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 16, 2026 ~ Country singer, songwriter Don Schlitz, full name Donald Alan Schlitz Jr, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Best known for penning The Gambler. Schlitz shopped the song around Nashville for two years, but few took notice. Bobby Bare would be the first to record it, followed by Charlie Tango, Hugh Moffatt, Johnny Cash, and Schlitz himself. However, when Kenny Rogers picked up the song, it rose to the top of the Billboard Country charts, crossed over to the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 where it reached No.16, at the time a rare occurence for a country song, and earned Rogers a Grammy Award. For Rogers, it became a signature song, one of his best known, while for Schlitz The Gambler proved to be his breakout hit. Schlitz has since gone on to write or co-write numerous country hits, some two dozen of which reached the top of the Billboard Country charts. Included among his best known are several hits for Randy Travis including On The Other Hand, Forever And Ever Amen and Point Of Light, the latter of which written on commission by then-President George HW Bush as the theme song for his Points of Light program, Reba McEntire's One Promise Too Late, and Keith Whitley's signature song When You Say Nothing At All, the latter later also a hit for Alison Krauss, Frank Black, and the first solo hit for Boyzone singer Ronan Keating used for the soundtrack of the romantic comedy Notting Hill. Others who have recorded songs written or co-written by Schlitz include the Kendalls, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alabama (40 Hour Week (Workin' For A Livin')), Holly Dunn, Lynn Anderson, the Judds (Rockin' With The Rhythm Of The Rain), the Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, Janie Fricke, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Van Shelton, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks (Learning To Live Again), Mary Chapin Carpenter (He Thinks He'll Keep Her), the Forester Sisters, George Strait, Lee Ann Womack (Why They Call It Falling), and Sara Evans. Schlitz, acknowledged as one of country music's finest story-tellers of his generation, is inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame ~ Schlitz was born in 1952
April 16, 2023 ~ Frederick Russell Jones, commonly known as hard bop, cool jazz, post-bop pianist Ahmad Jamal, passed away in Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA ~ Best known for leading a trio with guitarist Ray Crawford and bassist Israel Crosby for most of the 1950s and early 1960s. Over 50 albums to his name as leader or co-leader over a career spanning six decades, specifically acclaimed for Chamber Music Of The New Jazz, At The Pershing (But Not For Me), and Listen To The Ahmad Jamal Quintet. Converted to islam while in his twenties, taking the name Jamal, and once sued jazz critic Leonard Feather for using his birthname of Jones ~ Jones was born in 1930
April 16, 2022 ~ Folk, rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Bill Bourne, full name William Sigurd Bourne, passed away ~ Member of the Tannahill Weavers. Member of roots trio Tri-Continental alongside Lester Quitzau and Madagascar Slim. As a solo artist perhaps best known for his 2002 Voodoo King album. Has also collaborated with Alan Macleod, Shannon Johnson, Eivør, Jasmine Ohlhauser, and Tippy Agogo ~ Bourne was born in 1954
April 16, 2021 ~ Songwriter Barry Mason, full name Johnn Barry Mason, passed away ~ Frequent songwriting collaborator of Les Reed. Artists who have recorded songs written or co-written by Mason include Dalida, Jefferson (Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)), PJ Proby, David Essex, the Drifters, Rod Stewart, Petula Clark, Perry Como, Engelbert Humperdinck (The Last Waltz), the Fortunes (Here It Comes Again), Charles Aznavour, Tony Christie, Connie Francis, Tom Jones (Delilah), and Barbra Streisand ~ Mason was born in 1935
April 16, 2021 ~ Keith Lewis, commonly known as rock, blues harpist, singer Lew Lewis, passed away ~ Influenced by Little Walter. Member of Eddie & the Hot Rods, present on the band's early work including Writing On The Wall and Wooly Bully. Member of the Southside Jug Band. Has recorded as a solo artist, best known for his 1979 Save The Wall album, merging pub rock and blues-rock. Has guested on a number of pivotal albums of the era, including the Stranglers' Black And White, the Clash's Sandinista and Kirsty MacColl's Desperate Character. Served seven years for armed robbery after holding up a postal office in 1987 with a fake pistol ~ Lewis was born ca.1955April 16, 2019 ~ Songwriter, producer Kent Harris, full name Kent Levaughn Harris, passed away in California, USA ~ Best known as writer of novelty songs, most notably Shoppin' For Clothes recorded by the Coasters, and Cops & Robbers by Bo Diddley. Others who recorded songs produced or written by Harris include the Duals, Adolph Jacobs, Mighty Hannibal, the Sevilles, Prentice Moreland, Dorothy Berry, Jimmy Norman, and Ty Karim ~ Harris was born in 1930
April 16, 2015 ~ Jonathan Kemp, commonly known as R&B, new jack swing singer Johnny Kemp, passed away in Montego Bay, Jamaica ~ As a singer best known for his 1988 smash hit Just Got Paid. Also worked as a session musician and songwriter, notably for BB&Q Band writing several tracks of their All Night Long album, and for Change co-writing Take You To Heaven from their Sharing Your Love album ~ Kemp was born in 1959April 16, 2008 ~ Jazz pianist John Young, full name John Merritt Young, passed away in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Recorded a number of 1950s, 1960s albums as a leader backed by drummer Eldridge Freeman and bassist Leroy Jackson. Regular sideman of saxophonist Eddie Johnson. Appears on the 1959 T-Bone Walker album T-Bone Blues. Has also worked with Dexter Gordon, Big Joe Turner, Von Freeman, Lorez Alexandria, Gene Ammons, Bobby Bryant, George Freeman, Al Grey, and Sonny Stitt ~ Young was born in 1922
April 16, 2006 ~ Cornelis Jan Kalis, commonly known as rock, pop drummer Cees Kalis, passed away in Rhoon, the Netherlands ~ Worked with the Running Tides, future Gruppo Sportivo guitarist Hans Vandenburg and with the Soul before co-founding Earth & Fire. Would leave the band after recording the Dutch top 10 hit Ruby Is The One in 1970 to complete his college education, succeeded by Ton van der Kleij. Kalis would eventually become a school teacher and only play occasionally as a hobby ~ Kalis was born in 1949
April 16, 2001 ~ Conductor, pianist Peter Maag, full name Ernst Peter Johannes Maag, passed away in Verona, Italy ~ Principal conductor with the Dusseldorf Opera from 1952 through 1955. Would go on to work with orchestras such as the Bonn City Theater, the Royal Opera House, the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Volksoper, the Metropolitan Opera, the RAI Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande ~ Maag was born in 1919
April 16, 1996 ~ R&B, rock & roll, blues tenor saxophonist, singer Raymond Hill, full name Raymond Earl Hill, passed away in Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA ~ Closely associated with Ike Turner, as a member of Turner's R&B unit the Kings Of Rhythm present on the classic Rocket '88. In-demand session musician, appearing on recordings by Howlin' Wolf, Little Junior Parker (Mystery Train), Jessie Hill, and Clayton Love ~ Hill was born in 1933April 16, 1992 ~ Andrés Rábago, commonly known as Latin, traditional pop, easy listening singer, actor Andy Russell, passed away in Sun City, Arizona, USA ~ Popular 1940s balladeer known for songs such as Bésame Mucho, Amor and What A Diff'rence A Day Makes ~ Rábago was born in 1919
April 16, 1991 ~ Donald Pullen, commonly known as alternative hip-hop rapper, singer, songwriter Rockie Fresh, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Best known for his associations with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and Good Charlotte-twins Joel Madden and Benji Madden. Released his full-length Destination solo debut album in 2019. Has collaborated with Rick Ross, Pharrell Williams, Omarion, the Wu-Tang Clan's and RZA
April 16, 1991 ~ Singer Whitney Houston releases Miracle, lifted off her I'm Your Baby Tonight album ~ Written and produced by Kenneth Babyface Edmonds and LA Reid, who had also signed on for three other tracks on the I'm Your Baby Tonight parent album including the Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit title track. Miracle was generally warmly received by critics, who praised Whitney Houston's warm and restrained vocal performance in this return to ballad territory. At the time of its release, the single would reach No.9 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 charts, making it her thirteenth top 10 hit on the tally, and No.2 Billboard R&B. Miracle was widely believed to be about a girl who had an abortion only to later regret it, yet Houston has repeatedly denied this was the topic of the song. In an interview with Jet Magazine only a few months after the single's release, Houston commented: “I think about a lot of things, things God put here for us to have, things that we need and we take for granted. I think all of these things are miracles and I think we should try to take better care of them”April 16, 1986 ~ Indie rock, synth-pop singer, guitarist Jenn Wasner, full name Jennifer Lynn Wasner, born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA ~ Founded Wye Oak with Andy Stack, perhaps best known for their 2011 song 18 Miles Out featured in the TV series The Walking Dead. Has also worked with Dungeoness, Flock Of Dimes, the Dirty Projectors, Sylvan Esso, and with Bon Iver
April 16, 1986 ~ Singer, actress Pia Colombo, full name Eliane Marie Amélie Pia Colombo, passed away in Créteil, France ~ Once dubbed the successor to Edith Piaf by critics, yet Colombo never became a household name. As a singer especially acclaimed for the album Pia Chante Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill released in 1969. Politically committed, besides Brecht and Weill, she was especially known as a gifted interpreter of songs written by Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Hanns Eisler, Leo Ferré, and her husband Maurice Fanon. Colombo has also ventured into acting, both on stage and the big screen ~ Colombo was born in 1934
April 16, 1979 ~ Indie rock, indie folk, lo-fi guitarist, bassist, keyboardist Rob Laakso born ~ Closely associated with Kurt Vile, appearing on over half a dozen of Vile's albums since the late 2000s including the acclaimed Wakin' On A Pretty Daze album released in 2013. Laakso has also worked with the Wicked Farleys, the Swirlies, Mice Parade, and Diamond Nights ~ Laakso passed away in 2023
April 16, 1979 ~ Guitarist, singer, songwriter Sean Costello born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Debuted at age 16 with the album Call The Cops, released in 1996. First gained significant exposure backing Susan Tedeschi both on record, 1998's Just Won't Burn, and on tour. Worked with BB King, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, Nappy Brown (including on the 2007 album Long Time Coming), Bobby Little, Mikael Santana, Mudcat, Jody Williams, Olabelle, Tinsley Ellis, the Cazanovas, Joe McGuinness, the Kraft Quartet, Maddy Moneypenny, and Jenni Muldaur ~ Costello passed away in 2008April 16, 1978 ~ Christian singer, songwriter André Valadão, full name ndré Machado Valadão, born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil ~ Member of Diante Do Trono, led by his sister singer Ana Paula Valadão. Has also recorded a dozen albums as a solo artist, starting with Mais Que Abundante released in 2004
April 16, 1976 ~ Alternative rock guitarist, bassist, singer Robert Dahlqvist born in Uddevalla, Sweden ~ Best known as a member of the Hellacopters, joining as a permanent member in 1999 and remaining with the band close to a decade. Also worked with the Thunder Express, Dundertåget, Wilmer X, Stefan Sundström, the Diamond Dogs, Solution, Wayne Kramer, and Necronaut ~ Dahlqvist passed away in 2017
April 16, 1975 ~ Matthew Devine, commonly known as alternative rock singer, guitarist, keyboardist Mat Devine, born in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA ~ Founded and fronted alternative rock band Kill Hannah, merging post-punk, emo and new wave. Named after Devine's ex-girlfriend the band has recorded about half a dozen albums starting in the 1990s and is best known for the albums For Never And Ever and Until There's Nothing Left Of Us. Devine also starred as comic book addict Grim Hunter in a 2010 Broadway production of the musical Spider-man (Turn Off The Dark), with music and lyrics written by U2's Bono and the Edge
April 16, 1973 ~ Aliaune Thiam, commonly known as rapper, producer, songwriter Akon born in St Louis, Missouri, USA ~ Instantly rose to prominence with his 2004 debut single Locked Up off of his Troubles debut album. His sophomore album Konvicted would spawn four top 10 hits. Founded two labels, Konvict and KonLive Distribution which would sign artists such as Lady Gaga, T-Pain, Kardinal Offishal and Jeffree Star early in their career. As a producer Akon worked with his own label's artists as well as artists such as Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Lionel Richie, Leona Lewis, Sean Paul, and Whitney Houston
April 16, 1971 ~ British rockers the Rolling Stones release Brown Sugar, lead single off their Sticky Fingers album ~ The single would reach the top of the charts in the USA, Canada, and the Netherlands. Credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, though primarily written by the former. According to Marsha Hunt, the mother of Jagger's first child, he wrote the song with her mind. Claudette Lennear, formerly of the Ikettes, however, disputes this claim, saying the song is about her, as she was dating Jagger at the time the song was written. The band's bassist Bill Wyman later acknowledged that the song was partially inspired by Lennear. Rock and roll singer Little Richard would notably cover the song for his The King Of Rock & Roll album, also released in 1971
April 16, 1967 ~ Raymond Bingham, commonly known as drum and bass DJ Grooverider, born in Streatham, UK ~ Along with frequent collaborator Fabio considered originators of the British drum and bass scene. Active since the mid-1980s, hosting radio shows and playing club sets notably Mendozas, and Rage weekly at London's Heaven from the late 1980s through the mid 1990s. Co-founded Prototype record label. Released several singles and mixtapes, occasionally using the moniker Codename John, starting in the early 1990s. Released a sole full-length album, Mysteries Of Funk, in 1998April 16, 1967 ~ Jazz pianist Junko Onishi born in Kyoto, Japan ~ Leader and sidewoman. Cites Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman as main influences. Worked with Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, Kenny Garrett, the Mingus Dynasty, Jackie McLean, Holly Cole, Billy Higgins, Reginald Veal, Herlin Riley, Motohiko Hino, Shigeharu Mukai, Joe Lovano, and Phil Woods
April 16, 1967 ~ Michael Jerome Moore, commonly known as alternative rock drummer Michael Jerome, born in Wichita, Kansas, USA ~ Active since the early 1990s, playing in bands such as the Toadies, Course Of Empire, and the Pleasure Club. Closely associated with John Cale, recording four albums with Cale starting with BlackAcetate released in 2005. Has also worked with Pop Poppins, Charlie Musselwhite, Richard Thompson, Taj Mahal, Tom Freund, Sara Lov, Robin Danar, Ana Egge, Brandi Shearer, kd Lang, and Shelby Lynne. In 2009, Jerome joined Better Than Ezra, first appearing on the band's Paper Empire album, replacing original and longtime drummer Travis McNabb