Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for March 13th

Chauffeur responsible for a Beatles classic? -- A toke is a toke and that's that! -- Props for an early rock & roll architect...

3/13/1965 (55 years ago today) - It's the boys' seventh U.S. No. 1 single: The Beatles start two weeks at the top with "Eight Days A Week", which Paul McCartney said was inspired by his limo driver -- Paul asked him how he was doing and the chauffeur replied, "Oh, working hard, working eight days a week". Bingo!!!

3/13/1971 (49 years ago today) - You say "toe-may-toe", I say "toe-mah-toe"...: Future one-hit wonders Brewer & Shipley enter the Billboard singles chart with "One Toke Over The Line" -- Despite its ban from many radio stations across the country because of the "drug references in the title", the song still makes it all the way up to Number Ten! -- When they sang "Waitin' downtown at the railway station/One toke over the line", B&S insisted the word "toke" meant "token", as in "ticket". Whatever; the track featured Jerry Garcia on steel guitar, so we'll roll with it {gettit?}...

3/13/1933 - Born on this day, Mike Stoller, half of the legendary songwriting team Leiber & Stoller, who also produced tracks for Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Peggy Lee, T-Bone Walker, Stealers Wheel and Procol Harum(!) -- The duo's string of ground-breaking hits, particularly in the 1950's, offered a new direction for what rock and roll could sound like: "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Hound Dog", "Smokey Joe's Cafe", "Riot In Cell Block #9", "Charlie Brown", "Searchin'", "Yakity Yak", "Stand By Me" and "On Broadway" -- Jerry Leiber passed away in 2011, but Mike is still around, making the occasional media appearance. When they were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987, they said, "We don't write songs. We write records". Coolsville indeed.

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"No, I won't be afraid...", xoxo!