11 ready-to-read segments for January 30, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1969, 57 years ago: The Beatles play their rooftop concert. Unannounced, the band and keyboardist Billy Preston played a 42-minute set atop Apple's Savile Row offices in London. Police asked them to turn it down, and it became their last public performance. Here's The Beatles with “Get Back.”
On this day in 1961, 65 years ago: The Shirelles top the Hot 100. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" reached No. 1, the first time a girl group had topped the Hot 100. It held the spot for two weeks.
On this day in 1961, 65 years ago: Patsy Cline releases "I Fall to Pieces." Decca issued the Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard ballad, which climbed to No. 1 on the country chart that summer and also reached No. 12 on the pop chart.
On this day in 1964, 62 years ago: Sam Cooke records "A Change Is Gonna Come." Cut at RCA's Hollywood studio, the song was shaped by Cooke's run-ins with segregation and by Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." It became an anthem of the civil rights era.
On this day in 1982, 44 years ago: Hall & Oates hit No. 1 with "I Can't Go for That." The song ended Olivia Newton-John's ten-week run with "Physical" and also topped the R&B chart. Michael Jackson later told Daryl Hall he had borrowed a Hall & Oates bass line for "Billie Jean," apparently this one.
On this day in 1911, 115 years ago: Trumpeter Roy Eldridge is born in Pittsburgh. Nicknamed "Little Jazz," he pushed the trumpet's high register and speed so far that Dizzy Gillespie called him the messiah of his generation. He played with Gene Krupa, Artie Shaw and Ella Fitzgerald.
On this day in 1951, 75 years ago: Phil Collins is born in London. He joined Genesis as drummer, took over as singer when Peter Gabriel left, and built a solo career with seven US No. 1 singles, plus an Oscar for a song from Disney's Tarzan.
On this day in 1984, 42 years ago: Kid Cudi is born in Cleveland, Ohio. His song "Day 'n' Nite" spread on music blogs after he posted it to MySpace, caught Kanye West's attention and led off his quadruple-platinum debut, Man on the Moon: The End of Day.
On this day in 1963, 63 years ago: French composer Francis Poulenc dies at 64. A member of the group of composers known as Les Six, he wrote music both playful and devout, from the ballet Les Biches to the opera Dialogues des Carmélites and his Gloria.
On this day in 1980, 46 years ago: New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair dies. Known as "Fess," he blended rumba and boogie into a style that defined New Orleans piano. His song "Tipitina" gave a famous local music club its name.
On this day in 2011, 15 years ago: Film composer John Barry dies at 77. He scored eleven James Bond films, starting with From Russia with Love, and won five Academy Awards, including for Born Free, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves.
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