Don Everly (pictured at right) and his brother Phil were the highly influential early rock and roll duo the Everly Brothers. Known for their incredible close-harmony singing, their hit songs included “Wake Up Little Suzie,” “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” and “Cathy’s Clown.”
- Died: Saturday, August 21, 2021. (Who else died on August 21?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Nashville at the age of 84.
- We invite you to share condolences for Don Everly in our Guest Book.
Rock Pioneers
Don and his younger brother Phil (1939–2014) were pioneers of close harmony country influenced rock music in the early days of rock and roll. They came from a musical family and performed at a young age with their parents, Ike and Margaret. Living in Knoxville, Tennessee as teenagers, family friend and country music guitar legend Chet Atkins (1924–2001), helped the duo get a record contract with Cadence records. In 1957, they recorded “Bye Bye Love,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and the song reached number 2 on the charts behind Elvis Presley (1935–1977). They released a string of follow up hits including “Wake Up Little Susie” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream.” The brothers toured with Buddy Holly (1936–1959) and the Crickets and wrote a song for the band. Signing to Warner Brothers in 1960, they wrote and recorded their biggest hit song “Cathy’s Clown.” Other hits included “Walk Right Back” and “Lucille.” After the early 1960s, the Everly Brothers lost their popularity though they continued to record and perform, calling it quits in 1973. Both brothers released solo records and later reunited to perform live and release more music.
Music Legacy
The Everly Brothers tremendous harmony vocals and their strong rhythm guitar playing influenced many artists during the early years of rock music. The Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel have cited the duo as musical heroes.
Notable Quote
“When Phil and I started out, everyone hated” rock ‘n’ roll, he told Rolling Stone’s Kurt Loder in 1986. “The record companies didn’t like it at all — felt it was an unnecessary evil. And the press: interviewers were always older than us, and they let you know they didn’t like your music, they were just doing the interview because it was their job. Then along came the Sixties, and everyone suddenly got real young, and if you were over thirty, they didn’t trust you.”
Tributes to Don Everly
Full obituary: Los Angeles Times
