Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for Rocktober 10th

Eleanor was Daisy, Bette was Janis, and Happy Birthday to one of America's truly iconic songwriters...

10/10/1939 (80 years ago today) - The real Eleanor Rigby passed away in her sleep on this date at the age of 44; the cause of her death was never determined. The title character of the 1966 Beatles track written by Paul McCartney was originally going to be called Miss Daisy Hawkins, but inspiration didn't occur until later on when Paul remembered the name "Eleanor Rigby" from 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...

10/10/1979 (40 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 noms, most notably for Best Actress (Bette's screen debut, no less). It's a little over-the-top and somewhat dated, but still really worth checking out actually...

10/10/1946 - Happy Birthday to a genuine songwriting legend, the one and only John Prine, 73 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, all the while writing and singing songs (as a hobby) until he was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, which led to his first record deal -- Widely cited as one of the most influential composers of his generation, John's catalog of work is best known for his humorous and often melancholy observations on love, life, current events and {biting} social commentary. Artists that have covered Prine's songs reflect a broad artistic spectrum, from Bonnie Raitt and Miranda Lambert, to My Morning Jacket and Elvis Costello --  Safe to say John Prine is more than a little all right...

Share your exotic fruit with the Calendar here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"To believe in this living is just a hard way to go...", xoxo!