Chapter 14: Rock and Roll Pt. 2
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers, Don (1937–2021) and Phil Everly (1939-2014), were influential figures in the development of rockabilly and early rock and roll. They were born into a musical family and raised with a foundation in country and western music. Their parents were musicians who toured and hosted a radio show, where the brothers performed regularly. This early exposure helped them develop their musical skills and an understanding of live performance.
Drawing on their country background and influenced by the growing popularity of rhythm and blues and rock and roll, the Everly Brothers developed a style that blended elements of both traditions. Their recordings often featured syncopated guitar riffs and simple, rhythmic accompaniment that interacted with the vocal melodies. A key feature of their sound was their vocal harmony, which relied on two-part, close interval singing. Don typically sang the lead part while Phil harmonized just above. Their harmonies were shaped by country, gospel, and Appalachian traditions and often described as having a uniquely natural blend due to them being siblings.
The group released several successful singles between 1957 and 1960, including “Bye, Bye Love” (1957), “Wake Up, Little Susie” (1958), and “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (1958). These songs performed well on multiple charts. “All I Have to Do Is Dream” reached the top position on the pop, rhythm and blues, and country charts, one of the few non-Elvis Presley songs to do so during that time. Between 1957 and 1960, the Everly Brothers had eleven songs in the Top 10.
Over the course of their career, the Everly Brothers released 26 Top 40 pop hits. Their vocal style and crossover approach had a lasting impact on many later performers. Their influence can be heard in the music of groups such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Simon and Garfunkel, who adopted similar harmony-driven arrangements. The Everly Brothers’ combination of country-influenced singing and rock-inspired instrumentation contributed to the development of a blended musical style that resonated with a broad audience.
Roy Orbison (1936–1988) was an American singer and songwriter who made a lasting impact on rock and pop music through his emotionally expressive ballads and distinctive vocal style. He grew up in a working-class family and was drawn to music from a young age, and by the time he was thirteen, he had formed his first group, the Wink Westerners. As a college student studying geology at North Texas State College, Orbison watched fellow student Pat Boone gain popularity as a singer, which encouraged him to pursue music more seriously.
He formed a rockabilly band called the Teen Kings and began looking for a record deal. Orbison first auditioned for producer Norman Petty, best known for working with Buddy Holly. Later, on a recommendation from Johnny Cash, he auditioned for Sun Records in Memphis and signed with the label in 1956. His first minor success came with the song “Ooby Dooby,” a track he co-wrote with two college friends.
After a few years of moderate success with Sun Records, Orbison relocated to Nashville and bought out his contract to focus on songwriting. In 1958, he signed with Monument Records. His early releases there, including “Paper Boy” and “Up Town,” gained some attention, but it was the 1960 release of “Only the Lonely” that brought him widespread recognition in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The song showcased Orbison’s unique ability to combine elements of country and rhythm and blues with emotionally rich melodies and orchestral arrangements.
Throughout the early 1960s, Orbison recorded a series of successful singles that often centered on themes of loneliness, loss, and romantic uncertainty. Songs like “Crying,” “In Dreams,” and “Running Scared” stood out for their dramatic builds and lyrical vulnerability. His vocal performances were marked by a wide range and emotional intensity, often reaching into a powerful falsetto at the song’s emotional peak. In “Running Scared,” for example, the resolution of the story only arrives in the song’s final moments, adding to its emotional tension.
In 1964, Orbison achieved one of his biggest hits with “Oh, Pretty Woman,” which climbed to the top of the charts, surpassing even the Beatles at the height of their popularity. Despite this success, the mid-1960s saw a decline in his chart performance as newer musical styles and groups gained popularity. Still, his influence remained strong, particularly among artists like the Beatles, who admired his songwriting and vocal ability.
Orbison faced numerous personal and professional challenges in the following decades, including health issues and family tragedies. However, his music saw a resurgence in the 1980s. His song “In Dreams” was prominently featured in the film Blue Velvet in 1986, introducing his work to new listeners. A duet version of “Crying” with k.d. lang, released in 1988, also found success. Around this time, Orbison joined the Traveling Wilburys, a musical group that included George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty. His final solo album, Mystery Girl, was released after his death in 1988 and received both critical and commercial acclaim.
Roy Orbison's music stood apart by combining the storytelling traditions of country music with pop structures and blues influences. His work is often credited as helping to bring a new level of maturity to a genre that had often been centered on teenage concerns.
Roy Orbison
Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee, born Brenda Mae Tarpley in 1944 in Georgia, was a notable vocalist in mid-20th-century American popular music. She began performing at an early age and was recognized for her strong singing voice relative to her small stature. By the age of two, she could whistle along with songs on the radio. Her first major exposure came in 1955 when she appeared on the television program Ozark Jubilee, hosted by Red Foley. The performance led to multiple encores and attracted industry attention. In 1956, Decca Records signed her and began promoting her under the name "Little Miss Dynamite," referencing both her powerful voice and her height of under five feet.
Lee signed with Decca at age eleven, and her recording career expanded in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Between 1960 and 1967, she placed 29 songs in the Top 40. She was one of several young artists who maintained careers into adulthood and across different musical genres, particularly pop and country. Early hits such as “Sweet Nothin’s” (1960), which reached number four on the Billboard pop chart, and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (1958) established her as a recognizable name. The latter went on to achieve enduring seasonal popularity.
Her 1960 single “I’m Sorry,” recorded when she was 16 years old, reached number one on the pop charts and became closely associated with her career. The recording received a Grammy nomination and was her first gold-certified single. The use of string arrangements and vocal backing placed the song within the developing Nashville sound, which blended country and pop elements. Other recordings like “I Want to Be Wanted” sustained her popularity during a period when many U.S.-based performers were being challenged by the growing presence of British acts. Lee’s discography featured a mix of upbeat rock-influenced songs and slower ballads, illustrating a range of styles rather than a singular musical identity.
In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Lee shifted more visibly toward country music. She found a place on the country charts with tracks such as “Nobody Wins” (1973), reflecting the flexibility of her repertoire and her ability to adapt to changing musical landscapes.
Brenda Lee’s contributions to both pop and country have been recognized with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. She also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting her sustained activity across multiple decades of American music.
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist associated with the early development of rock and roll. Originally performing country music, Cochran worked with songwriter Hank Cochran (no relation) before transitioning into a more rock-and-roll-influenced style.
Cochran was a versatile musician, capable of playing guitar, piano, bass, and drums. His curiosity about sound and recording technology led him to experiment with overdubbing and multitrack recording, approaches that were relatively new at the time. He recorded his first single, “Sittin’ in the Balcony,” in 1956. His first major success came in 1958 with “Summertime Blues,” a song that expressed teenage frustration in a style that combined rhythm and blues with country and early rock influences. Its popularity led to a string of other recordings aimed at a youth audience, including “C’mon Everybody” (1958) and “Somethin’ Else” (1959).
Musically, Cochran’s work blended strong rhythm guitar playing with a driving vocal delivery. His tenor voice and energetic guitar style contributed to a sound that influenced later rock performers, including members of the British Invasion and punk-influenced artists of the 1970s and 1980s. Cochran’s use of distortion and recording techniques anticipated developments in rock guitar playing that would become more common in later decades.
He also appeared on screen in the 1956 film The Girl Can’t Help It, performing the song “Twenty Flight Rock,” which gained additional recognition when it became one of the first songs Paul McCartney played for John Lennon during their initial meeting.
Cochran toured the United Kingdom in 1960, where he had a strong fan base. He died on April 17, 1960, in a car accident near Chippenham, England, while on tour. Although his life and career were brief, his recordings continued to circulate widely, and many of his songs were covered by later artists, contributing to his continued presence in the history of rock music.
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter who played a formative role in the development of rockabilly and early rock and roll. Born in Oklahoma in 1937, she began performing country music during her teenage years and signed with Decca Records while still in high school. She hosted her own radio show on Oklahoma City’s KLPR and was influenced by country artists such as Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, and Hank Thompson. Thompson became a mentor and invited her to perform with his band, helping to launch her professional career.
In 1955, while on tour with Elvis Presley, Jackson was encouraged to explore the emerging rock and roll style. Inspired by Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis, she began to adapt her sound to reflect the rockabilly trend. At the time, there were few rock and roll songs written specifically for women, so Jackson began writing her own material to address this gap in the repertoire.
Although early chart success was limited, her 1958 recording of Earl Burrows’s “Fujiyama Mama” became a number one hit in Japan, leading to a successful tour there. In the United States, Jackson gained attention with “Let’s Have a Party” (1960), followed by “Right or Wrong” (1961), a self-penned country song that reached number 29 on the pop charts. Her music during this period blended elements of rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and traditional country, with a vocal style that emphasized grit, power, and attitude. She often used a bold, expressive vocal delivery with rhythmic phrasing and dynamic energy.
In the 1960s, Jackson performed regularly on the Las Vegas circuit. After converting to Christianity in 1971, she began recording religious material for Word and Myrrh Records. In the 1980s, she returned to rockabilly, touring and recording with Rosie Flores and maintaining an audience in Europe, where appreciation for her early recordings remained strong.
Jackson’s later career included renewed recording projects, including The Party Ain’t Over (2011), produced by Jack White. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and is often recognized for her contributions to shaping rockabilly and rock and roll during its early years.