PHIL EVERLY (1939 - 2014)

Phil Everly, one half of the pioneering rock group, The Everly Brothers passed away on January 2nd. Along with his brother, Don, the duo helped shaped the early sound with their steel-string guitars and perfect harmonies.

The brothers first began professionally singing with their parents as The Everly Family as young children. By the time they were teenagers, Phil and Don branched off in to their own group and were signed to Columbia Records in 1956. But their only single was a major flop and the brothers were dropped from the label. Chet Atkins, a family friend and successful country musician/producer, encouraged the boys not to lose faith and introduced them to Wesley Rose, a music publisher. Rose promised that if they joined his company as songwriters, he would help get them a new recording contract.

The Everly Brothers joined a fledgling label, Cadence Records and their first single, "Bye Bye Love" was released in 1958. The song became a top five hit on the pop, country and soul charts and sold over a million copies. They followed that up with many other hit songs including, "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have To Do Is Dream", "Cathy"s Clown" and "When Will I Be Loved".

During their career, The Everly Brothers had twenty-six U.S. top forty singles, twenty-nine U.K. top-forty singles, were inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

"All I Have To Do Is Dream" - The Everly Brothers (1958)

Here is an early live performance of the brothers performing their first hit, "Bye Bye Love":