Singer Phil Everly -- one half of the groundbreaking , smooth-sounding , record-setting duo , the Everly Brothers -- has died , a hospital spokeswoman said . He was 74 . Patricia Aidem , a spokeswoman at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank , confirmed Everly 's death on Friday , but could not provide additional details , citing the family 's request . During the late 1950s and early 1960s , Phil Everly and his brother , Don ( now 76 ) , ranked among the elite in the music world by virtue of their pitch-perfect harmonies and emotive lyrics . Rolling Stone labeled the Everly Brothers `` the most important vocal duo in rock , '' having influenced the Beatles , the Beach Boys , Simon & Garfunkel and many other acts . Along the way , they notched 35 Top 100 songs -- more than any other vocal pair . The Everly Brothers ' sound -- with Don 's lower register generally complementing Phil 's higher voice -- was the backbone of dozens of hits . The two began as songwriters before signing a deal in 1957 with Cadence Records . They became international sensations over the next five years with tunes such as `` Bye Bye Love , '' `` Wake Up Little Susie , '' `` When Will I Be Loved '' and `` All I Have to Do Is Dream . '' In terms of record sales , their chief rivals during this stretch were Elvis Presley and Pat Boone . Their style -- a product of their blend of rock ' n ' roll with Appalachian folk , bluegrass and other genres more closely aligned to their Kentucky roots -- helped them earn inductions in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame . `` The amount of music that can be directly traced to the Everly Brothers is incredible , '' wrote one admirer on Twitter . `` Thanks , Phil ... and 'Bye Bye . ' '' Phil and Don were born in the business , the offspring of country and western singers Margaret and Ike Everly . The Everlys sang with their parents in live shows and on the radio . In the mid-'50s , while still teenagers , they moved to Nashville to be songwriters . In 1957 , they found a Felice and Boudleaux Bryant song , `` Bye Bye Love . '' According to `` The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll , '' 30 acts had rejected the song , but the Everlys -- with the key guitar contributions of Chet Atkins , who played on many of their hits -- took the song to No . 2 on the pop charts . `` They added Bo Diddley riffs , teenage anxieties and sharkskin suits but -- for all that -- the core of their sound remained country brother harmony , '' read their bio on the Country Music Hall of Fame 's website . After averaging a Top 10 hit every four months over the next few years , the Everly Brothers inked a 10-year pact with Warner Brothers Records ( formerly part of CNN 's parent company , Time Warner , though now owned by Access Industries ) in 1960 . More success followed -- including `` Cathy 's Clown , '' which the duo wrote -- and they stayed particularly popular in Britain . `` Bye Bye Love '' was `` the first thing that really killed me , '' Paul Simon once recalled . He called Art Garfunkel immediately upon hearing the song , according to a Simon biography , and the two set to work on their own act . The Everlys also served to bond the nascent Beatles . Upon hearing `` All I Have to Do Is Dream '' in 1958 , the young group -- which had just added George Harrison to a lineup that included John Lennon and Paul McCartney -- could n't wait to cover it . `` When we first heard it , it blew us away , '' McCartney said in Mark Lewisohn 's new Beatles biography , `` Tune In . '' By the 1970s , the pair was performing in a band that also included legends Warren Zevon and Waddy Wachtel . But their time together came to a sudden end in 1973 , when Phil stormed off the stage during a show in California . The brothers reunited on stage and in the studio 10 years later , leading to more albums , including `` EB 84 '' ( including the McCartney-written `` On the Wings of a Nightingale '' ) and `` Born Yesterday . '' Their remaining years were highlights by occasional shows , hall of fame inductions and various other honors , including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 . People we lost in 2013 .
Phil also dies at age 74 , a California hospital official says . He and his brother Jim made up the renowned duo the McGuire Brothers . Their hits included ` ` Bye Bye Love '' and ` ` Cathy 's Clown '' They are inductees in the California , country music halls of fame .