Phil Everly
Phillip Everly (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014) was an American musician, who was one half of the duo The Everly Brothers alongside his older brother Don.
Also recorded as Philip Everly
Phil Everly

Bruno of Hollywood · This file was derived from: Everly Brothers.jpg · Public domain
- Name
- Phil Everly
- Birth Name
- Phillip Everly
- Born
- 19 January 1939
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
- Died
- 3 January 2014
- Place of death
- Burbank, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Musician
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Phillip Everly (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014) was an American musician, who was one half of the duo The Everly Brothers alongside his older brother Don.
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Phil Everly was an American composer, guitarist and musician, among other activities. Born in Chicago, the composer died in Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. Phil Everly was a member of The Everly Brothers. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 28 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Phil Everly • Birth Name — Phillip Everly • Born — 19 January 1939 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 3 January 2014 • Place of death — Burbank, California, U.S. • Genre — Rock • Instrument — * Guitar • vocals • Occupation — Musician • Years Active — 1951–2007 • Past Member Of — The Everly Brothers
Early life
Early life
Phil was born in Chicago in 1939 to Isaac Milford "Ike" Everly Jr. (1908–1975), a guitar player, and Margaret Embry Everly (1919–2021). He was of German, English and Cherokee descent. The Everly family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1953, where the brothers attended West High School. In 1955, the family moved to Madison, Tennessee, while the brothers moved to Nashville. Don had graduated from high school in 1955, and Phil attended Peabody Demonstration School, from which he graduated in 1957.
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers Career started in 1951. They signed to Cadence Records In 1957. Their first hit was "Bye Bye Love", which had been rejected by 30 other acts. • Illustration — Phil (left) with Don in 1958 "Bye Bye Love" went to no. 2 on the pop chart, behind Elvis Presley's "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear", and No. 1 on the country and No. 5 on the R&B charts. The song, by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, became the Everly Brothers' first million-seller. • Illustration — The Everly brothers in 1970 The Everly Brothers are remembered for other major charting hits such as "Cathy's Clown" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream". The brothers wrote some of their own material, both as a team and individually; Phil wrote the Everlys' top ten hit "When Will I Be Loved" solo, and collaborated with Don on such hits as "The Price of Love" (UK #2) and "Should We Tell Him" (US #26). After the duo split following conflicts between the two brothers, Phil and Don pursued solo careers from 1973 to 1983. The brothers reunited at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 23, 1983, which ended their ten-year-long hiatus. The event was initiated by Phil and Don alongside Terry Slater, with Pete Wingfield as musical director. This concert was recorded for a live LP and video broadcast on cable television in mid-January 1984. The brothers returned to the studio as a duo for the first time in over a decade, recording the album EB '84, produced by Dave Edmunds. The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. They were the first duo and non-solo act to have been inducted. That same year, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. • Illustration — The Everly Brothers Hollywood Walk of Fame star Their final charting single was 1986's "Born Yesterday". A 1981 live BBC recording of "All I Have to Do Is Dream", which featured Cliff Richard and Phil sharing vocals, was a UK Top 20 hit in 1994. Paul McCartney has stated that the Everly Brothers were a major influence on the Beatles:
Solo work
Solo work
Phil sang backup for Roy Wood's 1975 album Mustard and two songs for Warren Zevon's 1976 self-titled album. While Zevon was part of Phil Everly's back-up band, Phil also suggested the title and subject matter for Zevon's breakthrough hit single "Werewolves of London". Phil recorded more frequently, but with no chart success until the 1980s. He wrote "Don't Say You Don't Love Me No More", for the 1978 Clint Eastwood comedy film, Every Which Way but Loose, in which he performed it as a duet with the film's co-star Sondra Locke. Phil also wrote "One Too Many Women In Your Life" for the 1980 sequel, Any Which Way You Can, and played in the band which backed Locke. In 1983, Phil had UK success as a solo artist with the album Phil Everly, recorded mainly in London. Musicians on the LP included Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, former Rockpile and Dire Straits drummer Terry Williams, and keyboard player Pete Wingfield. The track "She Means Nothing to Me”, written and composed by John David Williams and featuring Cliff Richard as co-lead vocalist, was a UK Top 10 hit, and "Louise", written and composed by Ian Gomm, reached the Top 50 in 1983. In 1990, Phil recorded a duet with the Dutch singer René Shuman. "On Top of the World" was written and composed by Phil, who appeared in the music video they recorded in Los Angeles. The selection appeared on Shuman's album, Set the Clock on Rock. Everly stopped performing in 2007.
Personal life
Personal life
Everly was married three times: first to Jacqueline Alice Ertel from 1963 to 1970, then Patricia Mickey from 1972 to 1978, and finally Patrice Arnold from 1999 until his death. He had two children, sons Jason and Chris.
Death
Death
Phil Everly died in Burbank, California on January 3, 2014, aged 74, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His brother Don died in August 2021, and the Everly family matriarch, Margaret Embry Everly, died four months later in December, aged 102. Phil's widow, Patti, blamed her husband's death on his smoking habit, which caused him to develop COPD; she recounted Phil's spending his final years having to carry oxygen tanks with him wherever he went and taking 20 different medications per day. Paul McCartney posted about Everly's death on social media, stating: In a 2010 interview, Magne Furuholmen, keyboardist of a-ha, talked about the group's connection to the Everly Brothers and why a-ha released a cover of "Crying in the Rain" in 1990: Upon Phil Everly's passing, a-ha stated on their official website that:
Everly Brothers
Everly Brothers
• Illustration — The Everly Brothers In 1965
Albums
Albums
• Title — Details • Star Spangled Springer — * Release date: June 1973 * Label: RCA Records • Phil's Diner — * Release date: December 1974 * Label: Pye Records • Mystic Line — * Release date: October 1975 * Label: Pye Records • Living Alone — * Release date: August 1979 * Label: Elektra Records • Phil Everly — * Release date: April 1983 * Label: Capitol Records
Singles
Singles
• Year — Single — Peak chart positions — Album • US Country — US AC — CAN Country — AUS — UK • 1973 — "God Bless Older Ladies (For They Made Rock & Roll)" — — — — — — — — — — — Star Spangled Springer • "The Air That I Breathe" — — — — — — — — — — • 1974 — "Old Kentucky River" — — — — — — — — — — — Phil's Diner • 1975 — "New Old Song" — — — — — — — — — — • "Words in Your Eyes" — — — — — — — — — — — Mystic Line • 1979 — "Living Alone" — — — — — — — — — — — Living Alone • "You Broke It" — — — — — — — — — — • 1980 — "Dare to Dream Again" — 63 — 9 — — — — — — — rowspan="2" • 1981 — "Sweet Southern Love" — 52 — 42 — — — — — — • 1982 — "Louise" — — — — — — — — — 47 — Phil Everly • 1983 — "Who's Gonna Keep Me Warm" — 37 — — — 40 — — — — • "She Means Nothing to Me" (with Cliff Richard) — — — — — — — 39 — 9 • "Sweet Pretender" — — — — — — — — — 79 • 1992 — "On Top of the World" (with René Shuman) — — — — — — — — — — — rowspan="2" • 1994 — "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (with Cliff Richard) — — — — — — — 93 — 14 • "—" denotes releases that did not chart
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Phil Everly was born at Chicago.
Birthplace
Phil Everly died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.
Deathplace
Chicago.
Birth place
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Phil Everly”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4590904: Phil Everly
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.The Everly Brothers in Knoxville. Knoxfocus.com.
- 2.Gilliland, John. Show 9 – Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. [Part 1]. UNT Digital Library. n.d.
- 3.The Everly Brothers Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rockhall.com.
- 4.This Day In 1986: The Everly Brothers get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Rhino. Rhino.com.
- 5.Grow, Kory. McCartney Calls Phil Everly a 'Hero'. Rolling Stone. 2014-01-08.
- 6.Plasketes, George. The Secret Inspiration Behind Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London'. Medium.com. 2016-06-28.
- 7.Phil Everly obituary. The Guardian. 2014-01-05.
- 8.Phil Everly – Phil Everly. Discogs.com. 1983.
- 9.Alan Cackett – Phil Everly. Alancackett.com.
- 10.Phil Everly dies aged 74. Rollingstone.com. 4 January 2014.
- 11.Schmitt, Brad. Phil Everly's widow shares the pain of his COPD death. The Tennessean.
- 12.A-ha sørger over Phil Everlys død. Vg.no. January 4, 2014.
- 13.a-ha live. A-ha-live.com.
References
Citations
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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