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The Everly Brothers

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The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers, (Don Everly, born Isaac Donald Everly February 1, 1937, Brownie, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Phil Everly, born Phillip Everly, January 19, 1939, Chicago, Illinois) are male siblings who were top-selling country-influenced rock and roll performers, best known for their steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing. The Everlys were for a long time the most successful charting U.S. rock and roll duo on the Hot 100. Their greatest period of chart success came between 1957 and 1964.

Style

The brothers were both competent guitarists, and used a simple style of harmony mostly based on parallel thirds. With this approach, each line can often stand on its own as a plausible melody line. This is in contrast to classic harmony lines which, while working well alongside the melody, would sound strange if heard by themselves. One of the best examples of their close-harmony work is their recording of "Devoted to You".

The duo's approach to harmony singing had a strong influence on the rock and roll groups of the 1960s. For example, both The Beatles[1] and The Beach Boys[2] developed their early singing style by performing Everlys covers. The Beatles based the vocal arrangement of their song "Please Please Me" directly upon that of "Cathy's Clown."[3]

Early career

Guitarist Ike Everly had an Iowa radio show in the 1940s. Singing appearances on their father's show gave the brothers their first exposure. The Everly Brothers recorded their own first single, "Keep A' Lovin' Me," in 1956, under the aegis of Chet Atkins, but it flopped. However their next single, "Bye Bye Love," (which had been rejected by 30 other acts, including Elvis Presley), became an across-the-board smash, reaching #2 on the pop charts (behind Presley's Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear), while hitting #1 on both the Country and the R & B charts. The song, written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, became the Everly Brothers' first million-seller.

They soon became known as the stalwarts of Archie Bleyer's Cadence Records label. Working with the Bryants, the harmonic duo had a number of hits in the U.S. and the UK, the biggest of which were "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," and "Bird Dog."

Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1960, they continued to have hits. Their first with WB, 1960's "Cathy's Clown," launched the brothers back to the top of the charts. The song, which sold eight million records, was the duo's biggest-selling record. It was released as number WB1, the first release in the United Kingdom by Warner Brothers Records. Other singles followed, such as "When Will I Be Loved" (1960), "Walk Right Back" (1961), and "Crying In The Rain" (1962). Their last Top Ten hit was 1962's "That's Old Fashioned"; the succeeding years saw the Everly Brothers selling many fewer records than before. Their enlistment in the United States Marine Corps in 1963, to meet military obligations, took them out of the spotlight immediately before The Beatles broke loose in the United States and changed the pop music landscape.

In 1962, Warner Brothers released a "Golden Hits" album in 1962, which included only their Warner Brothers hits. The 1964 album "The Very Best Of The Everly Brothers" included new versions of six of their Cadence hits (re-recorded in Nashville), along with six of the original Warner Brothers hits. Some of these re-recordings are sometimes played and mistaken for the originals, such as "Devoted to You" and "Til I Kissed You." In 1963, Cadence released a more complete album of those original hits, titled "15 Everly Hits."

After their Marine Corps experience the brothers resumed their career, but American chart success was waning. Singles and albums continued to be released, but only two of these made the lower reaches of the US Top 40, in 1964, and 1967. However, The Everlys had more success in Britain and Canada in that period, consistently reaching the top 40 in the UK with a srting of singles through 1967. The album title "In Our Image" referred to their influence on a new era of singers like the Beatles, who were inspired by their harmony. The album "Two Yanks in England" was recorded there with backup by The Picks, and is a reflection of their success there, and a gesture of camaraderie with the new wave. Their 1968 album "Roots" is touted by some formal critics as a superior example of their music, however by the end of the 1960s The Everly Brothers were no longer hitmakers in either North America or the UK, and in 1970 their contract with Warner Bros lapsed after its ten years. In 1970, they were the summer replacement hosts for Johnny Cash's television show.

The Break-Up of the Everly Brothers

The duo had a memorable split in 1973, as Phil Everly broke his guitar and stormed offstage during a concert at Knotts Berry Farm, leaving brother Don to finish the concert by himself. Don Everly told the crowd, "The Everly Brothers died ten years ago."

The brothers reformed in 1983 with a new album produced by Dave Edmunds. "On the Wings of a Nightingale", written by Paul McCartney for the brothers, was a minor success and returned them to the charts in both the U.S. and UK. Their 1983 Reunion Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was instigated by English virtuoso guitarist Albert Lee (who was also the musical director), resulted in both a well-received CD and video. They then earned a final charting country-music hit with "Born Yesterday" in 1986 from the album with the same name.

At around the same time, Phil enjoyed some success as a soloist, with an album Phil Everly, recorded mainly in London, and including musicians such as Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, Rockpile drummer Terry Williams, and evergreen session keyboard player Pete Wingfield. "She Means Nothing To Me", featuring Cliff Richard as co-lead vocalist, was a Top 10 hit in the UK, and "Louise" reached the Top 50 in 1983. In 1994, a new recording of "All I Have to Do Is Dream," featuring Cliff Richard and Phil sharing vocals, was a UK Top 20 hit.

Even though the brothers have not produced any new studio albums since 1989's "Some Hearts," they continue to tour and perform. Throughout their careers they have collaborated extensively with other performers, usually singing either backup vocals or duets. For example, Don Everly recorded a duet with Emmylou Harris in 1979, "Everytime You Leave", on her album "Blue Kentucky Girl"[4] In 2006, Phil Everly sang a duet, "Sweet Little Corrina", with country singer Vince Gill on his much acclaimed album These Days.[5] He previously supplied harmony vocals on J.D. Souther's "White Rhythm and Blues" on his 1979 album "You're Only Lonely".

Legacy

The Everly Brothers have had a total of 26 Billboard Top 40 singles and 34 Billboard Top 100 singles. Until 1990, the Everlys were the most successful charting U.S. rock and roll duo on the Hot 100. In 1990, the Everlys tied for that position with Hall & Oates, who in 2005 had their 35th Hot 100 single.

In 1986, the Everlys were among the first 10 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During the induction ceremony, they were introduced by Neil Young, who observed that every musical group he ever belonged to had tried and failed to copy the Everly Brothers' harmonies.

In 1997, they were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.[6] Their pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The Everly Brothers have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Everly Brothers[7] #33 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time [8]. They are also #43 on the list of UK Best selling singles artists of all time.

They were also accomplished songwriters, penning a number of their own hits, including "Till I Kissed You" (Don), "Cathy's Clown" (Don and Phil), and "When Will I Be Loved" (Phil). "Cathy's Clown" and "When Will I Be Loved" later became hits for Reba McEntire and Linda Ronstadt, respectively; (for the latter, the Everly Brothers even sang the back up chorus). Also, the Norwegian band a-ha covered "Crying In The Rain" in 1990 for their fourth album, East of The Sun, West of The Moon.

The Bee Gees have acknowledged the Everly Brothers on several occasions stating that they would sing in the style of the Everlys and then add a third harmony. This is evident on the Bee Gees' first hit, New York Mining Disaster 1941 in 1967.

Paul McCartney paid tribute to the Everly's by mentioning "Phil and Don" in his 1976 million-seller, Let_'em_In.

They still perform occasionally, despite having declared their retirement from both touring and the studio more than once. Most notably, they joined Simon and Garfunkel as the featured act in the Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour of 2003 and 2004. As a special tribute to the Everly Brothers, they were not the opening act, rather Simon and Garfunkel opened their own show and had the Everlys come out in the middle for three or four songs. For Paul Simon, it was not the first time he had performed prominently with his heroes. In 1986, The Everlys sang background vocals on the hit title track of Simon's landmark album Graceland, the song he has named as his single greatest composition.

On Labor Day Weekend 1988, Central City Kentucky began hosting The Everly Brothers Homecoming event to raise money for a scholarship fund for Muhlenberg County students.[4] The Homecoming became a popular annual event for fourteen years, before ending in 2002. Don and Phil successfully toured the UK in 2005 and Phil has appeared in 2007 on Recordings with Vince Gill and Bill Medley. Rumours are also around that the "Everly Family" are currently putting together an Album.

Don Everly's daughter, Erin Everly , was briefly married to the controversial front man of Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose.

Rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis named his son, Everly, after the members of the band.

Discography - Albums

Discography - Singles

Charted hits in the U.S. (Billboard) and UK, and notable singles
 Note that US/UK catalog numbers and A-side/B-side configurations may differ. All catalog info here refers to US releases.
Song title U.S. UK Year Label & Cat # Note
Keep A-Lovin' Me/The Sun Keeps Shining 999 999 1956 Columbia First and second songs the brothers recorded together.
Bye Bye Love (A-side) 02 06 1957 Cadence 1315 U.S.: Gold, C&W #1, R&B #5
→ I Wonder If I Care (B-Side) 0 0 1957 Cadence 1315 Made U.S. charts as 'flip' of "Bye Bye Love"
Wake Up Little Susie 01 02 1957 Cadence 1337 U.S.: Gold, C&W, #1, R&B #1
This Little Girl Of Mine (A-Side) 026 0 1958 Cadence 1342 U.s.: C&W #4
→ Should We Tell Him (B-Side) 0 0 1958 Cadence 1342 U.S.: C&W #10
All I Have to Do Is Dream (A-Side) 01 01 1958 Cadence 1348 U.S.: Gold, C&W #1, R&B #1
→ Claudette (B-Side) 30 01 1958 Cadence 1348 U.S.: C&W #15
Bird Dog (A-Side) 01 02 1958 Cadence 1350 U.S.: Gold, C&W #1, R&B #2
→ Devoted to You (B-Side) 10 999 1958 Cadence 1350 U.S.: C&W #7, R&B #2
Problems (A-Side) 02 06 1958 Cadence 1355 U.S.: C&W #17
→ Love Of My Life (B-Side) 40 999 1958 Cadence 1355 zz
Take a Message To Mary (A-Side) 16 20 1959 Cadence 1364 zz
→ Poor Jenny (B-Side) 22 14 1959 Cadence 1364 zz
('Til) I Kissed You 04 02 1959 Cadence 1369 U.S.: C&W #8, R&B #22
Let It Be Me (A-Side) 07 13 1960 Cadence 1376 zz
→ Since You Broke My Heart (B-Side) 06 04 1960 Cadence 1376
Cathy's Clown (A-Side) 01 01 1960 Warner Brothers 5151 U.S.: Gold, R&B #1
→ Always It's You (B-Side) 56 1960 Warner Brothers 5151 zz
When Will I Be Loved (A-Side) 08 04 1960 Cadence 1380 zz
→ Be Bop A Lula (B-Side) 74 0 1960 Cadence 1380 zz
So Sad (A-Side) 07 04 1960 Warner Brothers 5163 U.S.: R&B #16
→ Lucille (B-Side) 21 04 1960 Warner Brothers 5163 zz</span
Like Strangers (A-Side) 22 11 1960 Cadence 1388 zz
→ Brand New Heartache (B-Side) 109 1960 Cadence 1388 zz
Walk Right Back (A-Side) 07 01 1961 Warner Brothers 5199 zz
→ Ebony Eyes (B-Side) 08 01 1961 Warner Brothers 5199 U.S.: C&W #25, R&B #25
Temptation (A-Side) 27 01 1961 Warner Brothers 5220 zz
Stick With Me, Baby (B-Side) 41 1961 Warner Brothers 5220 zz
Don't Blame Me (A-Side) 20 20 1961 Warner Brothers 5501 zz
→Muskrat (B-Side) 82 20 1961 Warner Brothers 5501 zz
Crying In the Rain 06 06 1962 Warner Brothers 5250 zz
That's Old Fashioned (A-Side) 09 999 1962 Warner Brothers 5273 U.S.: A/C #4
→ How Can I Meet Her (B-Side) 75 12 1962 Warner Brothers 5273 zz
I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail 76 1962 Cadence 1429 zz
Don't Ask Me To Be Friends (A-Side) 48 1962 Warner Brothers 5297 US: A/C #16
→ No One Can Make My Sunshine Smile (B-Side) 117 11 1962 Warner Brothers 5297 zz
Nancy's Minuet (A-Side) 107 1963 Warner Brothers 5346 zz
→ (So It Was, So It Is) So It Always Will Be (B-Side) 116 23 1963 Warner Brothers 5346 zz
It's Been Nice (Goodnight) 101 26 1963 Warner Brothers 5362 zz
The Girl Sang the Blues (A-Side) 25 1963 Warner Brothers 5389 zz
Love Her (B-Side) 117 1963 Warner Brothers 5389 zz
Ain't That Lovin You, Baby 133 1964 Warner Brothers 5422 zz
The Ferris Wheel 72 22 1964 Warner Brothers 5441 zz
Gone Gone Gone 31 36 1964 Warner Brothers 5478 zz
You're My Girl 110 1965 Warner Brothers 5600 zz
That'll Be the Day 111 30 1965 Warner Brothers 5611 zz
The Price of Love 104 02 1965 Warner Brothers 5628 zz
I'll Never Get Over You 999 35 1965 Warner Brothers 5639 zz
Love Is Strange 128 11 1965 Warner Brothers 5649 zz
Love Of The Common People 114 1967 Warner Brothers 7088 zz
Bowling Green 40 999 1967 Warner Brothers 7020 zz
It's My Time 112 39 1968 Warner Brothers 7192 zz
On The Wings Of A Nightingale 050 041 1984 Mercury 880213 U.S.: A/C #9, C&W #49. Written by Paul McCartney.
The First In Line 1985 Mercury 880423 U.S.: C&W #44
Born Yesterday 1986 Mercury 884228 U.S.: A/C #17, C&W #17
I Know Love (A-Side) 1986 Mercury 884694 U.S.: C&W #56
→ These Shoes (B-Side) 1986 Mercury 884694 U.S.: C&W #57
Don Everly solo
Song title U.S. UK Year Label & Cat # Note
Warmin' Up The Band 110 1974 Ode 66046 zz
Yesterday Just Passed My Way Again 1976 Hickory 368 U.S.: C&W #50
Since You Broke My Heart 1977 Hickory 54005 U.S.: C&W #84
Brother Juke Box 1977 Hickory 54012 U.S.: C&W #96
Phil Everly solo
Song title U.S. UK Year Label & Cat # Note
Dare To Dream Again 1980 Curb 5401 U.S.: A/C #9, C&W #63
Sweet Southern Love 1981 Curb 2116 U.S.: A/C #42, C&W #52
Louise 52 1982 Capitol CL 266 (UK)
Who's Gonna Keep Me Warm 1982 Capitol 5197 U.S.: C&W #37
She Means Nothing To Me (duet with Cliff Richard) 9 1983 Capitol CL 276 (UK)

See also

References

  1. ^ MacDonald, Ian (1997). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties. Random House. ISBN 0-7126-6697-4. p.293.
  2. ^ Granata, Charles L. (2003). I Just Wasn't Made for These Times: Brian Wilson and the Making of Pet Sounds. MQ Publications. ISBN 1-903318-57-2. pp. 35-36.
  3. ^ MacDonald (op. cit.), p.55.
  4. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Kentucky-Girl-Remastered-Expanded/dp/B00013MS9M
  5. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ipxuak8kdm3v~T1
  6. ^ 'The Everly Brothers' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
  7. ^ "The Everly Brothers". Paul Simon. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
  8. ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
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