Fat Tuesday

The 101 Gold “Rajun Cajun” event is on!

150 North Hermosa, Las Cruces

History 101: On this date in 1965, more than 3,500 U.S. Marines landed at Da Nang in South Vietnam to become the first U.S. combat troops in Vietnam.

Music History 101: March 8, 1970: In Framingham, Massachusetts, this singer performed her first solo concert after leaving The Supremes…Diana Ross.

The 101 number one song of the day was recorded by a kid from Philadelphia who grew up wanting to be a boxer. Until he saw a Kirk Douglas movie which changed everything. The film was “Young Man with a Horn” which inspired today’s featured artist so much he asked his dad for a trumpet. His father – a frustrated musician himself – borrowed $15 and picked up a used one at a pawn shop. He became a prodigy on the instrument and formed a band. Eventually, despite his protests, he became a vocalist and eventually starred in a number of very popular teen movies. Along the way he scored a number of hits including the one that sat atop the charts on March 8, 1959 – Frankie Avalon “Venus.”