11 ready-to-read segments for January 22, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1977, 49 years ago: Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" tops the Hot 100. Wonder's single took over the top spot from Leo Sayer's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" and stayed there for one week before Rose Royce's "Car Wash" replaced it. Here's Stevie Wonder with “I Wish.”
On this day in 1907, 119 years ago: Strauss's Salome shocks the Metropolitan Opera. The Met gave the opera its US premiere, but pressure from wealthy patrons got every later performance cancelled after that one night. Salome didn't return to the house until 1934.
On this day in 1934, 92 years ago: Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth opera premieres in Leningrad. The opera opened at Leningrad's Maly Opera Theatre, with Moscow following two days later. In 1936, shortly after Stalin attended a Moscow performance, Pravda attacked it as "Muddle Instead of Music."
On this day in 1966, 60 years ago: The Beach Boys cut "Wouldn't It Be Nice" backing track. Brian Wilson ran 21 takes of the instrumental with Wrecking Crew players at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. The song would open Pet Sounds that May.
On this day in 1969, 57 years ago: George Harrison invites Billy Preston to Beatles sessions. Harrison ran into the keyboard player outside the Apple building and asked him to take part in the Get Back sessions, which had just moved to Apple's own studio the day before.
On this day in 1897, 129 years ago: Soprano Rosa Ponselle is born in Meriden, Connecticut. Her very first opera performance anywhere was her 1918 Metropolitan Opera debut, singing Leonora in Verdi's La forza del destino opposite Enrico Caruso.
On this day in 1924, 102 years ago: Trombonist J. J. Johnson is born in Indianapolis. One of the first trombonists to take up bebop, Johnson proved the slide trombone belonged in the style, and his tunes "Lament" and "Wee Dot" became jazz standards.
On this day in 1949, 77 years ago: Journey singer Steve Perry is born. Born in Hanford, California, Perry fronted Journey from 1977 and sang on "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms" and "Faithfully." Jon Bon Jovi nicknamed him "The Voice."
On this day in 1965, 61 years ago: DJ Jazzy Jeff is born in Philadelphia. Jeff Townes helped popularize the "transformer" scratch, and with Will Smith as the Fresh Prince he won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance.
On this day in 2004, 22 years ago: Arranger Billy May dies at 87. May wrote the swinging big-band charts behind Frank Sinatra's Come Fly with Me and kept arranging for him on and off for decades, along with Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald.
On this day in 2005, 21 years ago: "Bésame mucho" writer Consuelo Velázquez dies. The Mexican pianist and songwriter was just 16 when she wrote the bolero in 1932. She died in Mexico City at 88.
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