Born on This Day in 1937, One-Half of Rock n’ Roll’s Most Beloved Sibling Duo, Whose Songs Later Became Hits for Linda Ronstadt and Vince Gill

Without the Everly Brothers, we’d likely never have had the Beach Boys. One of the first bands to blend country and rock music, brothers Don and Phil Everly enjoyed a string of hits in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Those hits included “Bye Bye Love” and “Cathy’s Clown.” Eventually, conflict between the two brothers ended the Everly Brothers for good—and in spectacular fashion. Still, their place in country music history remains. On this day (Feb. 1) in 1937, elder brother Isaac Donald “Don” Everly was born in Brownie, Kentucky, to country music entertainers Ike and Margaret.

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Don Everly Started Out Performing with His Parents

Younger brother Phil came along two years later, in 1939. Their parents incorporated the boys into their own act early on, with the brothers performing as “Little Donnie” and “Baby Boy Phil” on a Shenandoah, Iowa radio station.

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📻🎶 On this day in 1957, The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie” hit #1 on the charts. With its sweet harmonies and playful lyrics, the single became a defining sound of the late ’50s — and a timeless favorite! 🎸 #theeverlybrothers

♬ Wake Up Little Susie – The Everly Brothers

In 1955, after graduating high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, Don Everly moved to Nashville with younger brother Phil. Family friend Chet Akins helped the Everly Brothers land songwriting jobs at Acuff-Rose Publications. There, president Wesley Rose secured them a recording contract with Cadence Records.

In 1957, Phil and Don Everly recorded “Bye Bye Love,” a song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. Before it landed in the Everly Brothers’ hands, 30 other artists had already rejected the song. The siblings sent it to the top of the country charts and No. 2 on the pop charts.

Thanks to their vocal-driven harmonies and catchy melodies, the Everly Brothers released eight singles that sold a million copies or more between 1957 and 1959. In 1960, they made history as the first artists ever to sign a million-dollar recording contract when they inked a deal with Warner Brothers. That same year, they recorded their best-selling single ever, “Cathy’s Clown.”

Beyond their own hits, they served as the originators behind some of music’s biggest hits. Both Linda Ronstadt and Vince Gill each released successful covers of the track “When Will I Be Loved”.  

[RELATED: On This Day in 1957, The Everly Brothers Overcame a Radio Ban With an Oddly Controversial No. 1 Hit: “There’s Nothing Sleazy or Off-Color in There”]

Their Catastrophic Final Concert

By 1973, mounting tensions and shifting cultural attitudes had left the Everly Brothers feeling like a shell of their former greatness. Two weeks ahead of a show at the John Wayne Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm near Los Angeles, Don Everly informed his brother it would be their last. And they wouldn’t even finish it, as a furious Phil would smash his guitar and storm offstage midway through the second set.

In a 1986 interview with Rolling Stone, Don Everly called their final show “one of the saddest days of my life.”

The siblings later reunited in 1983 for a show in London. They continued performing together until 2006. Phil Everly died Jan. 3, 2014, at age 74. Don’s death followed seven years later, on Aug. 21, 2021. He was 84.

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