Zep drop a whopper... -- Macca's most successful solo LP was...which one? -- Synth-pioneer b'day...

Paul McCartney
Wings concert, early 1979. (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
loading...

4/26/1969 (50 years ago today) - Just pretend you've never heard it before, can you imagine?: It's Led Zeppelin's second night at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on what is only their second North American tour -- The highlight of this evening's performance is the live concert debut of a brand new song called "Whole Lotta Love"; collective jaw-dropping ensues...

4/26/1976 (43 years ago today) - You would've thought it would be "Band On The Run", but it wasn't...: "Wings At The Speed Of Sound" goes to No. 1 on the LP chart, the first of seven non-consecutive weeks in the top spot -- It was Paul's fifth post-Beatles No. 1 album, and actually was his most successful sales-wise, thanks to mega-hits "Let 'Em In" and "Silly Love Songs" (a No. 1 single!) -- An above-average McCartney record, what it lacked in grit, it made up for in sing-along-musicality, and it was a significant development in the quest to prove Wings were a legit band -- The album featured every member of the group taking lead vocals on at least one song (yes, including Linda), with two songs from the album written by band members other than the McCartneys. The groundwork was laid, and the critically acclaimed "Wings Over America" tour was next...

4/26/1945 - Happy Birthday to keyboard-wiz/singer-songwriter Gary Wright, 74 years old today -- Founded influential Brit proto-prog-heavy-blues-rockers Spooky Tooth (criminally underrated), before achieving worldwide success in 1976 with the all-synth-project "The Dream Weaver" --  A very reliable and talented musician to have around, Gary also notably played on most of George Harrison's solo releases, as well as records by Ringo Starr, Nilsson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Spector and B.B. King. Our personal fave is 1969's "Spooky Two" by Spooky Tooth: great vocals and some wonderful/totally-over-the-top bombastic Hammond B-3 work-outs, well worth looking up...

Share your tinkling with the Calendar here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"You've been learning, baby/I've been yearning...", xoxo!

More From 102.9 WBLM