Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for July 23rd

Today we've got a birthday we have to point out (even though you might not have heard of him), plus a band's long, long, long haul to the top and an interesting post-Beatles launch...

7/23/1988 (27 years ago today) - It took 'em 49 weeks (that's a little more than an entire year, we think) but they make it: Def Leppard's "Hysteria" finally reaches the Number One spot on the U.S. album chart. At the time, clocking in at 62 minutes, it was one of the longest albums ever issued on a single piece of vinyl, then proceeds to sell over 20 million copies worldwide (12 million alone here in the U.S.) and spawns seven hit singles. Silly rabbit, you were actually wondering why the album still gets mucho airplay on radio stations all over the world every day...

7/23/1989 (26 years ago today) - Let's go to Dallas, Texas, where Ringo kicks off his first tour since the break-up of The Beatles. In the debut line-up of the All-Starr Band: guitarist Joe Walsh, keyboardist Billy Preston and E Street Band sax man Clarence Clemons. Oh, so now you wish you'd gone to the show...

7/23/1946 - Happy 69th Birthday to Roxy Music's Andy Mackay, saxophonist/woodwinds player and occasional co-songwriter with Bryan Ferry. Hey, they had 15 Top 40 U.K. singles and were pretty innovative for their time (how many other rock bands featured an oboe?). Andy also played that great squonkin' sax solo on Mott The Hoople's "All the Way From Memphis"; currently teaches music to kids in the British school system, so a pretty decent dude.

Thoughts, etc..on the Calendar? Have at it right here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"Lumbered up/Limbo down/The locked embrace/Stumble 'round...", xoxo!