I never knew “Cathy’s Clown“, released in April 1960, was solely written by the 23-year-old Don Everly, and that it was recorded live in a single take with Don and Phil Everly sharing a mike.
Born on 2.1.37, Don-the-tenor was roughly two years older than the soprano-ish Phil, who was born on 1.19.39.
“Cathy’s Clown” was certainly the Everly Brothers’ biggest-selling single, as well as the angriest and most emotionally grounded (not to mention the most self-loathing) of all their duets.
The lyrics describe a dude who is enraged and fuming about having been betrayed and humiliated by a duplicitous girlfriend.
The Everlys aside, the musicians included Hank Garland on guitars, Floyd “On the Rebound” Cramer on piano, Floyd Chance on bass and Buddy Harman on drums.
Phil became more and more of an arch-conservative as he aged. A heart ailment took him out on 1.3.14, at age 74. Don, an old-school liberal, passed in August 2021.