10 ready-to-read segments for January 2, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1983, 43 years ago: 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. Here's Michael Jackson with “Billie Jean.”
On this day in 1843, 183 years ago: 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.
On this day in 1954, 72 years ago: 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.
On this day in 1969, 57 years ago: 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.
On this day in 2010, 16 years ago: 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.
On this day in 1905, 121 years ago: 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.
On this day in 1936, 90 years ago: 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.
On this day in 1993, 33 years ago: 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.
On this day in 1977, 49 years ago: 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.
On this day in 2019, 7 years ago: 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.
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