10 ready-to-read segments for October 2, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 2017, 9 years ago: Tom Petty dies a week after his final concert. Petty had ended his 40th-anniversary tour at the Hollywood Bowl only eight days earlier, closing the show with "American Girl". Here's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with “American Girl.”
On this day in 1954, 72 years ago: Elvis plays the Grand Ole Opry, his only appearance there. The Opry's manager told Sam Phillips that the young singer was 'not bad' but not right for the show. It was the only time Elvis played there.
On this day in 1982, 44 years ago: "Jack & Diane" takes over the top of the Hot 100. John Cougar's song about two Midwestern teenagers was No. 1 on the Billboard chart dated October 2 and stayed there for four weeks.
On this day in 1995, 31 years ago: Oasis release (What's the Story) Morning Glory? It sold 345,000 copies in its first UK week, a record at the time. Only Michael Jackson's Bad had sold faster in Britain.
On this day in 2000, 26 years ago: Radiohead drop the left-turn album Kid A. The band dropped guitar rock for electronics, and the album still opened at No. 1 in the US with over 207,000 sales. No British act had topped the US album chart in the previous three years.
On this day in 1945, 81 years ago: Don McLean, the man behind "American Pie," is born. His eight-and-a-half-minute song about 'the day the music died' was the longest No. 1 on the Hot 100 for nearly 50 years. Taylor Swift's "All Too Well" broke the record in 2021.
On this day in 1951, 75 years ago: Sting is born Gordon Sumner in Wallsend. He got the nickname from a black-and-yellow striped sweater that a jazz bandleader said made him look like a wasp. He never legally changed his name.
On this day in 1988, 38 years ago: Alabama Shakes powerhouse Brittany Howard is born. Howard led Alabama Shakes to a No. 1 album with Sound & Color, then won further acclaim as a solo artist.
On this day in 1920, 106 years ago: Max Bruch, composer of a beloved violin concerto, dies. Bruch wrote more than 200 works. He is remembered mostly for his Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, which is still one of the most popular Romantic violin concertos.
On this day in 1998, 28 years ago: Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy, dies at 91. He starred in 93 films and made 640 recordings, and his "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" became one of the best-selling Christmas records ever.
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