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.
August 13, 1971 ~ Curtis Montgomery, commonly known as saxophonist King Curtis, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ In-demand collaborator, session musician. Helped shape rock & roll and R&B. As a solo artist best known for the hits Soul Twist and Memphis Soul Stew. Has worked with Buddy Holly, the Coasters (Yakety Yak), Nat Adderley, Aretha Franklin (RESPECT), Ruth Brown, Lionel Hampton, Donny Hathaway, Waylon Jennings, Lavern Baker, and John Lennon ~ Curtis was born in 1934
August 13, 1969 ~ Canadian rock outfit the Guess Who record American Woman at the RCA Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Illinois ~ The song originated from an on-stage jam session. As Randy Bachman was playing notes while tuning his guitar after replacing a broken string, he realized he was playing a new riff. The other band members returned to the stage to join in with Burton Cummings improvising the lyrics, which they would later revise. The single, released in 1970, would reach No.1 on the American Billboard Hot 100, a first for any Canadian rock band. The song's lyrics have been matter of debate, often interpreted as an attack on US politics. Cummings would later explain: “What was on my mind was that girls in the States seemed to get older quicker than our girls and that made them, well, dangerous.. When I said ‘American woman, stay away from me, ’ I really meant ‘Canadian woman, I prefer you.’ It was all a happy accident.”August 13, 1968 ~ Soul singer Joe Hinton, full name Joseph Hinton, passed away in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Started as a gospel singer in the Blair Gospel Singers. As a solo artist turned to R&B and known for early 1960s singles such as You Know It Ain't Right, Better To Give Than Receive and his biggest hit his R&B rendition of the Willie Nelson-penned Funny How Time Slips Away ~ Hinton was born in 1929
August 13, 1965 ~ Keyboardist John Goetchius born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Best known for his association with seminal ska-core outfit the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, with whom he recorded half a dozen albums including the acclaimed Question The Answers album released in 1994. Briefly a member of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, filling in for Dustin Lanker during his hiatus from the band and present on the band's 2000 Soul Caddy album. Goetchius has also worked with the Dogmatics, Matweeds, Atomic Cocktail, and Pat JohnsonAugust 13, 1962 ~ Athanasios Kalliris, commonly known as singer Thanos Kalliris, born in Athens, Greece ~ Son of guitarist Titos Kalliris. Member of 1980s pop outfit Bang, internationally best known for representing Greece in the 1987 Eurovision Songfestival where they reached 10th place with the song Stop. Ventured out on his own in the early 1990s, scoring hits with songs such as Giortazo, Poios and Agapi Kalokairini
August 13, 1959 ~ Singer Brenda Lee records Sweet Nothin's ~ Written by Ronnie Self. Produced by Owen Bradley. Released as a single the next month, paired with Weep No More My Baby on the flip side, it would reach No.4 Billboard Hot 100. Over time, it has become one of Brenda Lee's best remembered popular to this dayAugust 13, 1958 ~ Punk pop, new wave, pop singer, keyboardist, percussionist, songwriter Feargal Sharkey born in Derry, Northern Ireland ~ As a solo artist best known for his 1985 A Good Heart hit single. Member of the Undertones, known for songs such as Jimmy Jimmy, My Perfect Cousin and Wednesday Week. Guest vocalist on the Assembly's only single, Never Never released in 1983
August 13, 1957 ~ Singer Frank Sinatra records All The Way at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California ~ Written by Jimmy van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. Introduced in the film Joker Is Wild, for which it received an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Frank Sinatra also sang Chicago That Toddlin' Town in the movie which wound up as the single's flip side. All The Way has since become a standard, covered by numerous artists including Brenda Lee, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, Neil Sedaka, James Brown & the Dee Felice Trio, Lou Rawls, Trisha Yearwood, and Bob Dylan
August 13, 1956 ~ Singer Elvis Presley records Hound Dog in RCA/Victor Studios, New York, USA ~ Backed by his regular band of Scotty Moore on lead guitar, Bill Black on bass, DJ Fontana on drums, and the Jordanaires on backing vocals, Elvis Presley records Hound Dog, Don't Be Cruel and Any Way You Want Me. The single Hound Dog b/w Don't Be Cruel would be released later the same month and became Elvis' best-selling single of the year, selling over four million copies
August 13, 1955 ~ Jazz pianist, composer, educator Mulgrew Miller born in Greenwood, Mississippi, USA ~ Influenced by Ramsey Lewis, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner. Accompanied Betty Carter. Played with Woody Shaw, Art Blakey, Tony Williams. Debuted as a leader in 1985 with the Landmark release The Keys To The City, backed by bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Marvin Smith. Continued to record up to a year before his death, employing sidemen such as bassists Charnett Moffett, Reggie Workman, Peter Washington, Christian McBride, Derrick Hodge, saxophonists Kenny Garrett, Joe Henderson, Oliver Lake, Steve Wilson, percussionists Terri Lyne Carrington, Kenny Washington, and Lewis Nash ~ Miller passed away in 2013August 13, 1952 ~ R&B singer Big Mama Thornton records Hound Dog at Radio Recorders Annex, Los Angeles, California ~ Twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Produced by Johnny Otis. It would become Big Mama Thornton's sole hit, topping the Billboard R&B charts and selling 500,000 copies. The song would become best known as covered by Elvis Presley in 1956, making his rendition one of the all-time best selling singles with over an estimated 10 million copies sold globally
August 13, 1952 ~ Singer, guitarist, banjoist, pianist Dave Carter, full name David Robert Carter, born in Oxnard, California, USA ~ Best known for his association with Tracy Grammer, recording three critically albums as a duo from the late 1990s until his death in 2002. The duo were hailed as “the new voice of folk music” and were admired by peers. A revered songwriter, Carter had his songs recorded by Joan Baez (The Mountain), Darryl Purpose, Chris Smither (Crocodile Man), Rani Arbo, Ellis Paul, Full Frontal Folk, Lucy Kaplanski (Cowboy Singer), Diane Zeigler, Bryan Bowers, the Kennedys, Pat Wictor, Sense Of Wonder, Ronny Cox, Richard Shindell, Julia Ecklar, and Judy Collins ~ Carter passed away in 2002
August 13, 1951 ~ Alberto de Castro Guedes, commonly known as rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Beto Guedes, born in Minas Gerais, Brazil ~ Co-founding member of Clube da Esquina. Member of 14 Bis. Debuted as a solo artist in 1977 with the album A Pagina Do Relampago Eletrico. Best known for Amor De Indio of his 1978 sophomore album of the same name
August 13, 1951 ~ Hubert Dwane Hester, commonly known as bluegrass, country fiddler Hoot Hester, born near Louisville, Kentucky, USA ~ Member of the Bluegrass Alliance. Co-founding member of Western swing outfit the Time Jumpers. Longtime member of the Grand Ole Opry staff band. In-demand backing musician for acts such as Alabama, Hank Williams Jr, Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, Vern Gosdin, and Earl Scruggs. Outside country circles, Hester has also worked with Ray Charles and with the Manhattan Transfer ~ Hester passed away in 2016August 13, 1951 ~ Rock, progressive rock, metal drummer Ric Parnell, full name Richard J Parnell, born in London, UK ~ Perhaps best known for portraying the role of drummer Mick Shrimpton in the rock parody This Is Spinal Tap. Son of jazz drummer Jack Parnell. Has worked with acts such as Horse, Atomic Rooster, the Tritons, Nova, Toni Basil, Jon Anderson, the Deviants, and Zoo Drive ~ Parnell passed away in 2022
August 13, 1948 ~ Operatic soprano Kathleen Battle, full name Kathleen Deanna Battle, born in Portsmouth, Ohio, USA ~ Initially gained attention as a concert singer in the early 1970s with major orchestras, going on to become one of the most acclaimed singers in contemporary opera. Battle made her professional opera debut in 1975 portraying the role of Rosina in The Barber Of Seville with the Michigan Opera Theatre, followed by engagements with the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera through the end of the decade. Battle has also performed with the Zurich Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, the English National Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. As a recording artist, she has earned Grammy Awards for the albums Kathleen Battle Sings Mozart, Salzburg Recital, and Ariadne Auf Naxos. To audiences not primarily focused on opera and classical music, she is perhaps best known for various projects in the 2000s, interpreting the works of Vangelis, Stevie Wonder, and George GershwinAugust 13, 1940 ~ Jazz drummer Allen Blairman born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ To rock audiences perhaps best known as a member of 1970s jazz-rock group Embryo. Has also worked with Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Archie Shepp, Mal Waldron, Albert Ayler, and Karl Berger ~ Blairman passed away in 2022
August 13, 1940 ~ Folk, country, rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Jim Sullivan, full name James Anthony Sullivan, born ~ Appeared as an extra in the cult film Easy Rider. Drawing critical comparison to Richie Havens, Gram Parsons, and Nick Drake, the enigmatic Sullivan has recorded two albums, 1969's UFO and 1972's eponymous Jim Sullivan, before disappearing in Mexico, never to be seen again. Over time, Sullivan has attracted a cult following, because of the rarity and obscurity of his albums as well as the mystery of his disappearance, which has remained a source for speculation since with claims of murder, suicide, and even alien abduction ~ Sullivan disappeared in 1975
August 13, 1938 ~ David Cortez Clowney, commonly known as organist, pianist, singer Dave Baby Cortez, born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Best known for his instrumental 1959 Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit The Happy Organ, the first pop, rock hit to feature the organ as a lead instrument. As a singer, Cortez was previously a member of several 1950s doo-wop outfits, perhaps most notably the Pearls and the Valentines ~ Clowney passed away in 2022August 13, 1932 ~ Howard Richard Allen, commonly known as drummer Richard Pistol Allen, born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Influenced by Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Benny Benjamin. Member of Motown house band the Funk Brothers. Present on recordings by Martha & the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and the Four Tops ~ Allen passed away in 2002
August 13, 1930 ~ Composer, conductor John Cacavas, full name John Harry Cacavas, born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, USA ~ Best known for his work for TV and film including on TV series such as Hawaii Five-O, The Bionic Woman and Kojak, as well as television films such as Superdome, The Time Machine and The Executioner's Song ~ Cacavas passed away in 2014
August 13, 1927 ~ Guitarist Joe Puma born in New York, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Has worked with Joe Roland, Cy Coleman, Louie Bellson, Artie Shaw, Eddie Bert, Herbie Mann, Mat Mathews, Chris Connor, Paul Quinichette, Lee Konitz, Dick Hyman, Morgana King, Bobby Hackett, Gary Burton, the New York Jazz Ensemble, Carmen McRae, and Chuck Wayne ~ Puma passed away in 2000
August 13, 1925 ~ Ernest Harold Bailey, commonly known as trumpeter Benny Bailey, born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA ~ Influential on later musicians such as Albert Ayler, Bob Cunningham, Bobby Few, Bill Hardman, and Frank Wright. Active since the early 1940s. Felt particularly at home in big band settings though he would occasionally play in smaller settings. Stuck around in Europe after a tour with Lionel Hampton. Also worked with Bull Moose Jackson, Scatman Crothers, the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Lionel Hampton, Kenny Clarke, Quincy Jones, Freddie Redd, Eddie Harris, Count Basie, Eric Dolphy, Stan Getz, Benny Golson, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Rouse, Sahib Shihab, and Jimmy Witherspoon ~ Bailey passed away in 2005August 13, 1922 ~ Ragtime composer Tom Turpin, full name Thomas Million John Turpin, passed away in St Louis, Missouri, USA ~ Early ragtime composer, dubbed “the Father of St Louis Ragtime” and known for songs such as Bowery Buck, Ragtime Nightmare, St Louis Rag, Buffalo Rag, and perhaps his best known Harlem Rag. The latter is reportedly the first published rag by an African-American ~ Turpin was born in 1871
August 13, 1921 ~ Mary Ann McDevitt, commonly known as jazz, dance band, pop singer Mary Lee, born in Glasgow, UK ~ Performed locally from a young age, including doing impressions of popular stars of the day such as Gracie Fields and Maurice Chevalier. At age 13, McDevitt lied about her age and entered into a competition for a singing spot with dance bandleader Roy Fox, one of the most popular ensembles of the 1930s. She was asked to join the band, but as the minimum age was 14 her father responded she was not available until her next birthday. After turning 14, McDevitt joined the band where she would become known as Little Mary Lee. Notable recordings include Mickey's Son And Daughter, Truckin', If I Had Rhythm In My Nursery Rhyme, Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, and This Year's Kisses. Due to her young age, the rest of the band were told not to swear in front of her or tell “unsavoury” stories. McDevitt would go on to work with a wide array of musical acts, notably with Bert Ambrose during World War II, and later work mostly in variety shows ~ McDevitt passed away in 2022