A Salute To The Guy Who Wrote The Cool 007 Music, Plus…

Tiny studio = giant hit -- A '60's rebel classic for the ages -- 007 needed this guy! It's whatcha call a sweet mixed bag special for your Nov. 3rd Coffee Break Calendar...

11/3/1957 (63 years ago today) - Little ol' Memphis studios Sun Records label releases a doozy: "Great Balls Of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis is unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. The single sells one million copies in its first 10 days here in America(!), and on its way to the No. 2 spot on the U.S. chart and No. 1 in the U.K., it will end up with sales over 5 million worldwide -- In 1950's terms, that's an A-bomb blast that crushed everything in its wake. The song title is a Southern expression referring to the Pentecost's defining moment when the Holy Spirit manifested as "cloven tongues of fire". Having the record labeled as blasphemous only increased its appeal...

11/3/1962 (58 years ago today) - The Crystals start a two week run at No. 1 with the ultra-classic/totally fantastic single "He's A Rebel" -- The Crystals got the credit, but in fact the song had actually first been recorded by The Blossoms -- Written by Gene Pitney and produced by Phil Spector (of course), the track is one of the best examples of the Spector-girl-group sound -- Coincidence Dept.: While "He's A Rebel" was sitting in the top spot, the No. 2 song was "Only Love Can Break A Heart" by none other than Gene Pitney himself, giving him {as songwriter or performer} the two top selling singles in America! Sorta weird because as a solo artist, Gene never did score a No. 1 on his own.

11/3/1933 - Born on this day, composer/producer/band leader John Barry; famously arranged The James Bond Theme (that's John's score in the first 007 movie, 1962's "Dr. No") as well as the music for many classic films, including "The Magnificent Seven", "Born Free", "Midnight Cowboy", "The Lion In Winter", "Dances With Wolves", "Out Of Africa" and more, earning him five Oscars for his work over the years. The maestro of the John Barry Orchestra died of a heart attack at age 77 on January 31st, 2011. Extremely talented...

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"You broke my will/But what a thrill...", xoxo!