The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers Biography

The Everly Brothers were an American rock duet best recognized for their strong harmonies and steel-string acoustic guitar skills. The country rock genre was invented by the partnership of Isaac Donald “Don” and Phillip “Phil” Everly, who merged elements of rock & roll, country, and pop.

The pair was brought up in a musical household and made their radio debut in the 1940s singing alongside their parents, Margaret and Ike Everly, as “The Everly Family.” They caught the attention of well-known Nashville musicians like Chet Atkins when the brothers were still in high school, who started to push them for national recognition.

Their first big song, “Bye Bye Love,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, was released in 1957 after they started creating and recording their own music in 1956. The song peaked at No. 1 in the spring of 1957, and other hits—many of them penned by the Bryants—including “Problems,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” and “Wake Up Little Susie”—would come in 1958. They recorded “Cathy’s Clown,” penned by the brothers themselves, for the major label Warner Bros. Records in 1960, and it became their best-selling single. The brothers’ productivity decreased after they joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1961, but they continued to release hit singles until 1962, with “That’s Old Fashioned (That’s the Way Love Should Be)” serving as their final top-10 success.

The brothers continued to release hit singles in the U.K. and Canada and had numerous highly successful tours throughout the 1960s, but the group’s popularity in its native U.S. declined due to long-simmering conflicts with Wesley Rose, the head of Acuff-Rose Music, which managed the group, as well as rising drug use in the 1960s. The brothers started releasing solo music at the start of the 1970s, and they called it quits in 1973. The brothers reunited in 1983, and they performed occasionally until Phil’s passing in 2014. In seven years, Don passed away.

The band had a significant impact on the music of the generation after it. The close-harmonized singing and acoustic guitar playing of the Everly Brothers had a significant impact on many of the top 1960s performers, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, and Simon & Garfunkel. The Everly Brothers were voted first in Rolling Stone’s list of the 20 greatest duos of all time in 2015. They were a member of the first class to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Don received the first Iconic Riff Award from the organization in 2019 after being admitted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum for his distinctive rhythm guitar opening to the Everlys’ huge 1957 hit song “Wake Up Little Susie.”

The Everly Brothers had 35 Billboard Top 100 hits, and 26 in the top 40. They are second only to Hall & Oates in the Top 40 and Top 100 singles. Between 1957 and 1984, they had 30 UK chart singles, 29 in the Top 40, 13 Top 10, and 4 No. 1. 12 Top 40 albums between 1960 and 2009.

The Everly Brothers were among the inaugural 10 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 1986. Neil Young introduced them, saying that every band he’d been in had tried and failed to duplicate the Everly Brothers’ harmonies. The Everlys performed, paraded, dedicated a street, and held a class reunion in Shenandoah, Iowa, on July 5, 1986. The Shenandoah Everly Family Scholarship Fund received concert fees. 2003 saw the brothers’ Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction.

The brothers received the 1997 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001 and 2004, they were inducted into the Country Music and Vocal Group Halls of Fame. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame honors their music. The Everly Brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. on October 2, 1986, for their music. The Everly Brothers were 33rd on Rolling Stone’s 2004 “100 Greatest Artists” list. They rank 43rd in UK singles sales history.

Discography

Rock’n Soul
Gone, Gone, Gone
The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits
Christmas with the Everly Brothers
Instant Party!
Both Sides of an Evening
A Date with the Everly Brothers
It’s Everly Time
Songs Our Daddy Taught Us
The Everly Brothers

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Was The Everly Brothers’S Best Selling Album?

The Everly Brothers had many popular albums, but their best-selling album was probably “1958’s Hits,” which featured some of the duo’s most popular songs, including “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” Other notable albums by The Everly Brothers include “Walk Right Back” (1961) and ” EB 84″ (1984). The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

How Many Top Ten Hits Did The Everly Brothers?

The Everly Brothers had thirty-six top ten hits on the Billboard charts. Their first hit, “Bye Bye Love”, peaked at number two on the pop charts in 1957. Some of their other well-known songs include “Wake Up Little Susie”, “All I Have to Do Is Dream”, and “Cathy’s Clown”. The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

What Is The Everly Brothers Most Famous Song?

The Everly Brothers are most famous for their song “Bye Bye Love”. The song was originally released in 1957 and quickly rose to the top of the charts. It has since been covered by numerous artists and is considered a classic.

Most Searched For Songs

All I Have to Do Is Dream
Wake up Little Susie
Bye Bye Love
Crying in the Rain
Let It Be Me
Walk Right Back
Devoted to You
Cathy’s Clown – 2007 Remaster
Love Hurts – 2007 Remaster
(‘Til) I Kissed You