A Tuneful Tuesday

What did July 14 bring us in musical history? It delivered a humble beginning, a #1 song pulled from a discarded demos pile, a major hit from a cartoon group, a blockbuster film based on an iconic band’s album, a court order handed down against a major pop star by a future judicial celebrity, and an amazing country music song.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

On July 14, 1958 (62 years ago today!), the Quarrymen, featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John “Duff” Lowe on piano and Colin Hanton on drums, recorded a vanity disc at Phillips Sound Recording Service, a recording facility in the living room of an electronics shop in Liverpool owned by Percy Phillips.
In Spite of All The Danger (written by Paul McCartney and George Harrison) and Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be the Day were both recorded in 15 minutes. The tape recording was erased after transfer to a 10-inch acetate disc. Only one copy was made, and each band member kept the acetate for a week. Lowe was the last to have it, and he kept it for 23 years before selling it to McCartney in 1981.
The two songs were not released to the public until they appeared on 1995’s Anthology 1.
Note: The session cannot be dated with absolute certainty because the group’s name doesn’t show in the studio logbook, save for a note on the inside cover that reads “Arthur Kelly of Quarrymen.”
A plaque above the door of the house (shown in the photo above), unveiled in 2005, gives a precise session date of (Monday) July 14, 1958. Although how this was arrived at has never been convincingly demonstrated, we’re going with it.

On July 14, 1962 (58 years ago today!), Bobby Vinton was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Vinton had found the song in a reject pile at Epic Records. He first recorded it as an R&B number, but was allowed to re-record it in a slower more dramatic arrangement, with strings and a vocal choir added.
Not only was it a #1 hit in the U.S., it also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and South Africa.

On July 14, 1969 (51 years ago today!), the Archies’ Sugar, Sugar was released as a single.
The song was originally released on the Calendar Records album Everything’s Archie and was the product of a group of studio musicians managed by Don Kirshner.
Ron Dante’s lead vocals were accompanied by those of Toni Wine and song co-writer Andy Kim.
When the single was released on this date (on the Kirshner label), it shot to the top of the singles chart in Canada, then went on to spend four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 … and also reached #1 in England, Ireland, Austria, Germany and six other countries.

By the way, Ron Dante was more than just “Archie” in a cartoon group. He was also the lead singer in another “studio group” (the Cuff Links, who recorded Tracy), and he co-produced Barry Manilow’s first nine albums.
Oh yeah, he also co-produced the Tony Award-winning musical revue, Ain’t Misbehavin’, on Broadway
If you want to watch Dante sing Sugar, Sugar in “human” form, here you go…

On July 14, 1982 (38 years ago today!), The Wall, a musical film based on the Pink Floyd album of the same name, premiered at the Empire, Leicester Square in London.
The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. Bob Geldof played rock star Pink, who, driven into insanity by the death of his father, constructed a physical and emotional wall to protect himself.
The film earned $22 million in its first year and won two British Academy Awards.

On July 14, 1989 (31 years ago today!), Tom Jones lost a paternity suit and was ordered to pay $200 a week in child support to 27 year old Katherine Berkery of New York.
The judge in the case was Judge Judy Sheindlin, who was still serving in her 15 year tenure as a New York Family Court judge before appearing in her court TV show, Judge Judy.

On July 14, 2000 (20 years ago today!), Lee Ann Womack (with guest backing vocals from Sons of the Desert) had the # 1 song on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts.
The song was also a crossover hit, reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
I Hope You Dance won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song and also won the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, and Nashville Songwriters Association International awards for Song of the Year.