Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for July 19th

Another reason the 1950's were, like, cool, daddy-o's! -- How come we didn't know about this festival? -- One-time prog-rock band and their original front-man (now solo) share the top chart spots...

7/19/1954 (65 years ago today) - Depending upon your source, there were only between 5,000 and 7,000 copies made of this record, and that was it!: Sun Records, Memphis, released Elvis Presley's first single, a cover of blues man Arthur Crudup's 1946 tune "That's All Right" -- It becomes a local hit on Memphis radio, while here in the 21st Century, the ripple effects are still in play...

7/19/1974 (45 years ago today) - Missouri State Fairgrounds, Sedalia, Misssouri: Welcome to Day One of the three-day Ozark Music Festival, actually one of the biggest music festivals ever held, with an estimated 350,000 in attendance! Hosted by "Midnight Special and Wolfman Jack", here's the list of performers from the headliners on down: America, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Eagles, Joe Walsh, Marshall Tucker Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, R.E.O. Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jim Stafford, David Bromberg, The Electric Flag, Leo Kottke, Elvin Bishop, Cactus, and at the very bottom of the bill, in small print, was a performer by the name of Bob Seger -- Other bands that appeared (but not mentioned in the advertising posters) included The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, Boz Scaggs, Blue Oyster Cult, and Aerosmith!!! Tickets were $15, and legend has it that with an average temperature of 100 degrees each day, approximately 25% of the audience were 100% naked...!

7/19/1986 (33 years ago today) - Wanna know what the mid-'80's were like? Here ya go: On the U.S. singles chart, Genesis is No. 1 with "Invisible Touch" -- Their former lead singer and founding member, Peter Gabriel, immediately follows at Number 2 with "Sledgehammer" -- Rounding out the Top Ten: "Nasty" - Janet Jackson, "Danger Zone" - Kenny Loggins, "Holding Back The Years" - Simply Red, "Who's Johnny" - El DeBarge (?!?!), "Glory Of Love" - Peter Cetera {ugh!}, "There'll Be Sad Songs" - Billy Ocean, "Your Wildest Dreams" - The Moody Blues, and finally {double-ugh!} Rod Stewart's "Love Touch" -- Bubbling under just outside the Top Ten were such monstrosities as "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin and Lionel Richie's "Dancing On The Ceiling". With the exception of Peter Gabriel, it's no wonder we prefer the 1960's...

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

"Let there be no doubt about it...", xoxo!