Playing all Bob McQuillen’s Tunes - A Centenary Celebration in 2023

Starting with Scotty O’Neil in 1973, Bob McQuillen wrote tunes. Fifteen Bob's Note Books filled with 1,554 tunes were published, the last one in 2012. A book of his waltzes was published in 2012, and a final collection of 236 tunes debuted at his 100th birthday party in July, 2023.

We Played All 1,760 Tunes in 2023

Starting at 12:00 am on January 1, 2023 and finishing at 11:59:59 pm on December 31, 2023, our goal was to have all the tunes Bob published in his lifetime played somewhere by somebody. That milestone was reached on November 10, 2023 (coincidentally, the Marine Corps birthday). The effort continued with the tunes in the final collection, completed on December 17.

How it Worked

A page listing all of Bob's tunes was created on this website. Another page listed all the tunes that had not been yet been played. Players submitted tunes they had played via a form on the website, which flowed automatically into a page with the following information:

• Date Played
• Tune Name
• Who Played
• Where Played
• Why (dance, jam, party, at home)

Participation

Over 750 individuals in more than 140 places around the world played Bob's tunes and submitted the information through the online form.

Participants could include a link to a video or audio, post a photo, make comments about the tune or share memories of Bob.

Anyone Could Play Any of the Tunes

We encouraged dedicatees to play their own tunes. Loved ones of Dedicatees no longer with us were encouraged to play those tunes. Anyone could play any of the tunes. The project was fully on the honor system: no one was required to prove that they had played the tune.