10 ready-to-read segments for October 21, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1958, 68 years ago: Buddy Holly cuts his final studio session in New York. At the Pythian Temple he recorded four songs, including "True Love Ways" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," backed by an 18-piece ensemble led by Dick Jacobs. It was a bold step toward orchestral pop just months before his death. Here's Buddy Holly with “True Love Ways.”
On this day in 1972, 54 years ago: Chuck Berry finally scores a No. 1 with "My Ding-a-Ling." The rock pioneer's only Hot 100 chart-topper was a cheeky novelty number recorded live at a festival in Coventry, England, not one of his classic guitar anthems.
On this day in 1977, 49 years ago: Meat Loaf unleashes Bat Out of Hell. Written by Jim Steinman and produced by Todd Rundgren, the album has sold an estimated 34 to 40 million copies and logged 522 weeks on the UK albums chart.
On this day in 2016, 10 years ago: Leonard Cohen releases his farewell album You Want It Darker. Produced partly by his son Adam, it came out just 17 days before Cohen died, and its title track later won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance.
On this day in 2022, 4 years ago: Taylor Swift drops Midnights and breaks streaming records. It set Spotify's single-day and single-week streaming records, and Swift became the first act to fill the entire Hot 100 top 10. The album later won Album of the Year, her record fourth.
On this day in 1912, 114 years ago: Conductor Georg Solti born György Stern in Budapest. He made the first complete studio recording of Wagner's Ring cycle and won 31 Grammys, a record that stood until Beyoncé passed it in 2023.
On this day in 1917, 109 years ago: Bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie born in Cheraw, South Carolina. His trademark upturned trumpet began as an accident in 1953 when dancers damaged his horn; he liked the sound so much he had bent trumpets built for him from then on.
On this day in 1925, 101 years ago: Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, born in Havana. Her cry of "¡Azúcar!" became one of salsa's most recognizable calls, and she sold more than 30 million records across a career that began with Sonora Matancera.
On this day in 1995, 31 years ago: Doja Cat born Amala Dlamini in Los Angeles. A homemade video for her absurd cow song "Mooo!" went viral, and the "Say So" remix later became the first female rap collaboration to top the Hot 100.
On this day in 2003, 23 years ago: Singer-songwriter Elliott Smith dies at 34. His Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery" earned an Oscar nomination, and the famously reluctant performer sang it at the ceremony in a white suit.
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