Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for June 20th

Classic '60's Fest! -- Dick Clark anniversary! -- Major guitar star b'day...

6/20/1969 (47 years ago today) - Welcome to the kick-off of The Newport 69 Pop Festival, one of the largest events of the time, held in Newport, California. A three-day ticket cost $15 -- you'd get to see The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Johnny Winter, Ike & Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marvin Gaye, The Byrds, Steppenwolf, The Rascals, Janis Joplin, Love and Eric Burdon. Hendrix received $125,000 for his set, at the time the highest fee ever paid to a rock act for a single show!

6/20/1973 (43 years ago today) - It's the 20th Anniversary show of Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" featuring Neil Diamond, Little Richard, Cheech & Chong, Paul Revere and The Raiders and Three Dog Night. Kinda weird, but what the hey...

6/20/1924 - Born on this day, guitarist extraordinaire Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins, whose signature picking style and musicianship brought him admirers from not just the country scene, but all over the world. Produced records for Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, The Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings and too many more to mention here. 14 Grammys, nine Country Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year awards, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. No. 21 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Huge influence on George Harrison, Mark Knopfler and Keith Urban. "Chet Atkins' Workshop" LP from December, 1960, pretty much nails it. The man known as "Mr. Guitar" passed away on June 30, 2001, in Nashville; he was 77.

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"Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along...", xoxo!