On this day (July 14) in 1973, the Everly Brothers took the stage of the John Wayne Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It was the second night of a two-night engagement. More importantly, it was set to be their final show before a much-needed hiatus. Unfortunately, years of tension and substance abuse came to a head on stage that evening. The result was a disastrous show that overshadowed their future efforts.
The Everly Brothers scored their first hit in 1957 with “Bye Bye Love.” It topped the country chart and reached No. 2 on the Hot 100. For nearly two decades, their tight harmonies and wholesome image allowed them to shift their focus between the pop and country markets, finding success in both. However, as the 1960s drew to a close, tastes were changing.
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The British Invasion, the folk-rock boom, and the ever-growing counterculture eclipsed Don and Phil Everly’s squeaky-clean image. As a result, their chart success dried up. At the same time, they wanted to follow the new trends, but couldn’t break away from the image that record executives had been cultivating since the late 1950s. They were stuck and frustrated.
Moreover, there was constant tension between the brothers. Their twin substance abuse issues didn’t help things.
The Everly Brothers Needed to Walk Away
By the time they took the stage for their farewell show, the Everly Brothers hadn’t had a hit in six years. “Bowling Green” had peaked at No. 40 on the Hot 100 in 1967. Their following 11 singles failed to chart.
“What we needed was to take a long vacation,” Phil Everly told Rolling Stone. “There were too many people making too much money off us, keeping us going. We should have taken a long rest. But in those days, we couldn’t.”
The first of their farewell shows was what it should have been: a celebration of the Everly Brothers’ music and legacy. Fans who attended the second performance expected the same. That’s not what they got, though.
Don Everly was visibly drunk when we staggered onto the stage. He sang off-key, slurring his way through songs he’d performed hundreds of times before. Phil, barely hiding his frustration, tried to restart several songs to no avail. The audience booed and yelled at the duo.
Finally, Phil’s frustration boiled over. He smashed his guitar and walked off the stage. Don tried and failed to keep the show going. When someone asked where Phil had gone, he replied, “The Everly Brothers died ten years ago.”
“It was a flip statement,” Don later said. “I was half in the bag that evening–the only time I’ve ever been drunk on stage in my life,” he added. “It’s funny, the press hadn’t paid any attention to us in ten years, but they jumped on that. It was one of the saddest days in my life.”
Ten Years Later…
This wasn’t just a professional split for the Everly Brothers. They reportedly only saw each other once–at their father’s funeral–between the final show and the early 1980s.
They took the stage together for the first time since their disastrous farewell show on September 1983 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The concert was recorded for a live album, which dropped later that year. In 1984, they released their first studio album since Pass the Chicken & Listen hit shelves in 1972.
They made their final appearance as a duo in the early 2000s. After that, they once again became estranged. Unfortunately, they did not reconcile before Phil died in 2014.
Featured Image by Tony Russell/Redferns