Don Everly

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Isaac Donald Everly, Don Everly for short, was born in 1937 in Brownie, Kentucky. His father Ike was a guitarist and taught his sons to play. The family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1953, and by 1955 Don and his younger brother Phil were living in Nashville. Together they formed the Everly Brothers. Their first performances were already in 1951, and in 1957 they signed to Cadence Records.

Music and breakthrough

Their first hit was Bye Bye Love, a song by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant that had been turned down by thirty other artists. It became their first million-seller. After that came All I Have to Do Is Dream and Cathy's Clown, among others. After conflicts between the brothers the duo broke up. From 1973 to 1983 they made solo work. Don played in Nashville with his band Dead Cowboys and in 1979 sang with Emmylou Harris. In 1983 the brothers stood on stage together again at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Influence

The Everly Brothers sang with tight two-part harmonies, with Don taking the low voice and Phil the high, accompanied by acoustic guitars. Paul McCartney said that he and John Lennon, in their early years, played at being Phil and Don. In 1986 the Everly Brothers were the first duo to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Don Everly died in 2021.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1971Don Everly
• 1974Sunset Towers
• 1983Brother Jukebox