Today in Tunes
On this day in music

January 2

10 moments from 1843 to 2019: 5 things that happened, 3 birthdays and 2 farewells.

Tune of the day
Billie Jean
Michael Jackson
Why today: 1983 · Michael Jackson releases "Billie Jean"
Play on SpotifyApple Music

What happened on January 2

  1. 1843183 yrs ago
    HappenedClassical

    Wagner's The Flying Dutchman premieres in Dresden

    Wagner conducted the first performance himself at Dresden's royal court theater. He later said his career as a poet began with this opera, the earliest of his works staged at Bayreuth.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Der fliegende Holländer - Wikipedia
  2. 195472 yrs ago
    HappenedPop

    Eddie Fisher's "Oh! My Pa-Pa" tops the US chart

    Recorded with Hugo Winterhalter's orchestra and chorus, the crooner's ballad led Billboard's best-seller list in the first chart of 1954 and held No. 1 for eight straight weeks.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: List of Billboard number-one singles of 1954 - Wikipedia
  3. 196957 yrs ago
    HappenedRock

    The Beatles begin the Get Back sessions

    Rehearsals for a planned TV documentary started at Twickenham Film Studios in London. The month ended with the rooftop concert, and the music finally surfaced as the album Let It Be in 1970.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Get Back sessions - Wikipedia
  4. 198343 yrs ago
    HappenedPop

    Michael Jackson releases "Billie Jean"

    The second single from Thriller went on to spend seven weeks at No. 1. Its video broke MTV's color line, becoming the first by a Black artist in heavy rotation on the channel.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Billie Jean - Wikipedia
  5. 201016 yrs ago
    HappenedPop

    Kesha's "Tik Tok" tops the first Hot 100 of 2010

    Her debut single held No. 1 for nine straight weeks, the longest run of the year and the longest for a woman's debut single since 1977.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 2010 - Wikipedia
  6. 1905121 yrs ago
    BornClassical

    Composer Michael Tippett is born

    One of Britain's leading 20th-century composers, he is best remembered for the oratorio A Child of Our Time and the opera The Midsummer Marriage.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Michael Tippett - Wikipedia
  7. 193690 yrs ago
    BornCountry

    Roger Miller is born in Fort Worth, Texas

    "King of the Road" topped the country chart and helped him win 11 Grammys. Decades later he wrote the score for Broadway's Big River, which won seven Tony Awards.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Roger Miller - Wikipedia
  8. 199333 yrs ago
    BornR&B / Soul

    Bryson Tiller is born in Louisville, Kentucky

    His song "Don't" first caught on after he posted it to SoundCloud, leading to a deal with RCA. His debut album, Trapsoul, went triple platinum.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Bryson Tiller - Wikipedia
  9. 197749 yrs ago
    DiedJazz & Blues

    Pianist Erroll Garner dies at 55

    Entirely self-taught, he never learned to read music. He wrote the ballad "Misty", and his live album Concert by the Sea sold more than a million copies.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Erroll Garner - Wikipedia
  10. 20197 yrs ago
    DiedPop

    Daryl Dragon, the "Captain" of Captain & Tennille, dies

    A former Beach Boys keyboardist nicknamed "Captain Keyboard", he formed a duo with his wife Toni Tennille. Their "Love Will Keep Us Together" was the top-selling US single of 1975.

    Play on Spotify Apple Music Source: Daryl Dragon - Wikipedia