10 ready-to-read segments for December 31, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1966, 60 years ago: The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" begins seven weeks at No. 1. Neil Diamond wrote it, and it became the biggest-selling single of 1967. Worldwide sales are put at around 10 million. Here's The Monkees with “I'm a Believer.”
On this day in 1961, 65 years ago: The Beach Boys play their first paying gig. Murry Wilson, acting as manager, landed them a $300 New Year's Eve show at the Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance in Long Beach. They had signed to Candix Records on December 8.
On this day in 1970, 56 years ago: Paul McCartney sues to dissolve the Beatles. He had announced his exit in April amid fights over Allen Klein's management. In March 1971 a court put Apple's finances under a receiver.
On this day in 1973, 53 years ago: AC/DC play their first official gig in Sydney. The band made its debut at the Chequers nightclub on New Year's Eve.
On this day in 1925, 101 years ago: Radiophonic Workshop co-founder Daphne Oram is born. She co-founded the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1958. She also invented Oramics, which turned shapes drawn on film strips into sound.
On this day in 1930, 96 years ago: Odetta is born in Birmingham, Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. called her the Queen of American Folk Music. Bob Dylan said hearing her record made him trade his electric guitar for an acoustic.
On this day in 1947, 79 years ago: Brazilian rock star Rita Lee is born. She sang with the Tropicália band Os Mutantes before going solo. With over 55 million records sold, she is Brazil's top-selling female artist.
On this day in 1948, 78 years ago: Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, is born in Boston. Her Giorgio Moroder production "I Feel Love" is hailed as a landmark record. Moroder said it was really the beginning of electronic dance music.
On this day in 1985, 41 years ago: Ricky Nelson dies in a plane crash at 45. His plane caught fire and crash-landed near De Kalb, Texas. He had No. 1 hits with "Poor Little Fool" and "Travelin' Man."
On this day in 2015, 11 years ago: Natalie Cole dies at 65. "This Will Be" won her a Grammy early on. Unforgettable... with Love, with its virtual duet with her father, won Album of the Year and made her the first African-American woman to take that award.
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