The Everly Brothers are not only among the most important and greatest early rock n' roll stars, but also some of the most influential singers of any era. Brothers Phil and Don transformed the sounds of Appalachian folk music, bluegrass and country into a harmonizing form of rock n' roll.

After singing in their family’s country and western act for a few years, the brothers went on their own, singing about teenage romance with simmering voices.

With Don tackling the melody They rose to greatness on the Cadence label, making songs written by husband and wife songwriting team, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant who wrote such classics as "Bye Bye Love," "Poor Jenny," "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have to Do is Dream." The brothers also proved to be fine songwriters, writing such hits as "Cathy's Clown" and "When Will I Be Loved?".

Their legacy was and still is felt in rock acts that use harmonies as a main feature from The Beatles and Crosby, Stills & Nash to The Bee Gees.

Posted by Andrew on Tuesday, 06/4/2013 @ 22:41pm

RIP, Phil Everly

Posted by Aaron O'Donnell on Friday, 01/3/2014 @ 22:46pm

Oh man. A real loss to the music world. He and Don are true greats. We'll miss the amazing harmonies.

RIP Phil Everly

Posted by Philip on Friday, 01/3/2014 @ 23:14pm

Bye, bye, Phil (acoustic guitar riffs inserted here)

Posted by Jason Voigt on Saturday, 01/4/2014 @ 14:54pm

Rest in peace, Phil. Your soulful voice and harmonies will be greatly missed.

Posted by Andrew on Saturday, 01/4/2014 @ 18:48pm

Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly, was the inspiration for two Guns 'N Roses songs: "Sweet Child O' Mine and "Patience"

Posted by Aaron O'Donnell on Sunday, 01/5/2014 @ 16:39pm

The first brother duo in rock n' roll, The Everly Brothers were not only among the most important and finest rock and roll singers of the 50s, but also among the most influential rockers of any musical era afterwards and set unmatched standards for close, two-part harmonies.

Phil and Don Everly took Appalachian folk, bluegrass and country sounds from their childhood and turned it into a rich harmonized version of rock n' roll.

The children of country and western entertainers, the boys sang as part of the family act on radio and in concert. Then, in 1955, while the boys were still in their teens, the family moved to Nashville. The brothers landed jobs as songwriters with Roy Acuff's company. Don first scored a hit with a song that he wrote for Kitty Wells called "Thou Shalt Not Steal." They also recorded a song for Columbia Records called "Keep on Loving You."

In 1957, Don and Phil were sighed with Cadence Records. On their own, the brothers sang attractively about teen romance with crisp, shimmering voices. With Don tackling the melody and Phil harmonizing above him, the boys released a string of hit songs between 1957 and 1962 that had crossover appeal on the country, pop and even the R&B charts.

Many of the duo's songs were written by the husband and wife team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. They wrote and Don and Phil sang, speaking of teenage devotion and heartbreak, as well as tragicomic situations. The songs the Bryants wrote for the brothers include such classics as "Bye Bye Love," "Devoted to You," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Poor Jenny," and "Wake Up Little Susie." The brothers themselves proved to be fine songwriters, writing such hits as "Until I Kissed You," and "When Will I Be Loved?"

The duo soon were international stars and wore matching suits and had matching haircuts. During their three year run at the Cadence label, they scored a Top Ten hit every four months. Then, in 1960, Don and Phil sighed a contract with Warner Brothers Records. They continued to record prolifically during the 1960s.

Even through the hits stopped coming in the U.S. in 1962, The Everly Brothers continued to make the charts in the U.K., including nine Top 40 hits between 1963 and 1965.

The duo broke up somewhat bitterly in 1973, but ten years later, they reunited for a reunion concert in London. The next year, the brothers returned to the U.S. charts with "On the Wings of a Nightingale," written by Paul McCartney.

The brothers continued to tour until the death of Phil Everly in January 2014.

What drew me to the Everly Brothers when I first heard “All I Have to Do Is Dream” were the excellent harmonies and the vocals.

Their close harmony singing can still be heard in rock bands that use harmonies as a main feature from The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel to Crosby, Stills, and Nash and The Bee Gees.

Posted by Andrew on Friday, 03/14/2014 @ 23:59pm

Several errors in the above article, most notably the claim that the brothers continued to tour until 2014. Phil's emphysema ended the run in 2005. His voice was deeper than Don's at that point, and Don wouldn't lower the chords for him.

They remained almost entirely estranged from one another for the last decade of Phil's life. They could only have harmony on stage.

Posted by Sam on Monday, 11/24/2014 @ 22:51pm

Thanks for that fact, Sam. I'll try to be more sport-on about the information that I post on this site.

Posted by Andrew on Tuesday, 11/25/2014 @ 19:19pm

Cathy's Clown is one of the best songs ever and Roots is an amazing comeback album.GEMS.

Posted by David on Wednesday, 07/31/2019 @ 10:15am

Rest in Peace Don Everly, 1937-2021.

Posted by Joe on Sunday, 08/22/2021 @ 03:25am

Rip both of the everly brothers

Don Everly 1937-2021

Phil Everly 1939-2014

Posted by Tyler Helt on Wednesday, 09/1/2021 @ 09:04am