Trivia: 1st Lennon-McCartney song in US?

P.S. to the above post...this really is a question..I think
I know the answer..but, hey..this is AudiogoN, ie: just ask!

I believe it was I Saw Her Standing There

OK, this is verbatim (and extemporaneous) from our resident Beatles fanatic. He's been reliable (when it comes to anything Beatles) in the past, but I can't personally vouch for it. He did recite this off the top of his head, though:

Real story, before Capital Recods in the U.S. picked up "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," a small record label called Vee-Jay Records released the following three songs "Love Me Do," "She Loves You, Yea, Yea, Yea," and "Please Please Me." However, due to radio stations' aversion at the time to any non-American rock and roll, they were not played on the radio. It was not until "I Wana Hold You Hand" that the major record companies and radio stations realized they could not ignore the music any longer and unleashed "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" upon the public. Thus, while the first "official release" was "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," due to the lack of airplay or attention given to the songs released by Vee-Jay Records, it is difficult to say which of them, if any, was the first.

He also claims that, while "I Saw Her Standing There" was indeed the first track on the first album released in the US, it was not the first single. The kid seems pretty sure of himself, but I encourage anyone to prove him wrong.

In the same vein, what was the first release in Canada? I'm guessing "From Me To You"...anyone have any idea? Cheers, Bluenose

Well, as I hear it. Del Shannon was touring in England,
where he was Very Big, with the Beatles as his "intro" band.
After hearing "From Me To You" he decided to release his
cover of that song here, in mid '63. Any input on this?
So this would be the first "chart" in the U.S. of a Lennon-
McCartney song...right or wrong?

your right del shannon did record and release this song in 1963....

I have always believed it was "I Wanna hold Your Hand", but only through reading the history books - Mezmo's source is an illustration that things are always more complicated than you thought - when you speak to an expert.

Who was the drummer on those first U.S. songs? It wasn't Ringo.

I thought it was Ringo by then.....was it Pete Best?

I was living in the Washington DC area in the early 60s, going to Jr High School. A radio station, WPGC 1580am, had a DJ whose girlfriend was a stewardess. She brought in a copy of "I wanna hold your hand" and the DJ played it, along with an explanation of why the stewardess brought it in, and who the Beatles were. I can still remember the hairs lifting on the back of my neck when I listened to the music. Next day I went to buy a copy of the 45 at the record store. Nobody knew who the Beatles were, or how to spell the name...I would go to the store two or three times a week for about three weeks, when a copy finally arrived - on the Capitol label, red & yellow. I still have my copy, and I still get a thrill when I hear the song.

Could the drummer have been Alan White?

Very, very close. Andy White.