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 14, 2026 ~ Jazz organist, pianist Dan Wall, full name Daniel Lee Wall Jr, passed away ~ Recorded over half a dozen albums as a leader or co-leader, particularly noted for his 1981 album Song For The Night which featured backing from saxophonist Steve Grossman, bassist Mike Richmond, and drummer Jimmy Madison. Wall started playing semi-professionally while still in his teens, leading a combo which regularly performed at the Carousel Club in his native Atlanta, Georgia. Wall would go on to study at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, on a scholarship from Down Beat, and become an in-demand sideman and collaborator most noted for his associations with Karl Ratzer, Ike Isaacs, Maxine Sullivan, Eddie Gomez, Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, Eddie Harris, Al Cohn, Jerry Bergonzi (Lost In The Shuffle), Ernie Krivda, and Buddy DeFranco. Wall is especially noted as a member of John Abercrombie's early 1990s trio, which also included drummer Adam Nussbaum, highly acclaimed for the albums While We Were Young and Speak Of The Devil. Wall is also well known as a professor at the Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, from 2001 until his retirement in 2025. Upon hearing of his passing, close friend and fellow Oberlin College professor Bobby Ferrazza stated: “He was a humble, generous, warm person. He was a musician so special that he inspired almost everyone who heard him play. All of these attributes changed lives for the better for so many of us who had the privilege to know him, students and colleagues alike. We called each other ‘brother’ and I feel a great loss. All we can do is try to carry forward all the beautiful life and music lessons that he taught all of us” ~ Wall was born in 1953
April 14, 2024 ~ Bluegrass guitarist, banjoist Ben Eldridge passed away ~ Influenced by Bill Keith and Bill Emerson. Longest-serving member of the Seldom Scene, with whom he remained for over four decades from the early 1970s until his retirement in 2016. Considered one of the prime bluegrass, newgrass groups, they have infused traditional bluegrass with elements of rock, pop, and jazz, performing their own originals, bluegrass standards, and covers of rock classics. The band have recorded some two dozen albums, and are especialy acclaimed for Act 3 released in 1973. Eldridge has also guested on solo outings by bandmates Mike Auldridge and Phil Rosenthal, as well as on recordings by Tony Rice, Bryan Bowers, John Starling, Linda Ronstadt, and Cliff Waldron. Eldridge's son is progressive bluegrass guitarist and singer Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers ~ Eldridge was born in 1938
April 14, 2023 ~ Rock, alternative rock singer, guitarist Mark Sheehan, full name Mark Anthony Sheehan, passed away in Cleveland, Ohio, USA ~ Member of boy band Mytown, known for the moderate hit Do It Like This and their sole eponymous Mytown album. Following the band's disbandement in 2001 Sheehan co-founded alternative rock outfit the Script with whom he recorded half a dozen albums, all of which would reach top of the charts in their native Ireland. Well-known songs include The Man Who Can't Be Moved, For The First Time, Hall Of Fame featuring will.i.am, and Superheroes. The single Breakeven of their eponymous The Script debut album would reach top 20 on the American Billboard Hot 100 ~ Sheehan was born in 1976April 14, 2022 ~ Afrobeat, afro-soul, highlife saxophonist Orlando Julius, full name Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, passed away in Ikole, Nigeria ~ First gained attention in the 1960s, notably with his 1966 Super Afro Soul album. Sessioned for much of the 1970s, often teaming up with Hugh Masekela. Would gain international attention after a number of re-releases in the 2000s and 2010s, leading to collaborations with the Heliocentrics ~ Ekemode was born in 1943
April 14, 2015 ~ R&B, soul singer Percy Sledge, full name Percy Tyrone Sledge, passed away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA ~ Best known for When A Man Loves A Woman, which topped charts on both sides of the Atlantic in 1966. Other well known songs include Warm And Tender Love, It Tears Me Up and Take Time To Know Her ~ Sledge was born in 1941
April 14, 2014 ~ Percussionist Armando Peraza passed away in San Francisco, California, USA ~ Came from humble beginnings, orphaned at a young age and forced to support himself on the streets of Havana from his early teens to become a giant in jazz, self-taught on congas and bongos, and subsequently spend nearly two decades with latin rock outfit Santana. Peraza got his start in music at age seventeen joining the band of Alberto Ruiz as a conga player despite having no musical experience. By the late 1940s, he and childhood friend Mongo Santamaria found their way to America, where Peraza became an in-demand sideman working with the likes of Machito, Charlie Parker, Pérez Prado, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, and Cal Tjader. Peraza became especially associated with George Shearing with whom he recorded two dozen albums, Peraza's technique and power as a hand drummer a key feature of the band's performances. Peraza joined Carlos Santana's latin rock outfit in 1972, first appearing on the album Caravanserai, and toured and recorded with the guitarist for nearly two decades, and wrote or co-wrote over a dozen of the band's tracks including Gitano for which Perazza sang lead. While with Santana, Perazza has also guested on albums by George Duke, Roy Buchanan, Alice Coltrane (Eternity), John McLaughlin, Rick James (Street Songs), Sister Sledge, Patti Austin, and John Lee Hooker (The Healer). Frailed by an ailing health, Peraza retired from performing in 1990, though he has on occassion teamed up with his long-time compadre since. Peraza has recorded one as album as a leader, Wild Thing released in 1968 featuring backing from bassist Chuck Rainey, saxophonist Sadao Watanabe and a young Chick Corea tingling the ivories. Upon hearing of his death, Carlos Santana dedicated a poem to Peraza that read in part: “My greatest teacher, mentor, role model. Crossed over to the other side tonight. He is now light only, no more in the body. He is free from gravity and time. Immortality is his playground. Infinity is his domain” ~ Peraza was born in 1924
April 14, 2013 ~ Singer, songwriter George Jackson, full name George Henry Jackson, passed away in Ridgeland, Mississippi, USA ~ Member of the Ovations, including on their best known song It's Wonderful To Be In Love. Recorded well over a dozen northern soul singles as a solo artist, with some success. Best known as a songwriter for other artists. Wrote or co-wrote songs such as Too Weak To Fight (Clarence Carter), I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart Than A Young Man's Fool (Candi Staton), Down Home Blues (ZZ Hill), One Bad Apple (the Osmonds), Old Time Rock & Roll (Bob Seger), and The Only Way Is Up (Otis Clay). Other artists who have recorded his songs include the Staple Singers, Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Blue Bland, Latimore, and Denise Lasalle ~ Jackson was born in 1945April 14, 2010 ~ Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk, commonly known as gothic metal singer, bassist, songwriter Peter Steele, passed away in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Influenced by the Beatles and Black Sabbath. Best known as frontman of gothic metal outfit Type-O Negative. Previously worked with metal band Fallout and thrash band Carnivore ~ Ratajczyk was born in 1962
April 14, 2007 ~ Jazz saxophonist Herman Riley passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Tough-toned tenor saxophonist became a fixture on the Los Angeles jazz scene. Riley recorded only one album as a leader, the jam album Herman released in 1986, but was an in-demand sideman for numerous artists for some four decades starting in the mid 1960s. Riley is perhaps known best for his work with Blue Mitchell in the 1970s, including the acclaimed The Last Tango Is Blues album. Other notable appearances include albums by Della Reese, Bobby Bryant, Roy Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, Gene Ammons, Cal Tjader, Billy Brooks (Windows Of The Mind), Frank Capp (The Live At The Century Plaza), Dr John, Earth Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, Stacy Rowles (Tell It Like It Is), Dave Grusin, Jimmy Smith, Sandy Graham (Sandy Graham), Lorez Alexandria (I'll Never Stop Loving You), Kenny Burrell, and Etta James ~ Riley was born in 1933
April 14, 1999 ~ Singer, actor, songwriter Anthony Newley passed away in Jensen Beach, Florida, USA ~ Co-authored Feelin' Good with songwriting partner Leslie Bricusse, made famous by Nina Simone and covered by many others. Also with Bricusse, Newley scored the soundtrack to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory which earned them an Oscar nomination. Newley also wrote or co-wrote songs such as Goldfinger recorded by John Barry for the James Bond film of the same name, and The Candy Man recorded by Sammy Davis Jr ~ Newley was born in 1931
April 14, 1999 ~ Alexander Lee Spence, commonly known as rock, psychedelic folk, psychedelic rock guitarist, bassist, drummer, singer Skip Spence, passed away in Santa Cruz, California, USA ~ Drummed on the Jefferson Airplane's 1966 Jefferson Airplane Takes Off debut album. Co-founding member, guitarist of highly acclaimed late 1960s rock outfit Moby Grape remaining with the band through 1969, present on the albums Moby Grape, Wow/Grape Jam and Moby Grape '69 ~ Spence was born in 1946
April 14, 1995 ~ Balladeer, banjoist, actor Burl Ives, full name Burl Cole Ivanhoe Ives, passed away in Anacortes, Washington, USA ~ Known for his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, popularizing folk songs. Would cross over into country music, releasing a string of singles, often covers, such as A little Bitty Tear and A Funny Way Of Laughin'. Also known as an actor, notably earning an Academy Award for his supporting rol as Rufus Hannassey in the 1958 The Big Country film ~ Ives was born in 1909April 14, 1992 ~ Samuel Blythe Price, commonly known as jazz, boogie-woogie, jump blues pianist, bandleader Sammy Price passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Backed singers such as Trixie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe early on in his career. Best known as a bandleader, accompaniest, staff musician for Decca Records. Has worked with Blue Lu Barker, Cousin Joe, Evelyn Knight, Lester Young, Jimmy Rushing, and Don Stovall ~ Price was born in 1908
April 14, 1988 ~ Norwood Poindexter, commonly known as jazz, bop saxophonist Pony Poindexter, passed away in Oakland, California, USA ~ One of the first bop saxophonists to double on alto and tenor. A little over half a dozen albums to his name as a leader or co-leader, noted specifically for Pony's Express issued in 1962 and Annie Ross & Pony Poindexter collaborative album released in 1966. As a sideman, Poindexter has appeared on albums by Wes Montgomery, Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon (Stella By Starlight), Jon Hendricks (A Good Git-Together), Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Bev Kelly, Art Farmer, and Lee Konitz. Poindexter published his memoir, The Pony Express (Memoirs Of A Jazz Musician), in 1985. Count Basie's recording Little Pony, written by Neal Hefti, is named for Poindexter ~ Poindexter was born in 1926
April 14, 1986 ~ Singer, keyboardist, flutist Peter Gabriel releases Sledgehammer, lead single off his So album ~ Although the song was one of the last recorded for the album, and was even considered to be held back to be included on Peter Gabriel's next album, the singer pushed for it to be released as the lead single, as it differed from the rest of the album. The song featured drummer Manu Katché as well as noted Stax/Volt session trumpeter Wayne Jackson. Sledgehammer became a worldwide hit, the biggest of his career, reaching top 10 in over a dozen countries including the No.1 spot on the American Billboard Hot 100, and earned Gabriel three Grammy Award nominations. The song is also particularly noted for its acclaimed stop-motion claymation video, which won a record nine awards at the MTV Video Music Awards. According to TIME magazine, the music video is the all-time most played music video on MTV
April 14, 1983 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Bob Dylan records Jokerman at Power Station, New York, New York ~ Penned by Bob Dylan. Produced by Dylan and Mark Knopfler who also plays guitar. Other musicians on the recording: Mick Taylor guitar, Alan Clark keyboard, Sly Dunbar drums, Robbie Shakespeare bass. Included on the Infidels album. Released as a single, the flip side graced with a live version of Isis. The single failed to chart yet would be well-received by critics, generally seen as one of his best post-1960s songsApril 14, 1980 ~ Country singer George Jones releases He Stopped Loving Her Today, lifted off his I Am What I Am album ~ Jones initially thought He Stopped Loving Her Today was a “morbid song that nobody would buy”, as it tells of a rather sad man who can't get over being abandoned by this woman, who can't move on, and is destined to love her until the day he dies. However, producer Billy Sherrill kept pushing the song on George Jones and when it finally would be released it became a massive comeback hit for the singer, who at the time suffered a decline in popularity and struggled with demons in his personal life including a worsening drug habit following his divorce from Tammy Wynette. He Stopped Loving Her Today became his first Billboard Country charttopper in over half a decade, earned the singer a Grammy Award, was named Song of the Year by both ACM and CMA, and kicked of a run of ten consecutive Billboard Country top 10 hits through the mid 1980s. Bobby Braddock, who co-wrote the song with Curly Putman, later remarked he first thought He Stopped Loving Her Today was just an okay song, only to be impressed with what Jones had done with it: “I went, ‘Wow, this is something really great.’ And I think in this instance, the artist and the production elevated the song to a place that it wouldn't have been otherwise. I really attribute so much of the success of this to George Jones and his producer. Because after I heard it, I realized then it was indeed something very special”
April 14, 1980 ~ Singer Kate Bush releases Breathing, lifted off her Never For Ever album ~ Recorded with international tensions rising, Breathing tells of a nuclear holocaust from a fetus' perspective, the fetus still inside the womb and aware the bomb has exploded and he is going to die because he cannot help breathing in the radioactive air through his mother. Kate Bush would later explain: “Breathing is about human beings killing themselves. (…) Maybe there's some kind of strange subconscious desire to damage ourselves. It would seem so if you looked back through history, wouldn't it?” Issued as the lead single of her fourth studio album, Breathing would reach No.16 in her native UK
April 14, 1979 ~ In its 13th week on the charts, What A Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100 ~ Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald had planned to collaborate for some time, and the day they met they wrote What A Fool Believes. As Loggins got out of his car to walk up to McDonald's house, he heard the latter play part of the unfinished melody. Loggins came up with the bridge right on the spot, and the pair finished the song within a day. McDonald was the first to record the song, and included it on his Nightwatch solo album. However, the best known version is that of the Doobie Brothers with McDonald on piano and lead vocal, issued some months later. Producer Ted Templeman initially wasn't too pleased with the song and when he suggested they should leave it off the album altogether, label executives asked him whether he was crazy. Issued as the lead single off Minute By Minute, What A Fool Believes would become the second and final Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit for the Doobie Brothers, preceded by Black Water back in 1975. What A Fool Believes would also earn the band Grammy Awards for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year
April 14, 1975 ~ Country singer Tanya Tucker releases Lizzie & The Rainman, lead single off her eponymous Tanya Tucker album ~ Written by Larry Henley and Kenny O'Dell, the song tells of a rainmaker visiting a drought-stricken Texas town where he woos a local woman named Lizzie and was inspired by the movie Rainmaker in which the heroine is named Lizzie Currie. The song would be recorded by its co-writer O'Dell, as an album cut by Bobby Goldsboro, and by British pop outfit the Hollies, prior to Tanya Tucker's 1975 hit version which spent fifteen weeks on the Billboard Country charts including one week at the top spot. Despite later also aiming at the pop market, Lizzie & The Rainman would remain her sole top 40 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.37. It was her first release after her move from Columbia Records to MCA Records, and later Tucker recalled: “The recording was so impersonal. I was used to recording live with all the musicians in the studio, and I just sang to the tracks on this one”
April 14, 1974 ~ Jazz, double bassist bassist Al Morgan, full name Albert Morgan, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Considered one of the finest bassist of the 1930s, able to play jazz, blues, and R&B. Started in music in the 1920s, playing the riverboats with Fate Marable and Sidney Desvigne before moving on to work with David Jones, Cecil Scott, and the Astoria Hot Eight. Perhaps best known for his stint with Cab Calloway in the mid 1930s, including on Minnie The Moocher, and for his association with Fats Waller. Other notable credits include Louis Armstrong, Les Hite, Zutty Singleton, Louis Jordan, Sabby Lewis, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Jay McShann, Red Allen, and T-Bone Walker. From the 1950s through the 1970s, Morgan formed a duo with Buddy Banks ~ Morgan was born in 1908
April 14, 1974 ~ Shawntae Harris, copmmonly known as rapper, actress Da Brat born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Emerged in the early 1990s as one of hip-hop's toughest females. Debuted with the million-seller Funkdafied album in 1994, making her the first female solo act to receive Platinum certification. Known for songs such as Funkdafied, I Think They Like Me and Loverboy. Has collaborated with Tionne T-Boz Watkins, Tyrese, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, Total, Mariah Carey, Lil' Kim, Dru Hill, Jagged Edge, and Omarion
April 14, 1974 ~ Quentin Dupieux, commonly known as DJ, songwriter, filmmaker Mr Oizo, born in Paris, France ~ Has directed and written over a dozen films starting in the early 2000s. As a musician best known for his 1999 single Flat Beat. The song would be a used in a series of Levi's commercials and become a hit across Europe. It would be included on his full-length Analog Worms Attack debut album released later the same year. Dupieux has recorded about half a dozen albums since
April 14, 1973 ~ Opera, classical crossover tenor singer David Miller born in San Diego, California, USA ~ Best known as member of crossover quartet Il Divo, active since 2004 with record sales exceeding 30 million the group is credited with pioneering the genre of “popera” or operatic pop. The group has collaborated with a wide array of artists including Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Engelbert Humperdinck, Leona Lewis, Nicole Scherzinger, and Toni Braxton
April 14, 1972 ~ R&B singer, songwriter Andrea Martin, full name Andrea Monica Martin, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Best remembered for penning a number of quintessential R&B hits since the 1990s, often with longtime collaborator Ivan Matias, such as I Love Me Some Him (Toni Braxton), Before You Walk Out Of My Life (Monica), Wish I Didn't Miss You (Angie Stone), Don't Let Go (Love) (En Vogue), You're The One (SWV), and Better In Time (Leona Lewis). Others who recorded songs written or co-written by Martin include Paloma Faith, Nelly, RBD, and Jennifer Hudson. Has also recorded as a singer herself though to significantly lesser chart succes. Her 1999 Share The Love single would be a club hit, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Dance charts ~ Martin passed away in 2021
April 14, 1972 ~ British rockers the Rolling Stones release Tumbling Dice, lead single off their Exile On Main St double album ~ The song originated from an earlier incomplete and unreleased draft, called Good Time Women, recorded for the band's previous album Sticky Fingers. Singer Mick Jagger kept working on the song though, and the end result would be praised by musical scholars and critics, noted specifically for its unusual boogie-woogie-influenced tempo and groove. According to audio engineer Andy Johns recording the song was “like pulling teeth” because of the time it took to get a satisfactory take. The single reached top 10 in numerous countries, including the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands