Bill Justis
September 23, 1957: The instrumental "Raunchy" is released, with Bill Justis listed on the record label as the performer. He plays the saxophone, and his co-writer Sid Manker plays guitar. It is recorded on Phillips International Records, a subsidiary of Sun Records, and is produced by Sun's boss, Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis Presley.
Sid Manker
Sadly, while this song was recorded by many groups, there appears to be no version of it with lyrics. I guess they couldn't get around the word "raunchy." I'm a little surprised the title passed the censors.
In March 1958, in Liverpool, England, 16-year-old Paul McCartney, having joined The Quarrymen, a rock band led by 17-year-old John Lennon, introduced John to 15-year-old George Harrison at the Morgue Skiffle Club. Paul considered this meeting an audition. George played "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. John was impressed, but thought George -- a year and a half younger than he was, and 9 months younger than Paul -- was too young to join the band.
So Paul set up a second meeting, and, on the top deck of a bus, George played Sid Manker's guitar part for "Raunchy." John reconsidered, and hired George for his band. The rest is history, as this was the basis for the band that became The Beatles.
I hope that Sid Manker and Bill Justis knew about this. But Sid, still one of the top session guitarists in Nashville, died in 1974, only 42 years old, from a heart attack. And Bill died of cancer in 1982, only 55. Phillips died in 2003, at 80, having discovered Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sid Manker and Bill Justis, and having, inadvertently, provided, along with Manker and Justice, a key step in the formation of The Beatles.
*
September 23, 1957 was a Monday. This was also the day the film The Three Faces of Eve premiered. I have a separate entry for this event.
There were 4 games in baseball's major leagues that day:
* The Milwaukee Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Hank Aaron hit a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, giving the Braves the win, and clinching the National League Pennant for them. I have a separate entry for this event.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Senators, 9-4 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Frank Malzone hit a home run for the Red Sox. Ted Williams went 1-for-1... with 3 walks. Harmon Killebrew hit a home run as a pinch-hitter.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Dick Brown singled Billy Harrell home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Cal McLish -- in full, Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish -- went the distance for the win. Hitting home runs for the Indians were Brown, Rocky Colavito, and a rookie named Roger Maris. It is interesting that, on a night when Aaron hit a major home run, Maris -- who, like Aaron, would break a home run record set by Babe Ruth -- also hit a home run. For the Tigers, Al Kaline went 3-for-4 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.
* And the Kansas City Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-5 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium.
There was another notable sporting event: Carmen Basilio won a split decision over Sugar Ray Robinson to win the Middleweight Championship of the World at Yankee Stadium. They would have a rematch 6 months later, at Chicago Stadium on March 23, 1958. It was another split decision, awarded to Robinson.
