Even though he was better known as one half of the legendary country-rock duo the Everly Brothers, American singer-songwriter Phil Everly also enjoyed modest popularity in his own right, delivering a handful of well-received solo releases in the late 70s and early 80s. Born on January 19, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois, he and his brother Don began performing at a very young age, making frequent radio appearances with their parents under the name The Everly Family. The brothers started writing their own songs in 1956 and would go on to become one of the most celebrated duos in American music through hits like "Bye Bye Love" (1957), "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (1958), "Cathy's Clown" (1960), and "That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)" (1962). Shortly after the group's infamous breakup in 1973, Phil Everly kicked off his solo career later that year with the album Star Spangled Springer, followed by the lukewarm reception of Phil's Diner (1974), Mystic Line (1975), and Living Alone (1979). During those years, he collaborated with like-minded artists such as Roy Woods, Warren Zevon, and Emmylou Harris, and wrote the song "Don't Say You Don't Love Me No More," included in the soundtrack of the 1978 Clint Eastwood comedy film, Every Which Way but Loose. Featuring cameos by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler and Rockpile's Terry Williams, his eponymous fifth LP saw the light in 1983 contained the Cliff Richard collaboration "She Means Nothing to Me," which cracked the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. That same year, he and Don buried the hatchet by performing a show at London's Royal Albert Hall. Over the following decades, he continued to record and tour with the Everly Brothers right up until 2005. He died of lung disease on January 3, 2014, 16 days before what would've been his 75th birthday.
