Crying in the Rain: The Perfect Harmony and Imperfect Lives of the Everly Brothers

by Mark Ribowsky

The Everly Brothers—aka Don and Phil to fans with an intimate appreciation for them—seemed to exist almost as an apparition. Emerging within the formative era for young Baby Boomers during the blandly regimented ‘50s, they were a ubiquitous presence, clad in snug suits and skinny ties, hair neatly Brylcreemed, never raising their voices when they sang. The two prim-looking country boys with dark, curiously penetrating eyes and perfectly merged, honey-dipped harmonies, were oddly but comfortably settled as sentimental, soothing, sometimes lovelorn voices of a still-uncharted cultural turf. Magnificent as the duo was, they have until now never received a definitive biography. In Long Time The Perfect Harmony and Imperfect Lives Of the Everly Brothers, the details, small and great, roll along on the mighty “Mississippi,” in near novel-like fashion, revealing facts drawn from exhaustive research and first-hand interviews that trace the character and influences of these hardy but flawed men who grew from teenagers to old men before our eyes. Mark Ribowsky’s authoritative book serves as a fitting companion to an unforgettable collection of songs—heard on countless albums, and covered literally thousands of times—whose recording was a long time gone but that will never be forgotten.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2024

About the author

Mark Ribowsky is the author of seven books, including the New York Times Notable Book Don't Look Back: Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball. He lives in Plainview, New York.

Reviews

[Tricia Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping this book would be interesting, a splashy exposé on the dark underbelly of the seeming 1950s perfection of the Everly Brothers (because that’s what the subtitle implied*), but what I got was an exceedingly dull accounting of every song release and chart ranking in their entire career with some incredibly vague and generally uninteresting personal details about their lives at the time interspersed. The introduction covered almost every important high and low of their lives FAR more briefly and in more depth in some cases than the rest of the book did. I strongly suspect the Wikipedia article on them would be more informative, in no small part because it would be written with more verve and focus on important topics so my mind wouldn’t wander, causing me to miss whatever paltry tidbits I might actually care about because they were so buried amidst the drudgery.
The reader didn’t help matters with his rollercoaster dithering, drawing out some words in whining uncertainty only to rush through the next handful of words. His Richard Nixon joweliness didn’t improve matters. I had to listen to the book at 1.37x to make him sound like he was speaking at a normal rate. At least it made the ten and a half hours go by faster 🙄 In the end, I only made it through this book out of sheer stubbornness, unwilling to leave it unfinished for my own sense of continuity. This. Is why I don’t read nonfiction 😤

[Sheldon Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filtering Bo Diddley’s guitar riffs with a harmonic blend that was far-reaching--think early/mid-sixties Beatles, the Hollies, and the spare vocalizing of 60s folk singers and 70s duos like Messina----the Everly Brothers were the musical flip side to Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard’s common-man wit, rolling thunder, overt virility, and gender-bending flamboyance.

Despite their clean-cut image, they shouldered the load of indifference toward rock and roll groups of their era as they blazed trails, earning adulation from everyone from Queen to Simon and Garfunkle to Bob Dylan.

Prolific biographer Mark Ribowsky returns with another literary home run. Weaving in and out of a vivid geographic tapestry, it explores the group’s German ancestry and Appalachian roots. It traces their migration to career-defining musical cities, such as Chicago, Nashville, and the United Kingdom, where their impact would be long-lasting. The book cracks the code to the Everly Brothers’ three-pronged appeal (“the white pop crowd, the country crowd, and the blues crowd”) that transcends race and gender (“boyish charm and innocence that brought out the mother instinct in many women including Black women”).

Crying In The Rain sheds light on contrasting clouds hovering over the group. The chaste “Wake Up Little Susie” was miscast as explicit rock-and-roll. Critics dismissed their sound (“androgynous tone, strange and somehow surreal”), yet Black fans bought their music, and R&B singers recorded it. They chafed at the creative bit of controlling record companies and music publishers, although these alliances helped them outearn many of their peers while barely out of their teens.

Beneath the brotherly onstage chemistry were two polarizing opposites who were like oil and water: Phil was carefree and impulsive. Older brother Don ---, the group’s informal leader, was brooding and high-strung. Both detested each other’s shortcomings and life choices regardless of how tumultuously similar they were.

Never keen on becoming a group, the strength of their durable catalog held together their uneasy alliance. Once again, Mark Ribowsky unearths the historic duality of the 20th-century musical icons to supreme effectiveness. As a 55-year-old Black man raised on R&B and hip hop and devoted musicologist who grew up keenly aware of who the Everlys were---I learned a lot about this group beyond the hits. This book is a welcome addition to my library.

[Reeca Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother, being a 50s girl, introduced me to The Everly Brothers at a very young age. I have been a fan ever since! So, I jumped on the chance to read more about their smooth sound, unique harmony and their amazing career.

I did learn quite a few pieces of information in this book. I did not know about their tumultuous relationship, the many marriages and the drug use. Basically because I never read much about this unique pair.

Even though I learned a great deal, I felt this account of the Everly brothers had a great deal of repeats. It is almost like the author just wanted to make the book longer. It was a tad bit monotonous.

The narrator, Steve Menasche, did a good job. He is probably the reason I kept listening.

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.

[JCS · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Everly brothers story is fascinating. Mark Ribowsky has produced a compelling account of both their personal lives and their huge contribution to music. This book places the Don and Phil Everly firmly at the foundations of the music revolution, their impact on 50’s music, and all that followed. Thank you to Net Galley for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long retrospective of the lives and career of the Everly Brothers. I certainly didn’t know what tormented and messed up private lives they led. It was fun reliving the stories of the great songs, but as they declined, I didn’t know their later ones. I wish this audio had snippets of their hits. This is worth listening to for fans.

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely insightful for those wanting a behind the scenes look at the brother’s personal and musical lives. I loved their backstory and hearing of their time in Chicago and Knoxville. I had no idea!

Unfortunately, it is heartbreaking to grow up with this idealistic image of these two cute young men, brothers and their lovey dovey, old timey songs only to find they too were riddled with substance abuse and deceit.

I enjoyed hearing Bob Dylan and others weld into their story. They’ve left quite a legacy with their music and it’s interesting to hear what it cost them, but sad all the same.

[Kathy Gebhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and sad biography of the Everly Brothers.