The voices of Phil and Don Everly blended in a way few others have achieved. The sibling harmonies jumped out of the grooves and reached the whole world. A British teenager named Paul McCartney was trying to figure out where the magic came from as he joined John Lennon’s skiffle group.
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McCartney said this in his 2021 book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present: “The biggest influence on John and me was The Everly Brothers. To this day, I think they are the greatest. And they were different. You’d heard barbershop quartets. You’d heard the Beverley Sisters—three girls—you’d all heard that. But just two guys, two good-looking guys? So we idolised them. We wanted to be them.”
The Everly Brothers ran off a string of 12 top-10 singles from 1957 to 1962. But in a bitter twist of fate, it was the arrival of The Beatles that contributed to the end of their chart dominance. However, it’s not quite as simple as that. Let’s look at five fascinating facts about The Everly Brothers.
Chet Atkins Gave Them Their First Big Break
Don Everly was born in Brownie, Kentucky, where his father Ike worked in the coal mines. The family moved to Chicago, where baby brother Phil was born two years later. The Everlys again moved to Shenandoah, Iowa, where the family performed regularly on radio stations KMA and KFNF.
In 1953, the family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where they continued performing and Don started writing songs. The family attended a Chet Atkins concert, and Ike Everly introduced the boys to the great guitarist/producer. Atkins was interested in hearing some of Don’s songs.
They visited Nashville shortly after, as Don recalled in 2016 for the Harmonies from Heaven documentary, “We recorded some things on Chet’s tape at his house, and he said, ‘I’ll publish them if I get them recorded,’ and I said, ‘Fine!'”
Atkins introduced them to Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose Publishing, and he successfully got a song cut. “Thou Shalt Not Steal” was recorded by Kitty Wells and reached No. 14 on the Billboard country chart. Money from the success of that song allowed them to move permanently to Nashville. The Everly Brothers entered into an agreement with Rose to become their manager and publisher.
“Bye Bye Love” Was Written to the Beat of Windshield Wipers
Felice and Boudleaux Bryant were the first professional songwriting duo in Nashville and had their first success with “Little Jimmy Dickens” in 1948. Their “Country Boy” went to No. 7 on the Billboard country chart. The couple had songs recorded by Carl Smith, Moon Mullican, and Red Foley.
The songwriting duo partnered with Rose, who was looking for material for his newest act. The Bryants were in the car as the windshield wipers rocked back and forth, providing the chugging rhythm that inspired “Bye Bye Love.” The song was presented to the Everlys, and Don wanted to incorporate some “Bo Diddley”-style guitar. Cadence Records head Archie Bleyer encouraged Don to tack on the opening guitar riff to the song.
A Mistake by the Record Label Pays Off
When Cadence Records pressed singles for “Bye Bye Love,” the plan was to service it to country radio stations. The team in New York that promoted Cadence accidentally sent the record to all radio stations, including country, pop, and R&B. The song became a smash hit on all three formats. The song topped the country chart, hit No. 5 on R&B, and peaked at No. 2 on the pop chart. It was only kept out of the top spot on the pop charts by Elvis Presley’s “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear.”
The Everly Brothers’ Second Single Was Banned in Boston
Juvenile delinquency was becoming a buzzword and a parent’s biggest nightmare. The Bryants wrote “Wake Up Little Susie” with the Everlys in mind. They even left holes in the song for Don to add a guitar riff. The perfect combination was captured at RCA Studio B in Nashville. Atkins, Ray Edenton, Lightnin’ Chance, Floyd Cramer, and Buddy Harman recorded the follow-up record that would be even more successful than their debut. The song would be banned in Boston and a few other cities. The Bryants were thrilled, as it only brought more attention to the record. It topped all three charts.
When it came time to release a third record, a conscious decision was made to avoid another song that might sound like a novelty. The Bryants wrote “(All I Have to Do Is) Dream,” which also topped all three charts. Now, the Everlys’ career was taking off like a rocket. They continued to have hit after hit with Bryant-penned songs like “Bird Dog,” “Problems,” and “Take a Message to Mary.”
The Everlys Weren’t Allowed to Record Their Own Songs
Things were sailing along. The Everlys signed a new record deal with Warner Bros. Records for a million dollars. Phil and Don were both starting to write songs and were having success with “Cathy’s Clown,” “When Will I Be Loved,” and “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad).”
In 1961, the brothers had a disagreement with manager/publisher Rose. They broke ties with him and were not allowed to record songs published by Acuff-Rose. This included the Bryants’ catalog and even the songs written by Phil and Don. “Crying in the Rain,” written by Carole King and Howard Greenfield, would be the last top 10 song for the duo as they enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
When the British Invasion happened, most American acts suffered. The Everlys continued making strong recordings, but they never recaptured the success they had achieved from 1957 to 1962. In 1973, they split up without speaking for 10 years, leading to a triumphant return in 1983 to the Royal Albert Hall in London.
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