Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for November 7th
11/7/1967 (51 years ago today) - Reginald Dwight (soon to be known as Elton John) and his song writing partner Bernie Taupin are signed to DJM publishing -- Their signatures had to be witnessed by their parents because they were both under 21 years of age! Did you know....?: They first got together when Taupin decided to answer an advertisement in Britain's New Musical Express placed by a piano player who was looking to hook up with a lyric writer; they have since collaborated on over 30 albums...
11/7/1987 (30 years ago today) - Bruce Springsteen goes to No. 1 with the somewhat introspective "Tunnel Of Love" LP -- The Boss' eighth studio release sells over three million in just the U.S., with the single "Brilliant Disguise" becoming one of his biggest radio hits (No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100) -- There's lotsa great stuff on here: "Tougher Than The Rest", "One Step Up", "When You're Alone" are some of his strongest pieces -- Although members of The E Street Band are listed in the credits, this was essentially a solo album, with Bruce having recorded almost all of it by himself using drum machines and synthesizers -- Well worth going back for a fresh re-listen, you'll be surprised...
11/7/1942 - Happy Birthday to oft-taken-for-granted pop-rock singer Johnny Rivers, 76 years old today -- While never earning the clout of his peers, Johnny sure racked 'em up hits-wise: in the '60's and '70's, he was a major radio-airplay star, one of the few who could put together a genuine/aptly titled "Greatest Hits" collection: "Summer Rain", "Poor Side Of Town", "Secret Agent Man", "The Seventh Son", "Memphis", "Baby, I Need Your Loving", "Mountain Of Love", "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" -- At the time, Johnny was kinda hard to define as an artist since he liked to mix it up stylistically {a little garage rock, some blue-eyed soul, a bit of rockabilly} and it was this inability to nail-him-down-to-just-one-thing that probably kept him from achieving true superstar status. Still, alotta great singles to turn up loud...
Share your frosting with the Calendar here on our web site and on the WBLM Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #TommysCoffeeBreak.
"A pretty face can hide an evil mind...", xoxo!