10 ready-to-read segments for January 6, 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: Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" hits No. 1. Carly Simon's sly put-down knocked Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" off the top and held the Hot 100 for three weeks. It was her first chart-topper, nearly a decade after she first charted with her sister. Here's Carly Simon with “You're So Vain.”
On this day in 1724, 302 years ago: Bach premieres an Epiphany cantata in Leipzig. Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, was first heard on the Feast of the Epiphany, closing Bach's first Christmas season in Leipzig. He scored it for two horns, two recorders and two oboes da caccia alongside strings.
On this day in 1957, 69 years ago: Elvis makes his last Ed Sullivan appearance. On his third and final visit, cameras showed Elvis only from the waist up. He closed with the gospel song "Peace in the Valley," and Sullivan then called him a "real decent, fine boy."
On this day in 1958, 68 years ago: "At the Hop" tops the Billboard best sellers. Danny & the Juniors' dance-party anthem took over Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart and became the first record to reach No. 1 on all three of the magazine's main pop charts.
On this day in 1838, 188 years ago: Composer Max Bruch is born in Cologne. Bruch wrote plenty of music, but his Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor became one of the most loved Romantic concertos. His Kol Nidrei for cello is built on a Yom Kippur melody.
On this day in 1924, 102 years ago: Banjo legend Earl Scruggs is born. Born in Cleveland County, North Carolina, Scruggs popularized a rolling three-finger picking style that turned the banjo into a solo instrument and became a hallmark of bluegrass. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" later featured in Bonnie and Clyde.
On this day in 1947, 79 years ago: Folk-rock singer Sandy Denny is born in London. Fairport Convention's voice wrote "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?", later recorded by Judy Collins, Nina Simone and others. Her duet with Robert Plant on "The Battle of Evermore" made her the lone guest vocalist on any Led Zeppelin album.
On this day in 1967, 59 years ago: A. R. Rahman is born in Madras. Rahman's film-scoring career began in the early 1990s with the Tamil film Roja. His Slumdog Millionaire work won two Oscars on one night, for the score and for the song "Jai Ho."
On this day in 1993, 33 years ago: Bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie dies at 75. The trumpet star wrote "A Night in Tunisia" and "Salt Peanuts." His famous upturned trumpet began as an accident when dancers knocked over his horn, and he liked how it sounded.
On this day in 2006, 20 years ago: Smooth-voiced soul singer Lou Rawls dies. Rawls won three Grammys and scored his biggest seller with "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." His annual telethon raised more than $250 million for the United Negro College Fund.
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