The popularity of sibling bands may stem from the unmistakable harmony of familial voices, such as The Beach Boys and the Bee Gees, or maybe it’s the excitement of knowing things could come off the rails, as with The Kinks and Oasis. One thing is certain: successful family rock groups radiate a mix of chemistry and combustion. From early pioneers, such as the Everly Brothers, to today’s rock legends, sibling groups in the music industry remain a reliable draw. This list explores five iconic rock bands that prove family acts are always compelling, whether in perfect harmony or total chaos.
The Everly Brothers
While the new genre of rock and roll was in its infancy, Don and Phil Everly found meteoric success through their close-knit harmonies, the benefit of having sung together since they were young children. Bursting onto the scene in 1957 and dominating the charts in pre-Beatles America with hits such as “Bye Bye Love” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” the Everlys melded their country roots with pop melody, setting the stage for virtually every vocal-centric pop group that followed.
Their seamless vocal interplay and penchant for hooks can be heard in everyone from the Beatles and the Hollies to the Osmonds. In 2013, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Norah Jones teamed up to release an album of Everly Brothers covers. After a spectacular onstage breakup in 1973, which ended with Phil smashing his guitar, the brothers eventually reunited in 1983, were inducted into the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and continued playing shows intermittently until Phil Everly’s death in 2014.
The Beach Boys
Formed in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, California, in 1961 by brothers Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and school friend Al Jardine, the Beach Boys shot to stardom as the face of California youth culture in the early and mid-1960s. With Brian Wilson’s hooks and the family’s tight harmonies, they wrote 13 top 40 hits, including “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” and “I Get Around.”
Their landmark 1966 album Pet Sounds redefined the potential of pop music as an art form. With its orchestral arrangements and introspective tone, the album famously influenced the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and eventually secured a legacy as one of the most important albums in rock history.
Following Brian’s retreat from touring and gradual mental health decline in the late 60s, the band entered a transitional period. They made several critically acclaimed albums in the years after Pet Sounds, but they were no longer viewed as cultural icons and never returned to the commercial dominance of their initial run. Well-publicized family and legal woes defined their later years, with Mike Love and Brian Wilson helming different bands to play Beach Boys’ material separately, but the Beach Boys remain one of the most influential and revered bands of the twentieth century.
The Kinks
Formed in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, the Kinks were initially known as British Invasion hitmakers before becoming veteran geniuses of English songwriting, all while fighting one another in person and the press. Their first UK No. 1 single, “You Really Got Me,” is widely known as the first hard rock riff, due to Dave Davies slicing his amp speaker to generate a crunchy, distorted sound.
At the height of their fame, the band was known for fistfights — drummer Mick Avory once smashed Dave over the head with a cymbal stand that was still connected to the cymbals during a gig, leaving him unconscious and bleeding. Avory fled the scene, believing he had killed him.
The Kinks were banned from touring the U.S. at the height of the British Invasion in 1965, sidelining them from global success for four years while their contemporaries, such as The Who, became superstars. During this time, Ray Davies’s writing became more introspective and provincial, focusing on the English experience, nostalgia, and mental illness.
In 1970, they mounted an American comeback around the smash hit single “Lola” and were later heralded as forefathers of the punk scene, which primed them for a resurgence in the early 80s. Still, relationships became frayed. Dave was gradually pushed into a sideman role at the behest of Ray. The band dissolved in the mid-1990s and has never fully reunited to this day.
Sparks
While some sibling bands are built on harmony or rivalry, Sparks built theirs on art and absurdity. Before officially becoming Sparks, brothers Ron and Russell Mael led a band called Halfnelson, releasing a self-titled album in 1971 produced by Todd Rundgren. After reworking the album art and changing their name to Sparks, they re-released the album but still didn’t find an audience in America. Recognizing that their aesthetic and Russell’s unplaceable Euro-sounding accent would fare better overseas, they left the U.S. for Britain in 1973.
One year later, they released the cult classic Kimono My House, with the single “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” hitting No. 2 on the UK charts. John Lennon reportedly called Ringo Starr after watching their Top of the Pops performance of the song, saying they looked like Marc Bolan with Hitler on keyboards.
They’ve stayed consistently ahead of their time ever since. They teamed up with Giorgio Moroder in 1979 for the proto-synth-pop No. 1 in Heaven, made a bona fide new wave classic with 1982’s Angst in My Pants, and explored everything from dance to classical in the 90s and 2000s. In 2008, they performed all 21 of their albums across 21 nights in London, and in 2021, were the subject of Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers. As of 2025, they are preparing for the release of their newest album, MAD!
Oasis
No sibling band ever weaponized or leveraged brotherhood quite like Oasis. Formed in Manchester in 1991 by Liam Gallagher and joined shortly thereafter by elder brother and main songwriter Noel, they were tabloid-ready stars from the start. Their debut, Definitely Maybe, became the fastest-selling debut in UK history at the time and spearheaded what was retroactively known as Britpop.
1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? turned them into global icons with “Wonderwall”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” and “Champagne Supernova.” Along with their stratospheric rise came legendary stories of drunken infighting and a jet-set lifestyle, with the brothers becoming figureheads for lad culture.
Their chemistry onstage was electric, but behind the scenes, it was a war zone. Fist fights, walkouts, and tabloid mudslinging defined their mythic run almost as much as their music. After finally imploding before a festival performance in 2009, they spent over a decade feuding in the press, sometimes to comical effect.
After 16 years apart, the Gallaghers are reuniting for a string of highly anticipated UK and American concerts. The reunion was reportedly facilitated by Noel’s daughter, Anaïs, who helped convince the brothers to speak to one another in person and rebuild their relationship. If it lasts, it’ll be remembered as one of rock’s great redemption arcs. If it doesn’t, well, that’s just part of the tradition. It’s a family affair, after all.
