Day Tripping: November 24
Big Yin
William Connolly was born on the third-floor linoleum floor on Dover Street in Glasgow, Scotland in 1942. At the age of four, Glasgow was getting bombed by German planes and his mother left him while his father was in Burma with the Royal Air Force.
After seeing the Beverly Hillbillies on television, Billy bought a banjo and learned to play. He started playing gigs with a folk band called the Humblebums and met Gerry Rafferty who joined the band.
“My definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.”
The group broke up in 1971 when Rafferty went solo, and Connolly continued with folk. He started introducing songs with humorous stories which got longer each time. It wasn’t much longer before Billy Connolly gave up his music career for comedy, and we’re all the better for it.
The uncanny rambling storytelling style of Billy Connolly is like no other. If you have ever had the privilege to see him live, you probably missed half the show from laughter.
Today is:
Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day — This is your day everyone.
Musical Ride
The first installment of Don Kirshner’s In Concert aired on ABC in 1972 to compete with the rival show, Midnight Special from NBC. The opening show featured Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and The Allman Brothers Band.
Interesting Notes
Somewhere over the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, DB Cooper jumped out of a Northwest Airlines 727 with $200,000 in ransom money in 1971. He was never seen again.
Gone But Not Forgotten
One day after announcing to the world in 1991 he was battling AIDS, Freddie Mercury died at the age of 45.
Notable Births
1868 — Scott Joplin: “When I’m dead twenty-five years, people are going to begin to recognize me.”
1941 — Pete Best: “We were at our best when we were playing in the dance halls of Liverpool and Hamburg. The world never saw that.”
K. Barrett Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr. Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, Ph.D. Terry Trueman Dr. Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca Holly Kellums Michael Burg, MD Lucy Dan Dave Logan
All previous Day Tripping entries are available at the following links:
The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present
A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping