10 ready-to-read segments for October 20, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1962, 64 years ago: "Monster Mash" hits No. 1 just in time for Halloween. Bobby "Boris" Pickett's novelty tune got its spooky sounds from homemade effects, like a rusty nail pulled from a board for a creaking coffin. It has come back to the charts again and again, as recently as 2021. Here's Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers with “Monster Mash.”
On this day in 1973, 53 years ago: Queen Elizabeth II opens the Sydney Opera House. The formal opening of Jørn Utzon's harbourside landmark was celebrated with fireworks and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The building later became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
On this day in 1992, 34 years ago: Madonna releases Erotica in the United States. Her fifth album arrived alongside her provocative book Sex and was the first release on her own Maverick label. Made with "Vogue" collaborator Shep Pettibone, it yielded top-ten hits in "Erotica" and "Deeper and Deeper."
On this day in 2003, 23 years ago: Amy Winehouse debuts with Frank in the UK. Released on Island Records when she was about 19, the jazz-soaked debut was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won her an Ivor Novello Award. It eventually went quadruple platinum in Britain.
On this day in 2023, 3 years ago: The Rolling Stones release Hackney Diamonds. It was the band's first album of original songs since 2005's A Bigger Bang, with guests including Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Elton John. It went on to win the Grammy for Best Rock Album.
On this day in 1874, 152 years ago: Maverick composer Charles Ives born in Danbury, Connecticut. Ives composed while running a successful insurance agency, and when his Third Symphony won the 1947 Pulitzer he gave the prize money away, quipping that prizes are for boys.
On this day in 1950, 76 years ago: Tom Petty born in Gainesville, Florida. Meeting Elvis Presley on a film set at age ten hooked him on rock and roll. He later led the Heartbreakers and joined the Traveling Wilburys with Harrison, Dylan, Orbison and Lynne.
On this day in 1971, 55 years ago: Snoop Dogg born Calvin Broadus Jr. in Long Beach. His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" after the Peanuts beagle. His Dr. Dre-produced debut Doggystyle opened at No. 1 with 806,000 copies sold in its first week.
On this day in 1977, 49 years ago: Ronnie Van Zant killed in Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. The band's plane ran out of fuel near Gillsburg, Mississippi, while flying between shows, killing the 29-year-old singer shortly after Street Survivors came out.
On this day in 1983, 43 years ago: Guitar innovator Merle Travis dies at 65. His thumb-and-finger "Travis picking" shaped country guitar, he wrote "Sixteen Tons," and the solid-body guitar Paul Bigsby built to his design influenced Leo Fender's Telecaster.
Every segment comes from a fact checked against the source linked with it. Spot a problem? Email hello@todayintunes.com.