Short answers, pulled from the story.
"Raunchy" is an instrumental co-written by Bill Justis and Sidney Manker and produced by Sam Phillips. It was released on the 23rd of September 1957, on Phillips International Records, a sub-label of Sun Records.
In 1958, the fifteen-year-old George Harrison played "Raunchy" note-perfect for John Lennon and Paul McCartney on the top deck of a bus in Liverpool. Lennon, despite earlier reservations about Harrison's age, was impressed enough to let him into the Quarrymen, the band that later became the Beatles.
Bill Justis's original version reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1957, number one on the R&B Singles chart, and number six on the Country Singles chart in 1958. In the UK in 1958, it charted at number eleven. Ernie Freeman's competing version also reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1957 and number one on the R&B Singles chart.
"Raunchy" is recognized as one of the first rock songs to use the "twangy" lead guitar effect. That style was later developed further by guitarist Duane Eddy and producer Lee Hazlewood, who enhanced the reverberation in their recordings to create a deeper, more resonant lead guitar sound.
Ernie Freeman, Billy Vaughn, Ken Mackintosh, Duane Eddy, the Ventures, Bill Black, Glen Campbell, Santo and Johnny, the Incredible Bongo Band, and others all recorded versions of "Raunchy." Webb Pierce also recorded a lyrics version titled "The New Raunchy" under the pseudonym "Shady Wall" in 1957.
Yes. In 1994, while working on the Beatles Anthology project, the three surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, played "Raunchy" together during a jam session. The performance was a direct reference to the song that had originally helped Harrison join the group.