This Day in 1957: The Everly Brothers on The Ed Sullivan Show

60 years ago today, the Everly Brothers made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and didn’t even get a lousy chance to meet Ed Sullivan.

Yes, that’s right, it’s a true good news / bad news story: they finally got their shot on one of the most famous variety shows in TV history, and it was on a night when Ed had a guest host. Thankfully, the host was someone who was a pretty big deal in his own right, at least for fans of musicals. Dan Dailey might not have been part of the burgeoning rock ‘n’ roll scene, but he’d sung his way throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, appearing in films like Mother Wore Tights, You’re My Everything, My Blue Heaven, Meet Me at the Fair, and There’s No Business Like Show Business.

Having found tremendous success with their debut single for Cadence Records, the Everlys appeared on the show and performed two numbers: “Bye Bye Love” and “Hey Doll Baby.” From what we can tell from the clip, it looks like Dailey enjoyed the brothers’ performances, but what we know for a fact is that the Everlys’ stint in the big time was only beginning.