, ('''Don Everly''', born '''Isaac Donald Everly''' February 1 , 1937 , Brownie, Muhlenberg County , Kentucky , '''Phil Everly''', born '''Phillip Everly''', January 19 , 1939 , Chicago , Illinois ) are male siblings who were top-selling Country -influenced Rock And Roll performers, best known for their Steel-string Guitar playing and Close Harmony singing. Their greatest period of chart success came between 1957 and 1961 .
Don, the older brother was born in Brownie, a now-defunct . They performed with their parents on live Radio and in small-market live shows in the Midwest .
In addition to both being competent guitarists, the brothers used a simple style of Harmony mostly based on parallel thirds (two notes on a scale with one note between). With this approach, each line can often stand on its own as a plausible Melody line. This is in contrast to classic harmony lines which, while working well alongside the melody, would sound strange if heard by themselves. One of the best examples of their close-harmony work is their recording of " Devoted To You ".
The duo's approach to harmony singing had a strong influence on the rock and roll groups of the 1960s . For example, both The Beatles 1 p.293. and The Beach Boys 2 pp. 35-36. developed their early singing style by performing Everlys covers. The Beatles based the vocal arrangement of their song " Please Please Me " directly upon that of " Cathy's Clown ."MacDonald (''op. cit.''), p.55.
Guitarist Ike Everly had an Iowa radio show in the 1940s. Singing appearances on their father's show gave the brothers their first exposure. The Everly Brothers recorded their own first single, "Keep A' Lovin' Me," in 1956 , under the aegis of Chet Atkins , but it flopped. However their next single, " Bye Bye Love ," (which had been rejected by 30 other acts, including Elvis Presley ), became an across-the-board smash, reaching #2 on the Pop charts (behind Presley's '' Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear ''), while hitting #1 on both the Country, and the R & B charts. The song, written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Felice And Boudleaux Bryant , became the Everly Brothers' first million-seller.
They soon became known as the stalwarts of Archie Bleyer 's Cadence Records label. Working with the Bryants, the harmonic duo had a number of hits in the U.S. and the UK , the biggest of which were " Wake Up Little Susie ," " All I Have To Do Is Dream ," and "Bird Dog."
Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1960 , they continued to have hits. Their first with WB, 1960's " Cathy's Clown ," launched the brothers back to the top of the charts. It was released as number WB1, the first release in the United Kingdom by Warner Brothers Records. Other singles followed, such as "When Will I Be Loved" ( 1960 ), "Walk Right Back" ( 1961 ), and "Crying In The Rain" ( 1962 ). Their last Top Ten hit was 1962's "That's Old Fashioned"; the succeeding years saw the Everly Brothers selling many fewer records than before. Their enlistment in the United States Marine Corps in 1963, to meet Military obligations, took them out of the spotlight immediately before The Beatles broke loose in the United States and changed the pop music landscape.
In 1962, Warner Brothers released a "Golden Hits" Album in 1962, which included only their Warner Brothers hits. The 1964 album "The Very Best Of The Everly Brothers" included new versions of six of their Cadence hits (re-recorded in Nashville), along with six of the original Warner Brothers hits. Some of these re-recordings are sometimes played and mistaken for the originals, such as " Devoted To You " and "Til I Kissed You." In 1963, Cadence released a more complete album of those original hits, titled "15 Everly Hits."
After their Marine Corps experience the brothers resumed their career, but American chart success was wanting. Singles and albums continued to be released, but only two of these made the lower reaches of the Top 40, in 1964, and 1967. The Everlys had somewhat more success in Britain and Canada in that period. Some fans find their mid-60s music to be their most impressive, with the songs "The Price of Love" and " Love Is Strange " being good examples. The album title " In Our Image " referred to their influence on a new era of singers like the Beatles, who were inspired by their harmony. The album " Two Yanks In England " was recorded there with backup by The Hollies and future members of Led Zeppelin , and is a reflection of their success there, and a gesture of camaraderie with the new wave. The album "Roots" is touted by some formal critics as superior, but from a music fan's standpoint it was not special. Their contract with Warner Bros lapsed after its ten years. In 1970, they were the summer replacement hosts for Johnny Cash 's television show.
The duo had a memorable split in 1973 , as Phil Everly broke his guitar and stormed offstage during a concert at Knotts Berry Farm , leaving brother Don to finish the concert by himself. Don Everly told the crowd, "The Everly Brothers died ten years ago."
The brothers reformed in 1983 with a new album produced by Dave Edmunds . "On the Wings of a Nightingale", written by Paul McCartney for the brothers, was a minor success and returned them to the charts in both the US and UK . Their 1983 Reunion Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London , which was instigated by English virtuoso guitarist Albert Lee (who was also the musical director), resulted in both a well-received CD and video. They then earned a final charting country-music hit with " Born Yesterday ."
At around the same time, Phil enjoyed some success as a soloist, with an album ''Phil Everly'', recorded mainly in London, and including musicians such as Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler , Rockpile drummer Terry Williams , and evergreen session keyboard player Pete Wingfield . "She Means Nothing To Me", featuring Cliff Richard as co-lead vocalist, was a Top 10 hit in the UK, and "Louise" reached the Top 50 in 1983. In 1994, a new recording of " All I Have To Do Is Dream ," featuring Cliff Richard and Phil sharing vocals, was a UK Top 20 hit.
Even though the brothers have not produced any new studio albums since 1989's "Some Hearts," they continue to tour and perform. Throughout their careers they have collaborated extensively with other performers, usually singing either backup vocals or duets. For example, Don Everly recorded a duet with 's "White Rhythm and Blues" on his 1979 album " You're Only Lonely ".
The Everly Brothers have had a total of 26 .
They were also accomplished songwriters, penning a number of their own hits, including "Till I Kissed You" (Don), "Cathy's Clown" (Don and Phil), and "When Will I Be Loved" (Phil). "Cathy's Clown" and "When Will I Be Loved" later became hits for Reba McEntire and Linda Ronstadt , respectively; (for the latter, the Everly Brothers even sang the back up chorus). Also, the Norwegian band A-ha covered "Crying In The Rain" in 1990 for their fourth album, ''East of The Sun, West of The Moon''.
The Bee Gees have acknowledged the Everly Brothers on several occasions stating that they would sing in the style of the Everlys and then add a third harmony. This is evident on the Bee Gees' first hit, New York Mining Disaster 1941 in 1967.
They still perform occasionally, despite having declared their retirement from both touring and the studio more than once. Most notably, they joined Simon And Garfunkel as the featured act in the Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour of 2003 and 2004. As a special tribute to the Everly Brothers, they were not the opening act, rather Simon and Garfunkel opened their own show and had the Everlys come out in the middle for three or four songs. For Paul Simon, it was not the first time he had performed prominently with his heroes. In 1986, The Everlys sang background vocals on the hit title track of Simon's landmark album '' Graceland .'' On Labor Day Weekend 1988, Central City Kentucky began hosting The Everly Brothers Homecoming event to raise money for a scholarship fund for Muhlenberg County students. {Link without Title} The Homecoming became a popular annual event for fourteen years, before ending in 2002.
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