Million Dollar Quartets
It was 1956, a cold December day in Memphis, Tennessee when four young men got together to jam in a studio, just horsing around and having fun. All from dirt-poor Southern families, all in the very early stages of their careers, some still holding down “day jobs”, and none of them professionally trained.
Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash whooped and laughed and sang and played their hearts out, lost in that world only musicians know. One would take the lead, and then another, harmonizing, improvising, just four crazy young guys having a good time.
Few knew about the impromptu session, and those who did promptly forgot about it. A quarter century later someone thought to package the recording as the Million Dollar Quartet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOorJPVc6_M) , for sale in Europe only. It was another nine years before some missing tracks were found and the entire session was offered for sale worldwide.
Four years later, another quartet of poor boys got together. Of Liverpool Irish working class backgrounds, these lads purposed to form a band and make a name for themselves. For the next decade the Beatles created hit after hit after hit, and remain perhaps the greatest single influence on music since the Great Composers.
One would be hard pressed to rank Presley, Lennon, Cash, McCartney, Lewis, Harrison, Perkins, and Starr in terms of musical genius. Each was technically brilliant, inventive, each understood his audience, each able to turn the universe of previously created music on its head to create fresh genius.
Yet one foursome met once and went their separate ways to individual careers, the other foursome stuck together and created an era. And therein is a study in partnerships, particularly the role of Giftedness in partnerships.
(First of a three-part series excerpted from the book.)