10 ready-to-read segments for December 8, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1980, 46 years ago: John Lennon is shot dead in New York at 40. He was shot at the Dakota building in New York City, weeks after he and Yoko Ono released Double Fantasy. The album went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. Here's John Lennon with “(Just Like) Starting Over.”
On this day in 1956, 70 years ago: Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues" hits No. 1. Backed by Ray Conniff and his orchestra, the record took over Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart and held the top spot through the rest of December.
On this day in 1976, 50 years ago: The Eagles release Hotel California. It reached No. 1 in January 1977, and its title song won the Grammy for Record of the Year. The RIAA has certified it 28 times Platinum.
On this day in 2013, 13 years ago: Metallica play Antarctica, completing all seven continents. About 120 researchers and contest winners watched the show at Argentina's Carlini Base. Guinness recognized Metallica as the first band to play every continent, all within a single year.
On this day in 1865, 161 years ago: Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is born. Finlandia, a deeply patriotic piece first performed in 1899, is likely the most familiar thing he wrote.
On this day in 1914, 112 years ago: Country songwriter Floyd Tillman is born. His 1949 "Slippin' Around" was among the earliest country songs about cheating and a hit for several singers. He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984.
On this day in 1925, 101 years ago: Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. is born. He joined Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the Rat Pack, and "The Candy Man" gave him his only No. 1 on the Hot 100.
On this day in 1943, 83 years ago: Jim Morrison of the Doors is born. Born in Melbourne, Florida, he sang and wrote most of the lyrics for the Doors. "Light My Fire" spent three weeks at No. 1 in the summer of 1967.
On this day in 1982, 44 years ago: Nicki Minaj is born in Trinidad. Born Onika Maraj in Port of Spain, she took Pink Friday to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and the slow-burning "Super Bass" climbed to No. 3.
On this day in 1994, 32 years ago: Bossa nova great Antônio Carlos Jobim dies. Counted among the fathers of bossa nova for blending samba with cool jazz in the 1960s, he wrote "The Girl from Ipanema", which other artists have recorded more than 240 times.
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