the-greatest-hits-collection|title=The Everly Brothers – The Greatest Hits Collection|website=Cult Legends|access-date=September 24, 2021}}

The Everly Brothers were among the first 10 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. They were introduced by Neil Young, who observed that every musical group he had ever belonged to had tried, and failed, to copy the Everly Brothers' harmonies. On July 5, 1986, the Everlys returned to Shenandoah, Iowa, for a concert, parade, street dedication, class reunion, and other activities. Concert fees were donated to the Everly Family Scholarship Fund, which gives scholarships to middle school and high school students in Shenandoah. The brothers were inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.{{Cite web|title=The Everly Brothers|url=https://www.iowarocknroll.com/the-everly-brothers|access-date=February 12, 2021|website=Iowa RocknRoll Music|language=en}}

In 1997, the brothers were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_everly_brothers.html|title=The Everly Brothers – Inductees – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation|publisher=Vocal group|access-date=December 3, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224004705/http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_everly_brothers.html|archive-date=December 24, 2013}} Their contribution to music has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. On October 2, 1986, The Everly Brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work in the music industry, located at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.{{Cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/the-everly-brothers|title=The Everly Brothers {{!}} Hollywood Walk of Fame|website=www.walkoffame.com|access-date=October 4, 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/the-everly-brothers/|title=The Everly Brothers – Hollywood Star Walk |website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 4, 2016}} In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the Everly Brothers No. 33 on its list of the "100 greatest artists of all time".{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316103016/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 16, 2006 | title = The Immortals: The First Fifty|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 3, 2013}} They are also No. 43 on the list of UK Best selling singles artists of all time.{{cite book|author=MacDonald, Ian|title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties|publisher=Random House|year=1997|isbn=0-7126-6697-4}} p. 101.

=Tributes and interpretations by other artists=

The Everlys, as noted above, wrote and composed "Till I Kissed You" (Don), "When Will I Be Loved" (Phil), "Born Yesterday" (Don), and "Cathy's Clown" (Don, or possibly Don and Phil). The authorship of "Cathy's Clown" has been the subject of a 2017 lawsuit and has been differently adjudicated by different courts, most recently in 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/05/06/ |title=Nashville Judge Resolves Everly Brothers Cathy's Clown Dispute|publisher=Tennessean|access-date=May 29, 2021}} "Cathy's Clown" and "When Will I Be Loved" became hits for Reba McEntire and Linda Ronstadt, respectively. "Cathy's Clown" was also covered by the Tarney/Spencer Band and released as a single in 1979. Band member Alan Tarney (a former member of the Shadows) went on to be a producer for Cliff Richard and a-ha, the Norwegian band who, in turn, covered "Crying in the Rain" in 1990 for its fourth album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/sep/30/cult-heroes-alan-tarney-pop-producer-a-ha-cliff-richard-st-etienne|last=Stanley|first=Bob|date=September 30, 2015|title=Cult heroes: Alan Tarney, the greatest British pop producer you've never heard of|website=The Guardian|access-date=September 24, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.whosampled.com/cover/27748/A-ha-Crying-in-the-Rain-The-Everly-Brothers-Crying-in-the-Rain/|last=|title=Cover Version|website=Who Sampled|access-date=September 24, 2021}}

On Labor Day weekend 1988, Central City, Kentucky, began the Everly Brothers Homecoming event to raise money for a scholarship fund for Muhlenberg County students. Don and Phil toured the United Kingdom in the 1980s and as recently as 2005, and Phil appeared in 2007 on recordings with Vince Gill and Bill Medley. 2007 also saw Alison Krauss and former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant release Raising Sand, which included a cover of the Everlys' 1964 hit "Gone, Gone, Gone", produced by T-Bone Burnett.{{cite web|url=https://www.whosampled.com/cover/246271/Robert-Plant-Alison-Krauss-Gone-Gone-Gone-(Done-Moved-On)-The-Everly-Brothers-Gone-Gone-Gone/|last=8-ball deluxe|title=Cover Version|website=Who Sampled|access-date=September 24, 2021}} In 2007, Anthony Kiedis, singer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, named his son Everly Bear Kiedis in honor of The Everly Brothers who he cited as one of his favorite groups.{{cite web| url=https://people.com/parents/anthony-kiedi-1-4/ |title=Anthony Kiedis opens up about new son Everly Bear|access-date=December 1, 2023}}

Four Everly Brothers tribute records were released in 2013: Billie Joe Armstrong's and Norah Jones' Foreverly,{{cite web|url=http://billiejoeandnorah.com/|title=foreverly|publisher=Billie Joe and Norah|access-date=December 3, 2013|archive-date=October 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024110840/http://billiejoeandnorah.com/|url-status=dead}} the Chapin Sisters' A Date with the Everly Brothers,{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/04/27/179285538/singing-sisters-reconsider-the-everly-brothers/ |title=Singing Sisters Reconsider the Everly Brothers|newspaper=NPR|access-date=January 4, 2014}} Bonnie Prince Billy's and Dawn McCarthy's What the Brothers Sang,{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2014/01/11/the-music-everly-brothers-endures-and-thrives/xFdgXaEMvwyGBFG1OhHSCJ/story.html|title=The music of the Everly Brothers endures and thrives|last=Reed|first=James|date=January 11, 2014|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=June 2, 2014}} and the Wieners' Bird Dogs.{{cite web| url=http://www.everlybrothers.nl/ |title=Bird Dogs|access-date=December 31, 2013}}

The album Marvin, Welch & Farrar (1971), by the British-Australian band of the same name, contains a track named after Don's place of birth, "Brownie Kentucky".{{Cite web |title=Marvin, Welch & Farrar – Brownie Kentucky |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvSO_eJ2DF0 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/CvSO_eJ2DF0| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=March 26, 2021 |website=Youtube| date=December 16, 2014 }}{{cbignore}}

Deerhunter's "Basement Scene" "intentionally nods to the Everly Brothers' 'All I Have To Do Is Dream'".{{cite web| url=https://www.stereogum.com/512062/deerhunter-emhalcyon-digestem/franchises/premature-evaluation/ |title=Deerhunter|date=September 17, 2010|access-date=June 6, 2019}}