9 ready-to-read segments for January 27, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1973, 53 years ago: Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" tops the Hot 100. The riff-driven single from Talking Book knocked Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" from No. 1. Jeff Beck had helped shape the song in the studio and later cut his own version. Here's Stevie Wonder with “Superstition.”
On this day in 1956, 70 years ago: Elvis releases "Heartbreak Hotel," his first RCA single. His debut for his new label went to No. 1, became the best-selling single of 1956 and gave him his first million-seller.
On this day in 1962, 64 years ago: "Peppermint Twist" dethrones "The Twist" at No. 1. Joey Dee and the Starliters cashed in on the twist dance craze with their only No. 1, which held the top spot for three weeks.
On this day in 2018, 8 years ago: Camila Cabello's "Havana" reaches No. 1. Featuring Young Thug, the hit spent a week at the top and gave both singers their first Hot 100 chart-topper.
On this day in 1756, 270 years ago: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born in Salzburg. Baptized the next day with a string of names including Theophilus, he went on to complete more than 800 works before his death at 35.
On this day in 1918, 108 years ago: Elmore James is born in Mississippi. His loudly amplified 1951 recording of Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom" turned into a surprise R&B hit, and his headstone hails him as the King of the Slide Guitar.
On this day in 1968, 58 years ago: Trip-hop pioneer Tricky is born in Bristol. He rapped on Massive Attack's debut Blue Lines before going solo with the brooding 1995 album Maxinquaye, a landmark of the Bristol sound.
On this day in 1972, 54 years ago: Gospel great Mahalia Jackson dies at 60. Her 1947 record "Move On Up a Little Higher" sold about two million copies, and in 1963 she sang at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
On this day in 2014, 12 years ago: Folk singer Pete Seeger dies at 94. A founder of the Weavers, he wrote or co-wrote "If I Had a Hammer," "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?".
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