It is a lasting shame to Baby Boomers that we have not educated the generations that have come after us about the true origin of the double-decker hamburger.

We heard some Millennial the other day complaining that a burger they were tasting was "just a rip-off of the Big Mac.". Just...wow! Any Baby Boomer worthy of the name should know the Big Mac itself is a rip-off. It's given away right there in its name! 

Enter Bob Wian

Almost forgotten today, Bob Wian ran a diner, Bob’s Pantry, in Southern California (just as the McDonald brothers would) in the late 1930s. Searching for a dish that would separate his diner from dozens of competitors, Wian created the world’s first double-decker hamburger in 1937 to please a now-unknown musician who wanted “something different.” The new burger quickly caught on forcing Wian to come up with a name for it. The Big Boy was born!

As the customers poured in, Wian’s diner was expanded into an actual sit-down restaurant. Then Wian opened more Big Boy restaurants in California.

Finally, Wian become one of the first entrepreneurs to franchise his idea across the United States. What made his pitch even more appealing – local operators could stick their name in front of “Big Boy.” So, each area of the country had their own version.

In a genius marketing move, Big Boy restaurants also gave away a free Big Boy comic book to guests – a new issue arriving every month – ensuring young kids would bug their parents into making as many return visits as possible. The first issue was actually written by comic book legend Stan Lee and drawn by Bill Everett.

When McDonald’s began their eventual takeover of the burger industry in the early 60s, Big Boy was still, well, the big boy of franchise restaurants. So, Mickey D simply copied their rival’s signature attraction right down to the name.

Eventually, America’s preference for fast food caused Big Boy to fade in most parts of the country.

Not to worry about ol’ Bob Wian, though. He sold the chain to the Marriott Corp. in 1967 for $7 million (back when $7 million was real money) and his namesake chain of restaurants are still around in SoCal!

Back in the 70’s, David Gates was the key member of a group named Bread. Between 1970 and 1976, Bread placed 11 records on Billboard’s Hot 100 (10 of them landing in the Top 20), all of them written and sung by Gates. He scored his last success in 1977 by singing the title song to the film The Goodbye Girl. Then, he just seemed to vanish.

What happened?

Well, like a lot of bands, declining success on the single charts and internal tensions (particularly between Gates and band mate Jimmy Griffin, who also wrote and sang with Bread, just never on their singles) caused the band to break-up in 1976.

Gates tried a solo career, but outside of “Goodbye Girl,” never found much success. Instead, he took the money he had made and bought a cattle ranch (no kidding) in Northern California in the early 1980s.

Since then, he has recorded sporadically and even patched up his differences with Griffin for a Bread reunion tour in 1996-97, but for the most part, has been content to remain a cattle rancher. He has been happily married to his high school sweetheart, Jo, since 1958.

BTW, Gates was heavily involved in the music scene before forming Bread. He wrote “Popsicles & Icicles” for the Murmaids in 1964 and was the arranger on Glen Yarbrough’s 1965 hit “Baby, the Rain Must Fall.” He worked in the studio with such music heavies as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Duane Eddy and Brian Wilson.

How about that, a rock star who lived happily ever after!

In the age of apps (does anybody even remeber apps is short of applications?), there are a few that can save you money when you're shopping.

Coupon Sherpa will search for coupons online and send them directly to your smartphone for scanning at the checkout.

CardStar can store your retailer loyalty cards on your phone, so you won't have to dig in your purse or wallet to get the added benefits they bring.

There are may others, Do a little searching on the internet and see if you can one or more that are perfect for you.

In case you've been asking, "Where are the big hits?"

You don’t have to buy an expensive gym membership and drive yourself to the edge to feel better.

Research shows that simply walking for as little as 5 minutes a day can help you combat some of the things that develop as we age. For instance:

Arthritis: Walking at a leisurely pace can help ease the pain of arthritis as much as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs! It strengthens muscles that support the joints can help you shed pounds and reduce joint stiffness. Experts recommend starting out with a 5 min walk 5 days a week, gradually building it up to 30 minutes a day. If you feel worse 2 hours after completing your walk, take a less intense walk the next time.

High Blood Pressure: You may need to walk a bit longer to see a reduction in blood pressure. Aim for at least 1-and-three-quarters of a mile most days of the week. Again, you don’t need to exert yourself – a leisurely pace is fine.

Insomnia, Depression, Osteoporosis and even Diabetes can all be helped by a daily walk.

As always, before you begin any exercise regimen, consult with your physician.

Simon & Garfunkel achieved a phenomenal level of success with a minimal number of albums. The boys released just 5 studio albums during the 1960s and zero live albums.

It wasn’t planned that way. The duo had several of their shows recorded, but those recordings went unreleased for several years.

If you are a fan of Paul & Artie (and what Baby Boomer isn’t?), here is a list of all the official releases of their live albums:

Live from New York City, 1967 – This could’ve been their first live album, recorded at Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City on January 22, 1967. This was right before the release of the movie, The Graduate, that really catapulted them to the upper echelons of rock acts.

As such, it contains live versions of many of their earlier album tracks as well as a handful of tunes they never recorded in the studio.

For whatever reason, this album sat on the shelf for years. Five songs from the concert were included on a Simon & Garfunkel box set that was released in 1997.

When the live album was finally released in 2002, 35 years after its recording, one of the songs used on the box set (“Red Rubber Ball”) was omitted.

Live 1969 – The duo went on tour just after recording, but prior to the release of, Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Columbia recorded many of these shows with the thought that they would finally release a live Simon & Garfunkel album. Why this album was shelved, no one is saying. Perhaps the fact that Simon & Garfunkel quickly went their separate ways after Bridge Over Troubled Waters decreased Columbia Records’ enthusiasm for the project.

Two of the songs from this album were the first live material released when “For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her” and “Kathy’s Song” showed up on 1972’s “Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits.”

The album finally had its first public release as a Starbucks-exclusive CD in 2008 before receiving a wide general release in 2009. It was also included as the second disc in a 2-CD reissue with Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

The Concert for Central Park – The third attempt at a live recording was the first to be released.  It was recorded in 1981 when Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had decided to reunite for a special benefit concert. The show in Central Park attracted more than 500,000 people. and was videotaped for HBO. A double album of the concert was released in 1982.

The success of this event led to Paul and Artie reuniting on a world tour and starting work on a new studio album. But the old tensions re-emerged, and Simon had Garfunkel’s vocal tracks erased, releasing the album, titled Hearts and Bones, as a solo effort.

Old Friends: Live on Stage – The boys patched up their differences and embarked on another reunion tour in 2003. This album is compiled from a series of shows they performed at Madison Square Garden that year. This set is unique because it also features the Everly Brothers as special guests. Obviously, a huge influence on Simon & Garfunkel, Don & Phil performed a couple of their classic tunes and then joined Paul and Artie on “Bye-Bye Love” (which S&G had previously recorded for their Bridge Over Troubled Waters LP). The Everly Brothers' solo songs do not appear on the CD, but are included on a DVD version of this release. This release also features one new Simon & Garfunkel studio song, “Citizen of the Planet,” a tune Simon wrote in the 1980s, but did not complete with Garfunkel until the time of this tour.

So, there you have it. Simon & Garfunkel have now released almost as many live albums as studio albums. Have fun listening!

Somehow I doubt you'd still find these at Woolworth's. As a matter of fact, it's probably pretty difficult to even find a Woolworth's these days.