| "Quarter to Three" | |
|---|---|
| Single by U.S. Bonds | |
| from the album Dance 'Til Quarter To Three With U.S. Bonds | |
| B-side | "Time Ole Story" |
| Released | May 1961 |
| Genre | Doo-wop |
| Length | 2:31 |
| Writer(s) | Gene Barge, Frank J. Guida, Joseph F. Royster |
"Quarter to Three" is a popular song, adapted and expanded from "A Night with Daddy 'G' - Part 1" (Legrand LEG 1004), an instrumental by the Church Street Five, which was written by Gene Barge, Frank Guida and Joseph Royster, and sung by Gary U.S. Bonds. The song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States on June 26, 1961, and remained there for two weeks.
The 45rpm single of "A Night with Daddy 'G'" identifies the composers by their last names only – Barge, Guida, Royster – and identifies the music publisher as Pepe Music (BMI).
The single was recorded with very rough sound quality (compared to other records at the time). Producer Frank Guida has been quoted on subsequent CD reissues that his production sound was exactly what he wanted it to sound like.
The UK release on Top Rank International JAR 575 reached number 11 in the UK chart on September 2, 1961. The record's B-side is "Time Old Story" (Beckner).
The song was sung regularly by Bruce Springsteen as an encore before he was famous[1] and remained in his repertoire afterward, appearing on the Hammersmith Odeon London '75 concert document and, as performed in 1979, the No Nukes film.
"Quarter to Three" appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.