How Little Richard Made History, Plus: The Stones Get Small!

Time almost runs out on Little Richard -- Thousands show up to see The Stones in a venue that only holds about three hundred -- Props for The Queen Mother Of Nashville (and it's probably not who you think it is) -- Here's your Monday Coffee Break Calendar...

9/14/1955 (65 years ago today) - Little Richard is in a New Orleans studio, ready to begin two days of recording. Unfortunately, things are not going well... at all. There's no mojo, no inspiration, nada, so Richard and producer Bumps Blackwell (how cool is that name) decide to take a much needed break for lunch next door at the Dew Drop Inn where there just happens to be a piano over by the bar. Then it happens -- possibly out of frustration more than anything else, Richard starts bangin' away at the keys like a wild man, making it up as he goes along and screaming out some definitely lewd lyrics. With only 15 minutes of studio time remaining, they head back in, get the tape machine rolling and that's when Richard goes full-tilt-bonkers, singing "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, A-lop-bam-boom!!!" "Tutti Frutti" is born.

9/14/1981 (39 years ago today) - The Rolling Stones attempt a secret pre-tour warm-up show in Worcester, Mass. at Sir Morgan's Cove Club, capacity 350. Billing themselves as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches fools absolutely no one -- A local radio station can't help but giddily announce it's really The Stones and over 4,000 fans show up to try and get in! Police arrive to control the streets surrounding the venue; eleven fans are arrested, which ain't too bad considering the band is ready to tour behind "Tattoo You", one of their best records in years. Once again, we find ourselves wishing and hoping for that time machine, c'mon all you big-bang-types...

9/14/1914 - Born on this date, the songwriter known as "The Queen Mother Of Nashville", Mae Boren Axton, who composed over 200 songs including a co-writing credit on Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel" -- One of her two sons, Hoyt Axton, became famous as a songwriter/musician, too; he wrote the Three Dog Night classics "Joy To The World" and "Never Been To Spain", along with "The Pusher" by Steppenwolf and the "No No Song" by Ringo Starr! Mae went on to work with Mel Tillis, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Eddy Arnold, Tanya Tucker and many more country greats. She passed away in 1997, having drowned in her hot tub at home in Tennessee after suffering a heart attack; she was 82 years old.

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

"I get so lonely, I could die...", xoxo!