Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for January 26th

Today's calendar looks at Number One singles and how they're sometimes strange little bits of history. And Happy B'day Eddie!!!

1/26/1963 (55 years ago today) - Some say "eclectic", but we say those pre-Beatles days were pretty gloomy: The Rooftop Singers start a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Walk Right In". Oh, you know this one alright, you just don't know that you know it. Here ya go, and you're welcome:

1/26/1965 (53 years ago today) - It wasn't all boys in natty ties with suspicious hair-cuts, Petula Clark was part of The British Invasion too, and her ultra-classic worldwide-hit single "Downtown" was No. 1 in America on this date --  Magnificently produced and featuring a very young Jimmy Page on guitar: at the time Jimmy was working as a session-player-for-hire, so {technically/nit-pickily} this was his very first U.S. chart-topper!

1/26/1974 (44 years ago today) - Ringo Starr went to No. 1 here in the U.S. with his cover version of the 1960 Johnny Burnette single "You're Sixteen" -- Harry Nilsson contributed the very distinctive and catchy background vocals, while the "kazoo" solo in the middle of the song was provided by none other than former band mate Paul McCartney! Incidental weirdness: it was the very same Johnny Burnette who first did "Train Kept A-Rollin'" back in 1960, and the girl in Ringo's "You're Sixteen" video was none other than Carrie Fisher!!! See for yourself:

1/26/1955 - Happy Birthday Eddie Van Halen, 63 years old today. True story filed under "not worthy": I turned into a hyper-ventilating nervous wreck the one time I met him backstage and actually got to shake his hand! Gad-zooks...

Share your what if's with the Calendar here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"Do you want to lose your mind?...", xoxo!