Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for May 4th

They started out as psycho-boogie-monsters, but one of their their biggest hits had already been done...by a teen-age babysitter(!)... -- Hey, props for a blues legend... -- And nobody thought it would turn out to be this guitarists' last-go-round...

5/4/1974 (43 years ago today) - Grand Funk Railroad start two weeks at No. 1 on the singles chart with their version of "The Loco-Motion", originally recorded and performed by Little Eva back in 1962 --  The song was written by the legendary team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, hoping to capitalize on the then-current-trend of songs-about-dancing (Chubby Checker's "The Twist" was huge-huge-HUGE); when Dee Dee Sharp (of "Mashed Potato Time" fame) turned this one down, the composers had their baby-sitter record the demo and it turned out just-fine-thank-you-very much -- Interesting side-note: this was only the second time in chart history that a cover version had been a No. 1 as well as the original, the other being "Go Away Little Girl", a No. 1 for Steve Lawrence in 1962 and again for Donny Osmond in 1971, coincidentally also written by Goffin and King!!! Quite a rich history for two-minutes of sing-along nonsense...

5/4/1987 (30 years ago today) - Blues vocalist-harmonica-player-band-leader Paul Butterfield passed away at his home in North Hollywood, California, of drug-related heart failure at age 44. OK, pay attention now: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band gained international recognition during The Summer(s) Of Love with their legendary performances at both the Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festivals (quite an achievement at the time, actually) -- Their self-titled debut with the fantastic Mike Bloomfield on lead guitar is still capable of blowing you away, go get a copy a.s.a.p., you will NOT be disappointed!

5/4/1989 (28 years ago today) - Stevie Ray Vaughan began what would turn out to be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tragically, on August 26, 1990, Stevie was instantly killed in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of three members of Eric Clapton's entourage after playing a show with Slowhand in East Troy, Wisconsin; he was only 35 years old.

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"You gotta swing your hips, now...", xoxo!