It was spring 1957. I was playing basketball with Brad Stuart in his driveway when I heard them sing. We stopped shooting hoops and Brad turned up his radio. We listened intently to a hanting harmony. The song on WRON was “Bye Bye Love”. The artists were Don and Phil Everly – the Everly Brothers.
Music was a vital part of life for young Boomers and we certainly had our share of great songs and musicians, but we grew up with Don and Phil. We danced to their records and knew all the words to their many hit songs. No one before or since could duplicate their unique style and sound.
The young men were raised in a family of musicians. The father, Ike Everly, played guitar and had his own radio show in the mid-40’s, pressing the oldest boy, Don, age 8, and 6-year old Phil into duty. The group was called The Everly Family.
In 1953, the Everly’s moved to Knoxville. Don and Phil continued to sing together and later took their act to Nashville.
The famous Chet Atkins heard the Everly Brothers and recorded their first song, “Keep a-Lovin’ Me,” for Columbia Records in 1956. The record totally bombed and Columbia dropped Don and Phil like a hot potato.
Fortunately, a producer named Archie Breyer was looking for new artists for Cadence Records and took a chance, signing the brothers in late 1956. In February 1957, Don and Phil recorded “Bye Bye Love”. The song raced to the top of the billboard charts, second at the time only to the immortal Elvis Presley and his release of Teddy Bear.
The prolific duo went on to record smash hits like “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream“, “Let It Be Me”, “Bird Dog“, “Problems“, “(Till) I Kissed You” , “Lucille“, “So Sad”, “Walk Right Back”, “Ebony Eyes“, “Temptation“, “Cryin’ in the Rain” and “The Price of Love.”
In 1973, Phil and Don split up; each going solo, but neither act caught on. Ten years later, the Everly Brothers sang together again in their reunion concert and their sound was as good as ever. They continued to tour for a few more years, playing to packed houses with each performance.
After years of smoking, Phil passed away from lung disease on Jan. 3, 2014. Don turned 80 years old on Feb. 1, 2017.
The Everly Brothers were an integral part of Boomerhood. There will never be another group like them.