The Everly Brothers

Brothers Phil and Don Everly achieved one of the most iconic, influential vocal blends in popular music. Born in 1937 (Don) and 1939 (Phil), they grew up in Iowa and then Knoxville, TN, steeped in country music by performing with their parents as The Everly Family. By the mid-’50s, Don and Phil were a duo, mixing pop, country, and rock ’n’ roll. With the aid of guitarist and producer Chet Atkins, they became a pop-rock sensation in 1957 with “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” The keening country harmonies of The Louvin Brothers inspired the Everlys, who in turn were a key vocal influence on The Beatles, making Don and Phil a gigantically important link in the music-history chain. Their success slowed by the mid-’60s, but they kept progressing, cutting country-rock records that became cult classics. From 1973 to 1983 they pursued separate interests, but they then resumed working together well into the new millennium, their status as rock ’n’ roll godheads long since assured.