Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for January 21st

Today, a look at generosity, a band's only No. 1, and props for a Woodstock legend...

1/21/1982 (34 years ago today) - B.B. King donated his entire collection of over 20,000 discs(!) to Mississippi University's Center for Southern Culture. We can hardly begin to imagine how much fun we would have rummaging through those albums... 

1/21/1984 (32 years ago today) - Yes start a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". It's their only chart-topping single. Nice to have, though they didn't really need it...

1/21/1941 - Born on this date, folk singer Richard Pierce "Richie" Havens, although simply labeling him a "folk singer" is really a disservice; Richie encompassed elements of soul and rhythm and blues into his performances which could be quite intense experiences -- his opening set at the 1969 Woodstock Festival is beyond brilliant, truly legendary. He was an accomplished and underrated guitarist as well, playing in a very rhythmic style (often in open tunings) that helped established his signature sound, including soulful covers of pop and rock songs by Bob Dylan and The Beatles that became classics. Richie was the eldest of nine children; he passed away from a heart attack on April 22, 2013, at the age of 72. "Resume: The Best Of Richie Havens", a two-disc set released by Rhino Records in 1993, has pretty much everything you need.

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"Little darling/It seems like years since it's been here...", xoxo!