WABC radio fired DJ Alan Freed on November 21, 1959 after
he refused to sign a FCC statement denying that he had
accepted money for promoting records, a practice known
as "payola."
While WABC cited its "contractual right to terminate," the
dismissal happened amid a larger payola scandal that
ultimately ruined his career.
Albert James "Alan" Freed
(December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965)
Starring Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Captain
von Trapp, the original Broadway production of The Sound
of Music premiered at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November
16, 1959, where it won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical
and Best Leading Actress. It later moved to the Mark Hellinger,
where it would end its lauded run on June 15, 1963 after 1,443 performances.
CAMILE BOHANNON
Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013)
Born in Utica, New York, Actress and singer Annette
Funicello began her professional career at age 12,
becoming one of the most popular Mouseketeers on
the original Mickey Mouse Club.
During her teenage years, Annette had a successful
career as a pop singer.
Her most notable singles are "O Dio Mio", "First Name
Initial", "Tall Paul", and "Pineapple Princess".
During the mid-1960s, she established herself as a film
actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party"
genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon.
In 1992, Annette Funicello announced that she had been
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She succumbed to
the disease on April 8, 2013.
![Bobby Pickett - Monster Mash [Novelty]](https://i0.wp.com/i.ytimg.com/vi/vNuVifA7DSU/mqdefault.jpg?resize=530%2C298&ssl=1)
On October 20, 1962 “Monster Mash” hit No. 1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart, just in time for Halloween
The self-described “graveyard smash” become a literal smash
hit, spending the last two weeks of October at the top of the
charts and remaining a beloved Halloween classic decades
later.
“Monster Mash” hit the Billboard charts three times, starting
with its original debut in 1962. It re-charted in August 1970,
and then again in May 1973.
Then, Pickett released two more songs that were sequels of
sorts: “Monster’s Holiday,” which hit No. 30 in December
1962, and “Graduation Day,” which hit No. 80 in June 1963.
Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 – April 25, 2007)
