I was away for the holidays when I heard about Phil Everly passing away. It’s sad to think that we’ll never hear those two voices together again.
Thinking back to music you became aware of as a child, there are always a few artists who seemed to stand out for some reason. I can vividly recall watching TV on Sunday nights on our family’s old black & white TV. If I hadn’t been lucky enough to secure a space on the couch (TV viewing can be a competitive sport when you have seven older siblings), I would be ensconced on the den’s oval rug, maybe with a pillow propping me up.
The Beatles, of course, made a huge impression. But I remember feeling a certain affinity to the Everly Brothers as well. The natural harmonies, as only siblings can do – “one voice” from two people – made them special, but there was also something about the way they appeared; the two of them standing there side by side, often sharing one mic, the way they wielded those matching jumbo acoustic guitars, Phil often casually slinging his from one shoulder a la Johnny Cash to focus on a harmony, Don sometimes holding his up vertically to the microphone to drive the chugging rhythm home.
There was something of the rebel about them, being of the first generation of rock ‘n’ rollers, but also something traditional there, coming partly from country music as they did, and being family.
In a word, they were cool.
As long as I can remember, I’ve been a sucker for great harmony singing, and this may have been where it began. The Beatles had great harmonies too, but there’s no doubt where they got a lot of that from: Phil and Don.
As many have said in the wake of Phil Everly’s passing, it’s impossible to overstate the influence of the Everly Brothers. They mixed the songcraft and the harmony singing of country music’s Appalachian roots with the rhythm and young concerns of rock ‘n’ roll – what was then a brand new music form.
I love how all of that is encapsulated in the way their first big hit came together in 1957. “Bye Bye Love” was written by the husband and wife team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who wrote many of the Everly’s first hits. But it was far from a sure thing. In fact, it had been rejected by 30 other artists, including Elvis Presley.
As recounted in the CMT biodoc below, the Everly Brothers decided to record it, but at the recording session, it just wasn’t coming together – there was something missing. After working on it for hours, they decided to take a break, during which Don Everly started casually playing around with a guitar figure inspired by a song from a rock ‘n’ roll artist he was a big fan of: “Hey Bo Diddley” by Bo Diddley. Present at the session, Boudleaux Bryant’s ears perked up. This was it! The Bo Diddley-esque guitar intro was exactly what the track was missing! The country-ish tune and the brothers’ harmonies were fine, but what it needed was a little injection of rock ‘n’ roll to take it somewhere special.
“Bye Bye Love” went on to be a huge hit on the pop, country, and rhythm and blues charts, and the Everly Brothers were on their way to becoming music legends with a string of hits and classics including “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Cathy’s Clown,” “(‘Til) I Kissed You,” “When Will I Be Loved” and many more.
They influenced everyone from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Simon and Garfunkel and Linda Ronstadt, and all the way up to everyone in today’s Americana music scene. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Everly Brothers were instrumental in shaping the trajectory of popular music.
Timeless music, enduring songs, unforgettable harmonies. Thank you Phil and Don.
Check out some choice cuts below, including the CMT biodoc and their 1983 reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
