Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for Rocktober 12th

Janis' record label says No! to nudity and drugs / 1950's rocker be-bops away / Blondes have more fun?

10/12/1968 (49 years ago today) - It's one of the landmark rock albums of the Sixties, but it didn't arrive without controversy: Big Brother And The Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin) hit No. 1 with the incendiary and arousing "Cheap Thrills" album -- The band wanted the release to be titled "Sex, Dope And Cheap Thrills" featuring a cover photo of all them naked in bed together! -- This idea obviously didn't go down well with the suits and ties at Columbia Records, who instead opted to use the back cover artwork for the front, and a truly iconic piece of '60's blues-'n'-boogie-pseudo-psychedelia was born, thanks to underground cartoonist Robert Crumb. Great stuff! An excellent example of back-to-front/inside-and-out artistic genius, it's the full package deal all right...

10/12/1971 (46 years ago today) - His real name was Vincent Eugene Craddock: legendary '50's greaser/rocker Gene Vincent passed away on this date from a perforated ulcer; he was only 36 years old at the time -- Best known as one of John Lennon's early rock heroes thanks to "Be-Bop-A-Lula" and a guest appearance in the cult classic movie "The Girl Can't Help It" (1956) with the notoriously buxom Jayne Mansfield -- The Grim Reaper must have been waiting for Gene, though: earlier, while on tour in the U.K. in 1960, Vincent and songwriter Sharon Sheeley were seriously injured in the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran...

10/12/1974 (43 years ago today) - Has it really been over four decades?: Blondie appear at CBGB's in New York City, under their new moniker 'Blondie' for the very first time -- The name was derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie!" when they would pass by singer Debbie Harry walking on the street. Of course...

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"Let's rock!...", xoxo!