 It all started in Kentucky, U.S.A. Isaac Donald (b.2/1/1937) and Phillip (b.1/19/1939) Everly were raised in a musical family, steeped in one of the oldest musical traditions in America. Don and Phil are the sons of Ike and Margaret Everly, who, like their parents before them, were folk and country singers from central Kentucky. Their late father was one of the few "authentic" guitarists in American music. The influence of his thumb picking style can be heard in the music of players such as Merle Travis, Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler. In 1953 the family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where they worked on WROL radio performing two shows per day and getting paid $90 per week. When the money ran out, Ike got in touch with Chet Atkins in NashvilleDon and Phil suffered repeated rejections by record executives who didn't know what to do with them. Finally, in February 1957, the Everly Brothers signed with Cadence Records, released "Bye Bye Love", sold over two million records, and began a career that established them as the most influential duo in the history of recorded music. As Bob Dylan said regarding Don and Phil, "We owe these guys everything. They started it all." Their phenomenal output over the next five years included: "I Wonder If I Care As Much", "Claudette", "Bird Dog", "Devoted To You", "Problems", "Take A Message To Mary", "('Til) I Kissed You", "Let It Be Me", "When Will I Be Loved", "Cathy's Clown", "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)", "Wake Up Little Susie", "All They Have To Do Is Dream", "Walk Right Back", "Ebony Eyes", "Temptation", "Crying In The Rain", and many more. For most of these titles Don and Phil received a gold record award. Still in demand worldwide, the Everlys tour six to eight months out of the year performing in venues reaching audiences from Europe and Great Britain to Australia and North America.
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