The Everly Brothers: A Family Business

Adria Petty remembers going to school with Chris Everly in Los Angeles and seeing his father, Phil Everly, drop him off at school. Adria’s father, Tom Petty, also spotted the Everlys in the carpool lane. “My dad started coming to pick me up because Phil Everly was there,” Adria said. “The only way you’re going to get Dad in any kind of school is if you put Everly’s brother in the entrance.”

Tom and Phil become friends, the former a fan of the latter. Adria remembers her father playing The Everly Brothers records at home, constantly studying the brothers’ stories, performances and guitar playing. Once he meets Phil, Tom becomes a friend of the Everly family. In the year It was Tom who gave the brothers their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986. Because of this friendship, the musicians’ children also became friends. “There is a connection between them. [us]” says Adria.

Adria revealed that she has bonded with several musicians’ children over the years through their shared experiences. “We have such respect for the flow they were in—the flow they were in when they were creating these amazing things,” says Adria. “We’ve all had very similar life experiences that are sacrificing a lot to make room for that creativity. It has taken up a lot of space in our world.

And so was life. Life was full of school and music, playing sports and attending concerts. But both Adria and Jason Everly, one of Phil’s children, feel incredibly lucky to have seen their father’s creativity so close to them.

Adria continues, “Our parents have a lot in common; Because they were incredibly strong in their craft and took it to a religious level. They took it very seriously and were accomplished songwriters and players. My father practices every day of his life. He had a guitar in his hand every day of his life, even though he would casually slurp before eating a sandwich.

And in Phil Everly’s eyes, music was seen as a business, as Jason explained. The music career was a serious matter for Everly’s brother. “Dad was in his later years ‘before Pro Tools was there. [were] benefit,’” says Jason.

This paid tenfold, then 10fold, for the seriousness of their craft. The Everly Brothers helped define the rock ‘n’ roll genre with their trademark Kentucky country twang, steel strings and close harmony. Songs like “Bye Bye Love” and “Get Up Little Suzy” moved the hearts of millions, and the Everly Brothers enjoyed a career as a duo from 1951 to 2005. On the other side of things, Petty has seen great industry and mainstream success as a rock singer/songwriter. There are few songs that have impacted the world like “Free Fallin’.” Eventually, both The Everly Brothers and Petty would see a breakthrough into rock and roll fame after several records.

Unfortunately, after successful careers, each rock legend passes in the 2010s and 2020s: Phil Everly in 2014, Tom Petty in 2017, and Don Everly in 2021. After each of their deaths, Adria, Jason and the family estates are left not only with the responsibility of honoring the lives of their family members, but also with their extensive music catalogs. For Adria and Jason in particular, there was a growing desire to ensure that their fathers’ work inspired generations of music listeners.

As a result, Adria worked directly with her father’s music catalog through the Tom Petty Estate. Most recently, however, Adria has been tapped by Jason and Everly Estates to help preserve and celebrate the music of the rockin’ Everly Brothers with their new album titled. Hey doll babyOriginally released on record store date April 2022.

The musical composition is a record of eight Everly Brothers songs on side one and nine on side 1 and side 2 on the second. Each song has been carefully selected in the realms of Adria and the Everly Brothers to best represent the brothers’ rockabilly richness. Adria checking the track list was like going on an archaeological dig; Each song is gently pulled from the sands of a long discography.

The focus of this dig wasn’t just on rediscovering and remixing Everly Brothers hits, but rather on deep cuts and timeless covers. A few major hits are also included, but by no means dominate the record. In this way, the collection of Everly Brothers songs reflects the brothers’ self-made roots and refined Americana sound. After all, Jason remembers that his father and uncle built their businesses from the ground up. In fact, the brothers relied on their parents’ financial support as they tried to get their first big break. “So by the time they got their first break, they were only two or three weeks away from ‘calling it a day’ and ‘getting a job,'” Jason says. Their backgrounds inspire them to create what they love. Hey doll baby. It was a resourceful way to highlight the lesser-known achievements of the Everly Brothers.

“What’s happened to music, which I think is sad, is that it’s now repackaged into different greatest hits. It’s all like a ‘golden hit’ or some such hit or re-recorded or re-recorded this or that,” says Adria. But the truth is, there is a huge body of music, from country/Americana to the most amazing rockabilly and old standards, some of which we’ll cover. Hey doll babyHe said.

Jason added: “There’s a lot of depth from the beginning, and I think there’s so much that Adria has to say that it’s probably been overlooked because of the circumstances.” But genius, the quality of what you did with all this material can now be re-examined. And Adria did a fantastic job on this record… We really need to focus on this and give the world attention.

“It’s still relevant and it still moves you,” says Adria.

In addition to the Titus Turner-penned “Hey Doll Baby,” there’s a fantastic cover of “I Walk the Line” (originally sung by Johnny Cash). “She found a great Maybelline,” Adrian said [originally sung by Chuck Berry]He said.

“This [type of song] Because they are not original tracks, they can be overlooked,” says Adria. But, you know, to me, they were cool and important, and really accentuated the guitar playing. And there was a bit of composition and fun in the songs that we chose. They felt very visual and it felt like you were standing right next to them when they recorded it.

Another deep cut on the record is “Gone, Gone, Gone.” In Jason’s opinion, the Don/Phil written track was not played enough when the brothers toured. It might also be one of Jason’s favorite Everly Brothers songs. “It’s too cool for school,” Jason said of the song. Adria added: “It’s like they were clapping back at the Beatles.

Other songs on the record include the aforementioned “Devoted to You,” “Cathy’s Clown,” and “Love Hurts.”

All of these songs on the double-sided record feature the music of two brothers who believe life isn’t a good life without music. Their identity is woven into these songs, all of which include genre-bending, lesser-known treasures. And perhaps because of the legacy of the Everly brothers—their family and friends—Jason and Adria explain that they passed on the importance of brothers to their children.

**Insert picture of Everly Petty with Tom Petty**

“My daughter’s name is Everly Petty,” Adria said. “My dad loved this because it was the perfect fit for us, Everly. So when we were trying to find a name for my son, my father and I came up with this name. He liked it because he had the same initials as Elvis Presley. He was such an Elvis fan… and she had a very musical upbringing. She is an incredible singer. Music is also an important part of food groups in our lives. Jason’s own daughters also play The Everly Brothers on repeat. “They both have 10 or 20 Everly Brothers songs on their playlists. Quite a few hits, actually,” says Jason.

So, music has always been a part of Everlys and Pettis’ lives. But now the next generation will bear the responsibility of the musical legacy. But it’s a responsibility they’re more than happy to take on. “It feels like a great cause,” Adria says of her work with Evely States. “I just have a lot of respect in this family, the legacy of understanding, playing music and preserving music.”

Photo by Harry Hammond/Getty Images