Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for September 7th

Today's the birthday of one of America's greatest rock and roll songwriters, so props are in order; plus -- you've also got the birth of an "alien"; and then at least one reason why the Eighties might've sucked a little bit...

1957 - Buddy Holly, far right; with his group The Crickets, Jerry Allison and Joe Maudlin. (Keystone/Getty Images)

9/07/1971 (44 years ago today) - Trident Studios, London: enter David Bowie for the first session of what would turn out to be an album titled "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars". The character of Ziggy was inspired by U.K. legend Vince Taylor, whose classic rocker "Brand New Cadillac" would soon be made infamous by The Clash on their "London Calling" LP. The story goes that Bowie met Taylor after the veteran star had gone through some physical and mental breakdowns brought on by drug abuse -- Vince told Bowie he believed himself to be a cross between a god and alien. We surmise that Bowie was taking notes...

9/07/1985 (30 years ago today) - You can blame the mullet, or you can blame "The Brat Pack", there's enough to go around: John Parr starts a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)". Inflicting "Naughty Naughty" on us wasn't enough, apparently...

9/07/1936 - Born on this date, one of the Mt. Rushmore-singer-songwriters of the Fifties first wave of rock and roll: Charles Hardin Holley, from Lubbock, Texas. During his short career, Buddy Holly was amongst the very first artists (ever) to not only write and perform his own material, but to also arrange and produce it too! Even more importantly, it was Buddy's act that pretty much defined the traditional R&R line-up of guitars, bass, and drums. (Some British lads were paying attention: if Holly could get away with calling his band The Crickets, then John, Paul and George figured naming themselves after another insect would work just as well.) What a catalog for such a small period of time: "That'll Be the Day", "Peggy Sue", "It's So Easy", "Words Of Love", "Oh Boy", "Not Fade Away", "Crying, Waiting, Hoping". Did you know that every single time Linda Ronstadt performed in concert she always included a Buddy Holly song -- Every time. Always. Buddy died in the tragic plane crash that also claimed Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, and the pilot on February 3, 1959.

Any thoughts on the Calendar you wish to share? Let us know here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.

"I wanna tell you how it's gonna be/You're gonna give your love to me...", xoxo!

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