10 ready-to-read segments for October 4, lead story first. Free to use on air; a quick credit to Today in Tunes is appreciated.
On this day in 1970, 56 years ago: Janis Joplin dies at 27 during the Pearl sessions. Pearl came out three months after she died and went to No. 1. Her version of "Me and Bobby McGee" became a No. 1 single in 1971. Here's Janis Joplin with “Me and Bobby McGee.”
On this day in 1943, 83 years ago: Louis Jordan records "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby." Jordan and his Tympany Five cut the jump-blues song in 1943, but Decca didn't release it until June 1944, as a B-side. Jump blues like this fed directly into early rock and roll.
On this day in 2005, 21 years ago: Fiona Apple finally releases Extraordinary Machine. After long delays and a full re-recording, the album opened at No. 7 in the US, the first top-ten album of her career.
On this day in 2005, 21 years ago: Nickelback release the blockbuster All the Right Reasons. The album opened at No. 1 and then stayed in the Billboard top 30 for 110 weeks in a row. It has sold about 11 million copies worldwide.
On this day in 2010, 16 years ago: Bruno Mars debuts with Doo-Wops & Hooligans. His first album had "Just the Way You Are", which won a Grammy, and "Grenade", which went to No. 1 in nearly every country where it came out.
On this day in 1917, 109 years ago: Chilean folk pioneer Violeta Parra is born. She led the Nueva Canción movement that brought new attention to Chilean folk music. Her song "Gracias a la vida" is one of the most covered Latin American songs anywhere.
On this day in 1957, 69 years ago: Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons is born. He started Def Jam with Rick Rubin in 1984, and it became hip-hop's most important label. He sold his share for $120 million in 1998.
On this day in 1959, 67 years ago: Pet Shop Boys keyboardist Chris Lowe is born. Lowe's ear for dance music helped make the Pet Shop Boys the most successful duo in UK chart history, with 44 top 40 hits.
On this day in 1982, 44 years ago: Pianist Glenn Gould dies at 50. Gould gave up live concerts in 1964 to work only in the studio. He recorded Bach's Goldberg Variations twice, once in 1955 and again in 1981, and the two versions sound very different.
On this day in 2022, 4 years ago: Country legend Loretta Lynn dies at 90. In 1972 she became the first woman the CMA named Entertainer of the Year. "Coal Miner's Daughter" later became a memoir and an Oscar-winning film.
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