On This Day: The Everly Brothers Break up on Stage in 1973, Complete With Guitar-Smashing

The Everly Brothers were a big deal in the music world in the 1950s and 1960s. They were one of the first bands to seamlessly blend rock and country music, and their music influenced the likes of The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and many more legendary artists. Unfortunately, life wasn’t a walk through the park for the band. It turns out, starting an ultra-successful music outfit with your brother isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Phil and Don Everly had been musicians and performers since they were kids. They toured around the US with their parents in a family band. The brothers were only teenagers when they made the move to Nashville to become songwriters for Acuff-Rose. From there, their rise to fame was fast. The 1957 tune “Bye Bye Love” catapulted the two young men to stardom, and their career was fast and fiery.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t an easy rise to fame. The brothers had issues with their royalties at Cadence Records and decided to work with Warner Bros. instead. They had a fallout with that company, and eventually tried to set up their own label. Lawsuits flew around for a few years, and their enlistment in the US Marines put a damper on their music career. Once they returned, their careers weren’t quite what they were before.

The band moved to RCA Records and even became hosts on a television show. But as the 1960s came to an end, a glaring problem put even more of a burden on their career: Don’s drug addiction.

The Final Bow (And Freak-Out) of the Everly Brothers

Both of The Everly Brothers used drugs to cope with their hectic lives. Don, in particular, had an unhealthy relationship with Ritalin. The drug induced a nervous breakdown at one point and Don had to undergo shock therapy, all while still touring with his brother.

Then, that fateful day in 1973 came about. July 14 was already slated to be The Everly Brothers’ final show at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, but the way the final show ended was shocking to everybody… even the brothers themselves.

Before the final show took place, Don told Phil that he wanted to break up the group and also take a few years off from seeing each other at all. Stressed and upset about the end of it all, Don used alcohol to get through the final show.

He slurred through the first half of the set. The Everly Brothers’ backing band could tell something was up. The audience wasn’t happy, and naturally, the drunken Don became angry at the crowd as well as his brother. Phil was over it, and shockingly smashed his guitar on the ground and walked off stage. He allegedly told their promoter, “I can’t go back on stage with that man again.”

Don simply told the crowd, “The Everly Brothers died ten years ago.”

And so, after years of fighting, jumping from label to label, and drug addiction, The Everly Brothers were done. It was one of the most public and dramatic band breakups of all time, but at least the brothers reconciled.

Photo via Prime PR Group

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