Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for Rocktober 10th

Eleanor was Daisy, Bette was Janis, and a birthday for one of America's truly iconic songwriters. What the hey...

10/10/1939 (78 years ago today) - The real Eleanor Rigby passed away in her sleep at the age of 44; the cause of her death was never determined. The feature character of the 1966 Beatles song written by Paul McCartney was originally named Miss Daisy Hawkins; inspiration, though, didn't occur until later, when Paul remembered Eleanor Rigby's name on a headstone in the graveyard of St. Peter's Parish Church in Woolton, Liverpool, just a few feet away from where he first met John Lennon in 1957! Kinda spooky...

10/10/1979 (38 years ago today) - "The Rose", starring Bette Midler as a self-destructive 1960's rock star (unabashedly/"loosely" based on Janis Joplin), had its premiere in L.A.. The title track turned into one of The Divine Miss M's biggest hits, and the film notched up four Academy Award nominations, most notably for Best Actress In A Leading Role (Bette Midler's screen debut, no less!), Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Frederic Forrest, who also appeared in "Apocalypse Now" this same year), plus nods for film editing and sound. A little over-the-top and somewhat dated, but worth checking out if you've never seen it, actually...

10/10/1946 - Happy Birthday to a genuine songwriting legend, the one and only John Prine is 71 years old today! Taught himself guitar at age 14 and after serving in the military, he moved to Chicago in the late 1960's where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs as a hobby until he was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, which led to his first record deal, and the rest, as they say...Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, John's catalog of work is best known for humorous (and often melancholy) observations on love, life, current events and social commentary. Artists that have covered Prine's work cover the artistic spectrum, from Bonnie Raitt and Miranda Lambert, to My Morning Jacket and Elvis Costello, so it's safe to say John Prine is more than all right then...

Share your bruised orange's with the Calendar here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"Just give me one thing that I can hold on to/To believe in this living is just a hard way to go...", xoxo!