Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for April 9th

Today it's Bowie's first time, along with a true American icon birthday and a soul legends sad passing...

4/09/1983 (32 years ago today) - For the first time ever, David Bowie hits No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic: "Let's Dance" tops the singles charts in the U.S. and the U.K., and (for many peeps) it also marks the first time we've heard of the guitarist on the record, a hot-shot Dallas, Texan with roots in the blues, goes by the name of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

4/09/1988 (27 years ago today) - ...And to think he was on his way to visit his mother: Dave Prater of the classic soul duo Sam & Dave is tragically killed in an automobile accident when his car leaves the road and smashes into a tree in Syracuse, Georgia. He was only 50 years old. The catalog that Sam & Dave recorded in Memphis for the Stax label between 1965 and '68 is absolute-cream-of-the-crop-this-is-how-it's-done, people: "Soul Man", "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby", "I Thank You", "Hold On, I'm Comin'", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "Wrap It Up" -- try "The Best Of Sam & Dave" collection at your next party, you positively cannot go wrong!

4/09/1932 - Born on this date in Tiptonville, Tennessee, the original artist behind "Blue Suede Shoes", singer/songwriter/guitarist Carl Perkins, who must have been doin' somethin' right: Carl's stuff has been covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, George Thorogood, Ricky Nelson and more. Carl was right there with Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny, et al, just trying to get a career going courtesy of Sun Studios in Memphis, the rest, as they say...The "King of Rockabilly" passed away at age 65 on January 19th, 1998. We know this to be true: if George Harrison hadn't covered "Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby" with The Beatles during the early days of Beatlemania, most of us American kids probably wouldn't have discovered him!

What do you have to say about the Calendar? We'd love to know (no, really...) so get with it right here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"I woke up last night/Half past four/Fifteen women knockin' on my door...", xoxo!