Well, here’s a story that will give you some warm fuzzies to start your week.
Remember the lovely, warbly R&B song that Ryan Gosling‘s character presented to Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine” to be “their song”? Well, that was “You And Me” by Penny & The Quarters, an obscure song compiled by the excellent crate-digging label The Numero Group that Gosling himself personally selected and pitched to director Derek Cianfrance to include in the film. The song had a curious history mostly because it didn’t have one. The tapes for the track recorded at Harmonic Sounds Studio were picked up at an estate sale and simply labeled “Penny & The Quarters” and that was about all anybody knew. The head of the label released the song and has held royalties in a separate account should the singer(s) ever be found, and now one has.
A complete random set of circumstances kicked off by an Italian record collector has led to Nannie Sharpe — nicknamed Penny as a kid — being identified as the singer with her siblings revealed to be The Quarters. They recorded the track during an attempt to kick start a music career that never took off. But the family continued singing through the years to the present day where they are active in church choirs. You can read the full details over at The Other (via TwentyFourBit). It’s a pretty great little story. And check out the tune after the jump.
Thanks from me as well
thanks for picking up this story!