About maketodayrock.com: We celebrate musicians' birthdays, remember those we've lost, and highlight key moments in music such a release dates, chart peak dates, or anything else tied to a specific date. Pick any day from the menu in the top right. The front page shows recent obituaries.
April 12, 1953 ~ Punk rock, pop punk, post-punk, new wave bassist, producer Tony James born in London, UK ~ Formed mid 1970s proto-punk outfit London SS, alongside future the Damned guitarist Brian James, and future the Clash-members Mick Jones and Terry Chimes. Also a member of Generation X, the London Cowboys, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Sisters Of Mercy, Fin De Siècle, and Carbon/Silicon
April 12, 1952 ~ Jazz, rock bassist, composer Hellmut Hattler born in Ulm, West Germany ~ Influenced by Jimi Hendrix. Founded pop, krautrock band Kraan. In-demand collaborator. Has worked with Tina Turner, Billy Cobham, Joachim Kühn, Torsten de Winkel, Alphonse Mouzon, and Nippy Noya
April 12, 1947 ~ Singer Alex Briley born in Harlem, New York, USA ~ Member of the Village People, serving as tha band's “G.I” and “sailor”, known for disco hits such as Macho Man, YMCA and In The Navy
April 12, 1945 ~ Blues singer, pianist, guitarist Ann Rabson born in New York, New York, USA ~ Helped revive acoustic blues. Drew critical comparison to pre-war female blues singers such as Lucille Bogan, Ida Cox, and Bessie Smith. Co-founding member of Saffire The Uppity Blues Women, with whom she recorded over half a dozen albums. Especially acclaimed for her 1997 Music Makin' Mama solo debut album released in 1997, and the collaborative Not Alone album with Bob Margolin released in 2012. Rabson has also guested on albums by Ani DiFranco, Skeeter Brandon, Carla Sciaky (The Awakening), Deborah Coleman, Mark Hodgson, AJ Salas, EG Kight, and Pinetop Perkins. Rabson passed away at age 67 after a long battle with cancer ~ Rabson passed away in 2013April 12, 1945 ~ Pianist, music director Doug Riley, full name Douglas Brian Riley, born in Toronto, Canada ~ Also recorded under the moniker Dr Music. Musical director of the Famous People Players for two decades. Keyboardist and arranger on Ray Charles' 1969 Doing His Thing album after which Charles offered him a steady spot in the band. Riley kindfully declined, focusing on his career in Canada ~ Riley passed away in 2007
April 12, 1945 ~ Guitarist Miller Anderson born in Johnstone, UK ~ Closely associated with Ian Hunter, plasying in several blues, rock bands together. Has worked with Keef Hartley, the Spencer Davis Group, Broken Glass, Mountain, Savoy Brown, T.Rex, Chicken Shack, and Maggie Bell
April 12, 1943 ~ Singer Geoff Brook, full name Geoffrey Owen Brooks, born in Winchester, UK ~ Formed the sibling duo the Brooks Brothers with Ricky Brook, known for a string of early 1960s UK hits including Ain't Gonna Wash For A Week, Welcome Home Baby and perhaps their best known Warpaint
April 12, 1943 ~ Reggae singer, guitarist, songwriter Roydel Johnson born in Hanover Parish, Jamaica ~ Formed the reggae vocal group the Congos with Cedric Myton in the mid 1970s, best known for their The Heart Of The Congos album released in 1977. The album has been hailed as one of producer's Lee Scratch Perry's finest. Following the band's disbandement has recorded as a solo artist, starting with the album Sign Of The Star released in 1980
April 12, 1940 ~ Pianist, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, full name Herbert Jeffrey Hancock, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Pivotal figure in jazz, jazz fusion, and jazz-funk. Considered a main architect of post-bop. Got his start in music backing artists such as Donald Byrd and Miles Davis. As a leader known for fronting the Headhunters and VSOP. As a composer best known for Watermelon Man, Cantaloupe Island, One Finger Snap, Dolphin Dance, and Maiden Voyage, each covered by a wide array of artists. To pop audiences best known for the Grammy Award-winning electro-infused Rockit of his 1983 Future Shock albumApril 12, 1937 ~ Blues singer, guitarist Asie Payton, full name Asie Reed Payton, born in Holly Ridge, Mississippi, USA ~ Made a living as a farmer and recorded one album, Worried, near the end of his life. It would be released posthumously in 1998 to critical acclaim ~ Payton passed away in 1997
April 12, 1932 ~ Herbert Butros Khaury, commonly known as singer, ukulele player Tiny Tim, born in New York, New York, USA ~ By his pre-teen years he developed a passion for records, specifically those from the 1900s through the 1930s. He began spending most of his free time at the library, reading abouth the history of the phonograph industry and its first recording artists. He researched sheet music, often making copies to take home to learn, a hobby he continued for his entire life. As a recording artist known for his 1968 single Tiptoe Through The Tulips, sung in his signature falsetto voice, and Living In The Sunlight (Loving In The Moonlight) ~ Khaury passed away in 1996April 12, 1926 ~ Blues bassist, singer, songwriter Andrew McMahon, also known as Andrew Blueblood McMahon, born in Delhi, Louisiana, USA ~ Closely associated with Howlin' Wolf, backing the Wolf for over a decade starting in 1960. As a solo artist known for songs such as Lost In The Jungle, Special Agent, Potato Diggin' Man and Worried All The Time ~ McMahon passed away in 1984
April 12, 1924 ~ Jazz pianist, arranger Dick Marx, full name Richard Henry Marx, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Also known as composer for film and TV. Worked with Johnny Frigo, Eddie Harris, Helen Merrill, Ken Nordine, Lucy Reed, and Pee Wee King ~ Marx passed away in 1997
April 12, 1922 ~ Film composer Edwin Astley, full name Edwin Thomas Astley, born in Warrington, UK ~ Known for numerous film scores and TV themes, notably for the TV series The Saint, Danger Man and The Baron. Astley's daughter Karen Astley would be married to the Who-frontman, guitarist, singer Pete Townshend from 1968 until 2009, with whom she has three children ~ Astley passed away in 1998
April 12, 1922 ~ Stanley Friedland, commonly known as conductor, arranger, songwriter Stan Free, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Classically trained. Led pop outfit Hot Butter, best known for their 1972 instrumental rendition of Popcorn. The single would be an international hit, selling over two million copies. Free also worked as arranger and conductor, notably for jazz singer Chris Connor, and served as studio musician for the likes of the Four Seasons, the Monkees, and the Association ~ Friedland passed away in 1995
April 12, 1921 ~ James D Harris, commonly known as blues singer Shakey Jake Harris, born in Earle, Arkansas, USA ~ Best known for his 1958 debut single Call Me If You Need Me b/w Roll Your Moneymaker. The single was produced by Willie Dixon, and featured Syl Johnson and Magic Sam, his nephew. Reportedly, Harris was never paid for the session, but he won $700 shooting craps with label owner Eli Toscano ~ Harris passed away in 1990
April 12, 1919 ~ Bandleader, arranger Billy Vaughn born in Glasgow, Kentucky, USA ~ Member of the Hilltoppers, alongside Jimmy Saca, Donald McGuire and Seymour Spiegelman, for whom Vaugh also wrote their first hit, Trying which charted in 1952. Leading his own bands Vaughn charted over 40 singles and some 36 albums on the American album charts starting with 1958's Sail Along Silv'ry Moon through to 1970's Winter World Of Love. Vaughn also served as music director and A&R executive at Dot Records, starting in the mid 1950s ~ Vaughn passed away in 1991April 12, 1917 ~ Helen Fogel, commonly known as pop, swing singer Helen Forrest, born in Atlantic City, New York, USA ~ Popular singer of the swing era, serving with the biggest orchestras of the day including those led by Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and by Harry James ~ Fogel passed away in 1999
April 12, 1916 ~ Film composer, arranger Russell Garcia born in Oakland, California, USA ~ Known for his work for TV series such as Rawhide and Laredo, and films such as The Time Machine, Atlantis The Lost Continent and Father Goose. Has worked with artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Mel Tormé, Julie London, Oscar Peterson, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, and Henry Mancini ~ Garcia passed away in 2011
April 12, 1915 ~ Theodore Roosevelt Taylor, commonly known as blues singer, guitarist, slide guitarist Hound Dog Taylor, born in Natchez, Mississippi, USA ~ Bruce Iglauer, then working at Delmark Records, tried to persuade his employer to sign Taylor, to no avail. The following year Iglauer used a modest inheritance to found his own Alligator Records, and recorded Taylor's Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers debut album. Until his death in 1975, Taylor recorded two more albums for the label, and performed with the likes of Muddy Waters, Freddie King, and Big Mama Thornton. A live recording of Elmore James's The Sky Is Crying by George Thorogood, included on the 1986 Live album, would be dedicated to the memory of the late Hound Dog Taylor ~ Taylor passed away in 1975
April 12, 1902 ~ Western singer John White, born ~ Enjoyed popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, going by a variety of monikers most notably Whitey John. Often performed covers of Vernon Dalhart-songs. Best known for Whoopee Ti Yo Yo (Git Along Dogies) and Strawberry Roan ~ White passed away in 1992April 12, 1898 ~ Alice Josephine Pons, commonly known as operatic soprano, actress Lily Pons, born in Draguignan, France ~ French-American soprano particularly associated with the title roles in Lakme Opera and Lucia di Lammermoor. Concert singer. Savvy at making herself into a marketable cultural icon. Guested internationally at many well known opera houses. Darling of the the New York Metropolitan Opera where she performed nearly 300 times between 1931 and 1960 ~ Pons passed away in 1976
April 12, 1892 ~ Jazz clarinetist, saxophonist Johnny Dodds born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ According to legend, Dodds' instrumental skill began at a young age with a toy flute which originally had been for his purchased for his younger brother Baby Dodds, who would become one of the first important jazz drummers. Dodds studied clarinet with Lorenzo Tio Jr and Charlie McCurdy. Closely associated with trumpeter Natty Dominique, with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship and musical relationship. Has performed and recorded as a leader, notably leading the houseband at the influential jazz club Kelly's Stables, Chicago, for most of the 1920s, and served in bands led by Frankie Duson, Kid Ory, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. Considered the premier clarinetist of his generation, praised for his blues-laden style, Dodds has been immensely influential on later clarinetists, in particular Benny Goodman who has been known to say “nobody ever surpassed Dodds in achieving a finer tone with the clarinet.” Ailed by poor health and economic hardships during the Great Depression, Dodds rarely recorded during the 1930s and passed away of a stroke at age 48. Dodds was posthumously inducted in the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1987 ~ Dodds passed away in 1940April 12, 1871 ~ Soprano Elizabeth Spencer, full name Elizabeth Dickerson Spencer, born in Denver, Colorado, USA ~ Trained as pianist and violinist. Praised for the sterling operatic quality of her voice. Has performed in vaudeville and on Broadway. Best known for numerous recordings, totalling over 600, for Thomas Edison from the 1910s through the 1920s ~ Spencer passed away in 1930