Janis Joplin Gets Her Way; Debbie Harry Gets Harassed

Check out what passed for high-tech in 1955... -- "Sex, Dope And Cheap Thrills" is, apparently, a no-go... -- Truckers inspire new wave band! It's your whatever-holiday-this-is-supposed-to-be Coffee Break Calendar for Monday Rocktober 10th...

10/12/1955 (55 years ago today) - The Chrysler Corporation introduces "high fidelity record players" for their upcoming line of 1956 automobiles: the unit measures less than a foot wide, just under four inches high, and it gets mounted under the instrument panel, BUT...it can only play seven inch discs spinning at 16 2/3 rpm, which required three times the number of grooves-per-inch than a standard LP at the time! By 1961, the thrill was gone...

10/12/1968 (52 years ago today) - The Columbia record label refused to release the album under the "Sex, Drugs And Cheap Thrills" title, so a sort-of-compromise was made: On this date, Big Brother & The Holding Company went to No. 1 with the psychedelic-blues classic LP (more simply titled) "Cheap Thrills" -- Originally, the band wanted the front cover to be a photo of the group naked in bed together -- Instead, thanks to singer Janis Joplin's relentless demands, they used those legendary drawings by cartoonist Robert Crumb (who had initially intended his art to be the back cover!). A landmark of the era for sure, and it still sounds great: "Piece Of My Heart", "Combination Of The Two", "Summertime", "Ball And Chain"...we say, "Yikes!!!"

10/12/1974 (46 years ago today) - They were first called Angel & The Snake, but on this date (for the first time ever), Blondie appear at CBGB's in New York City, under the name Blondie! Fact: the band's name is derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie!" to singer Debbie Harry as they drove by...

Share your shout-outs with the Calendar here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"One day maybe next week...", xoxo!