Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for July 17th

Today we remember one of the great female voices; a fantastic live show is recorded for release (truly classic!!!); another Fab Four chart-topper...

7/17/1959 (56 years ago today) - Legendary vocalist Billie Holiday passes away after years of alcohol abuse. She died in the hospital while under arrest for heroin possession with armed police officers stationed outside the door to her room! In her final years, she had been slowly swindled out of her earnings, with just $0.70 remaining in her bank account. Billie may have only been 44 when she left us, a sad and tragic story, but what a voice; if you've never listened to her stuff, you're missing out on some music from heaven, so do yourself a favor and check out any of her catalog of classic performances. One-of-a-kind, indeed...

7/17/1967 (48 years ago today) - "All You Need Is Love" is released here in the U.S.; it will shortly become The Beatles' 14th Number One single in America. The B-side, "Baby You're A Rich Man", was originally titled "One Of The Beautiful People" and it did quite well as a "hit-alternative" on the newly-born fledgling FM-underground radio scene. The boys knew what they were doing, all right...

7/17/1975 (40 years ago today) - Bob Marley & The Wailers play the first of two nights at London's Lyceum Theatre; both shows are recorded for the November release of their "live" album which, even with their reputation for killer performances, still sounds like an absolutely stunning set from a band that may have just been beamed in from another planet. A definitive example of a group clearly "at the peak of their powers"...

Thoughts and comments on the Calendar? Hit us up right here on our web site and/or on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"In this great future/You can't forget your past/So dry your tears, I say...", xoxo!