It was 50 years ago today Lennon and McCartney met

I haven't seen much mention of it so far in the press, but today is one of the most important anniversaries from the recently passed 20th century. In the town of Woolton, just outside Liverpool, at a St. Peter's Parish Church's summer fair on July 6, 1957, a 16-year old John Lennon was playing with his band the Quarrymen. He tore through a version of one of his favorite songs, the Del Vikings "Come and Go With Me", and though he didn't know the lyrics, one audience members sufficiently impressed with his delivery to pony up for a meeting. "I remember being quite impressed," Paul McCartney said later, " as he was doing a song by the Del Vikings called Come Go With Me. The thing about it was that he obviously didn't know the words, but he was pulling in lyrics from blues songs, so instead of going: 'Come little darling, come and go with me' -- which is right -- he'd then go: 'Down, down, down to the penitentiary' ... I thought, 'That's clever. He's pretty good.' That was John." Ivan Vaughan, a mutual friend, introduced chubby, 15-year old McCartney to the drunken Lennon who leaned on the younger boy and breathed the foul breath of alchohol into his face. Lennon in turn was equally impressed when McCartney showed considerable aptitude on the guitar by winging through a near perfect version of Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock" and taught him the true lyrics to "Come and Go" More importantly he taught Lennon how to tune his banjo.. "I turned around to him," Lennon recalled , "right then on first meeting, and I said, 'Do you want to join the group?' And I think he said yes the next day." The rest, as they say, was history. McCartney badgered Lennon to bring in his younger school chum George Harrison. The later addition of Ringo Starr filled the fateful four and the revolution began. Nothing was same after the Beatles arrived. Music was irrevocably changed as they drove creativity to new heights. Culture was seismically shifted as everything from clothes to politics to religion felt shudders that emanated from the Beatle epicenter and carried through farther by others influenced by them. But musically is how they are and will always be best remembered. It is easy to say that Lennon and McCartney were the greatest songwriting duo in pop history, certainly in the 20th century. Additionally, they are regarded by most as two of the greatest voices in rock - Lennon's often slightly nasal, gritty tone coupled with McCartney's sweet melodic timbre form the vocal bed for many rock classics. But Lennon was also more than capable of turning in a sweet ballad vocal while McCartney's Little Richard-esque throaty scream rocked as hard as the best. Together with equally Fab Harrison and Starr, John and Paul were part of a creative juggernaut that grabbed the music business by the throat and has never let go. Sgt. Pepper's is perennially named the greatest album in rock history (though Revolver has been of late giving it a run for its money). In a recent Rolling Stone poll of the greatest rock albums of all time, the Beatles held 6 of the top 20, and 4 of them in the top ten. A testament to the entire band, but especially to its to primary songwriters and singers. In honor of the anniversary check out today's YouTube offering with some unique, and rare, clips of John and Paul. And don't forget to say thanks.