10 ready-to-read segments for January 24, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1967, 59 years ago: Aretha Franklin records "I Never Loved a Man" in Muscle Shoals. At FAME Studios in Alabama she cut the song that became her first R&B No. 1 and a top-ten pop hit. A fight between her husband and a trumpeter broke up the session before the B-side was done. Here's Aretha Franklin with “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).”
On this day in 1962, 64 years ago: The Beatles sign with manager Brian Epstein. The band signed a five-year management deal, though Epstein himself never put his name to that first contract. Three of the four Beatles were under 21 and needed a parent's consent.
On this day in 1976, 50 years ago: Diana Ross tops the Hot 100 with "Theme from Mahogany." The ballad, also known as "Do You Know Where You're Going To," spent one week at No. 1, between Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs" and the Ohio Players' "Love Rollercoaster."
On this day in 2019, 7 years ago: Weezer surprise-release the Teal Album of covers. It followed the band's fan-requested cover of Toto's "Africa" and arrived with no advance notice. The covers set climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in its second week.
On this day in 1936, 90 years ago: Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw is born in Louisiana. Kershaw spoke French before English and could fiddle by age five. His autobiographical "Louisiana Man" became a Cajun standard, and Apollo 12 astronauts beamed it back to Earth.
On this day in 1941, 85 years ago: Neil Diamond is born in Brooklyn. Before his own hits, Diamond wrote "I'm a Believer" for the Monkees. His "Sweet Caroline" is now a ballpark sing-along and sits in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.
On this day in 1941, 85 years ago: Aaron Neville is born in New Orleans. His 1966 breakthrough "Tell It Like It Is" topped the R&B chart for five weeks. Later he co-founded the Neville Brothers and won Grammys for duets with Linda Ronstadt.
On this day in 1979, 47 years ago: Dancehall star Busy Signal is born in Jamaica. Born Reanno Gordon in Saint Ann Parish, he scored hits including "Step Out," "Tic Toc" and "Kingston Town" with Damian Marley.
On this day in 1883, 143 years ago: Opera composer Friedrich von Flotow dies. The German composer died in Darmstadt at 70. He is remembered chiefly for the opera Martha, and his best-known single piece, sung in Italian as "M'appari tutt'amor," has been recorded countless times.
On this day in 2017, 9 years ago: Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks dies. A founding member, Trucks teamed with Jaimoe to drive the band's double-drummer groove from 1969 until it disbanded in 2014. His nephew Derek Trucks later joined on guitar.
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