Don and Phil’s records helped form the spine of my early investment in music, a collection that lines the walls of my studio to this day. I bought their first two releases ‘Bye Bye Love’ and ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ on 78 rpm discs and played them on repeat on my parents beautiful stereogram, mixing them with my Buddy Holly and the Crickets records, creating my first rock and roll playlists.

I loved the fact that Phil, Don, Buddy and the Crickets were all friends, travelling together on the massive package tours that criss-crossed the Southern States. ‘I wouldn’t swap those memories for a million dollars’ said Phil later. The bond between them all was huge and when Buddy passed away in 1959, Phil flew down to Lubbock for the funeral.

1959 was the year that I finally realised a huge ambition and got myself a Dansette record player and not surprisingly, the first 45 single I bought was by the Everly Brothers. It was released in Britain on the legendary London American label and not only did it have a great sound, but with its triangular centre and distinctive striped sleeve design, it looked amazing too.

I was so enamoured by the image of this glorious record that I propped it up under the light at the side of my bed so that I could gaze at it as I fell asleep. It didn’t go well. By the time I woke up the following morning that gorgeous piece of vinyl was unrecognisable – warped and unplayable from the heat of the lightbulb. I had no idea this could even happen! A very harsh lesson. ‘Problems’ turned out to be an appropriate title of my first-time buy!

It was a great double sided single with ‘Take A Message To Mary’ on the other side, but perhaps the most exciting of all the Everly Brothers music was the huge sound of their biggest hit ‘Cathy’s Clown’. It was the first ever release on the newly launched Warner Brothers record label, with the UK catalogue number WB1 and, like all of us, the Beatles were listening and it was with warm recognition that I later heard the huge influence that they and Buddy Holly had on the music of the Fab Four.

We’ve always loved the Everly Brothers here in Britain and it was with great joy and respect that The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation presented Phil with his bespoke guitar at the Hollywood Star All-Star evening concert in Los Angeles in 2011, one of his final public appearances. It was a very lovely, emotional and full-circle moment because, as he did at Buddy’s funeral all those years before, he sat beside Buddy’s widow Maria Elena.

Bob Harris