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Phil and Don Everly lit up the charts before the Beatles arrived. A new book restores their legacy

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What’s the deal with brothers? Always vying for supremacy, trying to outdo each other, distinctly masculine in nature. In popular music, you can find countless instances of intense sibling collaborations that blazed fiercely but eventually fizzled out, leaving behind resentment and the odd lawsuit as reminders.

The Everly Brothers were not unique in this regard. Pillars of 20th century popular music, they created the first notable harmony vocal duo that combined country music and pop. For five years, from 1957 to 1962, these brothers produced a string of singles – “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love,” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream” among them – which left an indelible mark on the world of pop music. Their harmonies, soaring, wistful, and characterized by close intervals, resonated deeply within us.

It’s not difficult to notice the influence of Phil and Don Everly. The Beatles admired them as the harmony group they aspired to imitate, their rendition of “Bye Bye Love” can be heard in Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” documentary, and Paul McCartney paid tribute to them in his 1976 song “Let ‘Em In.” Simon & Garfunkel aimed to emulate the Everly Brothers and included “Bye Bye Love” on their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album. More recently, Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones collaborated on an album titled “Foreverly,” which features songs originally sung by the Everly Brothers.

As a devoted moviegoer, I’ve long been yearning for more tales about these intriguing figures. At last, Barry Mazor’s “Blood Harmony” has graced us with its presence – a thoroughly researched, captivating narrative that finally sheds light on the mesmerizing 50-plus-year journey of this duo. It’s not just a chronicle of their career, but also an affectionate tribute to the enduring musical influence they continue to exert.

In his book, Mazor debunks several myths surrounding the duo, beginning with the idea that they grew up in Kentucky, a region known for bluegrass, and that their father, a skilled guitarist and singer, lifted them out of rural poverty into stardom in the spotlight. However, Mazor’s book reveals that the brothers, born two years apart, spent most of their childhood moving between places like Iowa and Chicago, which exposed them to the local musical traditions. This influence seeped into their music from a young age. Although they were mentored by their father to perform as teenagers, they had already developed a mature understanding of various musical styles at that time.

From his home in Nashville, Mazor asserts that the Everly Brothers were shaped by both the Midwest and Kentucky, but their musical education and cultural immersion took place in Chicago where they resided with their parents for a spell. There, they soaked up R&B, which later evolved into what we now label Americana – music imbued with a strong sense of geographical identity.”

“The Everly Brothers grew up with influences from the Midwest and Kentucky, but they learned their music and absorbed their culture in Chicago. This mix of country and city vibe is what became popular as Americana music.

Music

One point clarified by Mazor in “Blood Harmony” is the common misunderstanding that The Beatles were the initial band to compose and perform their own songs. Contrarily, Phil and Don penned several of the Everly Brothers’ most renowned tracks, such as Phil’s 1960 composition “When Will I Be Loved,” which gained immense popularity when Linda Ronstadt re-recorded it in 1975. It’s also accurate to state that Don was rock music’s first prominent rhythm guitarist, his energetic acoustic strumming being instrumental in songs like “Wake Up Little Susie” and others. George Harrison and Pete Townsend were among those who took notice of this talent.

The Everly Brothers, made up of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant’s husband-and-wife songwriting duo, churned out numerous hits like “Bird Dog,” “Love Hurts,” “Poor Jenny,” and more. However, the Beatles’ worldwide fame served as an insurmountable hurdle for many first-generation rock stars, including the Everly Brothers. As Mazor notes, despite being just a couple of years older than the Beatles, they were often seen as outdated.

In 1961, their publishing company Acuff-Rose filed a lawsuit against them, making it impossible for the brothers to continue writing songs for them. That same year, they joined the Marine Corps Reserve, only to find, like Elvis did earlier, that military service didn’t boost record sales. By the time the lawsuit was resolved in 1964, both brothers had developed a dependency on amphetamines.

The Everly Brothers found it necessary to return to progress. Since 1960, Warner Bros. Records had grown into the ideal platform for a fresh wave of singer-songwriters, pushing country-rock towards deeper, more contemplative realms. The future label head, Lenny Waronker, an admirer of the Everly Brothers, aimed to produce an album that would highlight the brothers as groundbreaking figures, trailblazers who seamlessly merged musical genres to birth something uniquely innovative.

The “Roots” project, named as such due to its connection with the Everly Brothers’ musical roots, incorporated tunes from their ancestral music along with covers of modern compositions by Randy Newman and Ron Elliott. This album was launched in 1968, sharing a year with the Byrds’ “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” and the Band’s “Music from Big Pink.” Despite its modest sales, “Roots” remains a significant milestone in the Everly Brothers’ career, serving as an influential precursor to the Americana genre. As Mazor puts it, “The ‘Roots’ album was their final opportunity to prove their relevance. A space for them had opened up again. It wasn’t a blockbuster hit, but it paved the way.

In essence, it was often their complicated relationship that hindered the Everly Brothers’ advancement. Their personalities were closely linked, mirroring their harmonious singing, yet this connection caused friction between them. Mazor highlights that they had distinct personalities: Phil was practical and career-driven, while Don leaned towards a more carefree lifestyle. This constant tension generated strife that significantly impacted their camaraderie and musical achievements.

Mazor notes that Phil was more traditional in certain aspects; he chose to continue performing at supper clubs throughout the ’70s, whereas Don sought new experiences and was less inclined to compromise, metaphorically speaking. This difference in approach eventually led to a rift between them. For about a decade from 1973 to around 1983, they ventured into solo careers, releasing records that didn’t significantly impact the public memory. They started families and later relocated from their Los Angeles home, settling in different cities.

Music

As a music aficionado, I find myself humbled by the fact that my idols, the Everly Brothers – specifically, yours truly Don and my younger sibling Phil – were among the pioneers honored with induction into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

In the end, they found time for one more victorious moment. After momentarily putting aside their disagreements, the brothers performed a reunion concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September 1983. This event sparked a collaboration on an album, with British musician Dave Edmunds serving as producer. Edmunds then approached Paul McCartney, asking if he would compose a song for the “EB 84” album. The outcome was “On the Wings of a Nightingale,” their last significant hit in the U.S., although it was relatively minor.

Mazor asserts that the unique harmony style introduced by the Everly Brothers continues to influence music today. He points out that groups like The Kinks, The Beach Boys, and many other brother acts admired the Everlys. Additionally, he highlights a modern group called Larkin Poe, who titled one of their albums “Blood Harmony.” This duo demonstrates how two voices can be combined to create something greater than themselves, a practice that remains prevalent in contemporary music. In essence, the harmonious sound pioneered by the Everly Brothers still resonates today.

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2025-07-18 13:32

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