CCR Recorded Three Albums In 1969?!? Yup, And Then…

CCR can't stop -- First solo Beatle tour was... -- R.I.P., Keith -- Here's your first Coffee Break Calendar for the month of November, good stuff in here today...

11/2/1969 (51 years ago today) - Creedence Clearwater Revival release their third album of the year, "Willie And The Poor Boys", featuring the classic hits "Down On The Corner" and "Fortunate Son", along with a pair of their most popular cover versions, "The Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields"; the album went Top 10 in six different countries, No. 3 in the U.S.A. and No. 1 in France! -- CCR's work load at this point was beyond belief, think about it: "Bayou Country" (with "Proud Mary" and "Born On The Bayou"), was released on January 5th, followed by the "Green River" LP on August 3rd (boasting the title track, "Bad Moon Rising", "Lodi", "Wrote A Song For Everyone" and "The Night Time Is The Right Time") -- All these classic recordings all in the same year, plus they were on tour!!! That's several steps beyond stamina, kids...

11/2/1974 (46 years ago today) - George Harrison becomes the first Beatle to officially embark on a solo world tour; tonight's first stop is Vancouver, Canada, and things do not go well -- First off, George's latest album, "Dark Horse", has been mercilessly slammed by by critics and is performing rather poorly sales-wise -- Then there's his choice for opening act: Ravi Shankar may have been George's musical savior and inspiration, but the sitar master's extended sets of instrumental noodling histrionics are just way, way, way too far out for the ex-Beatle fans audience who have paid to hear "the hits" -- Somewhat sadly, these will be George's last live performances for many years to come...

11/2/1944 - Born on this date, keyboard-wiz-extraordinaire Keith Emerson -- First achieved notoriety with legendary prog-rock cult faves The Nice, before moving on to bona-fide superstar rock status in the 1970's with Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- Keith's talent was ferociously huge (he was often referred to as "The Jimi Hendrix of The Piano") and when you listen to his spirited, grand piano work-outs, especially on any one of the first four E.L.P. albums, it's clear he was much more than just a "musician's musician" -- At age 71, Keith committed suicide by a single gun shot to his head after years of struggling to be able to perform up to the standards he was used to. A truly tragic ending to a remarkable career.

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"...I became too slippery for you/But let me say that was nothing new...", xoxo!