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, 1919 ~ Robert Henry Warren, commonly known as blues singer, guitarist Baby Boy Warren, born in Lake Providence, Louisiana, USA ~ Leading figure on the 1950s Detroit blues scene. Active since the 1930s, first recording in the late 1940s. Perhaps best known for his 1954 single Stop Breakin' Down featuring pianist Boogie Woogie Red and guitarist Calvin Frazier ~ Warren passed away in 1977
August 13, 1919 ~ Jazz pianist George Shearing, full name George Albert Shearing, born in Battersea, UK ~ Praised for his inventive, melodic and romantic solos, Shearing has enjoyed popularity both in his native UK and abroad from the 1950s through the 1990s. Shearing is perhaps most remembered for composing Lullaby Of Birdland, originally commissioned by Morris Levy to be used as a theme song to be played regularly at shows in his renowned New York jazz club the Birdland Jazz Club. It has since become a standard recorded by over 400 artists, including Erroll Garner, Coleman Hawkins, Astor Piazzolla, Chet Atkins, and Sonny Stitt. Shearing has commented he wrote the jazz standard in a mere ten minutes. As a leader, Shearing has recorded prolifically since the mid 1940s with over an estimated 100 albums to his name including collaborations with Red Norvo, Billy Eckstine, Peggy Lee, Stéphane Grappelli, Carmen McRae, and Mel Tormé ~ Shearing passed away in 2011August 13, 1913 ~ Anna Mae Darden, commonly known as jazz singer, bandleader Anna Mae Winburn, born in Port Royal, Tennessee, USA ~ Best known as bandleader of the all-female the International Sweethearts Of Rhythm, one of the few racially integrated dance-bands of the swing era. Previously Winburn had performed under the monniker Anita Door as a solo act, and played guitar for a number of territory bands including with Red Perkins and Lloyd Hunter, and had led the Oklahoma based the Kansas City Blue Devils, later renamed the Cotton Club Boys, which at some point included renowned guitarist Charlie Christian. Winburn took the reigns of the International Sweethearts Of Rhythm in 1941 and led the ensemble until her departure in 1948. Looking back on first being introduced to the all-female ensemble, Winburn has been quoted as saying: “What a bunch of cute little girls, but I don't know whether I could get along with that many women or not.” The band would enjoy popularity especially during World War II and would regularly compete in “battles of the sexes” with prominent male bands of the day, including ensembles led by Fletcher Henderson, Erskine Hawkins, and Jimmy Dorsey. In 1949, shortly after Winburn semi-retired from music after getting married, the band broke up although in later years Winburn would reach various incarnations using the same bandmoniker and variations, albeit it to lesser success ~ Darden passed away in 1999
August 13, 1912 ~ Jazz trombonist Big Chief Russell Moore born in Gila Crossing, Arizona, USA ~ Moore is perhaps best remembered for his tenure with Louis Armstrong from 1944 until the orchestra broke up in 1947. Studied trumpet, piano, drums, and horn before settling on the trombone. Relocated to Los Angeles in the early 1930s, where he worked with Lionel Hampton and Eddie Barefield. After relocating again to New Orleans, Moore would become a fixture on the Louisiana scene playing with the likes of Oscar Phillip Celestin, Kid Rena, AJ Piron, Paul Barbarin, Ernie Fields, Harlan Leonard, and Noble Sissle. Following his tenure with Armstrong, Moore toured with Sidney Bechet, Ruby Braff, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Condon, Mezz Mezzrow, Frank Sinatra, and Buck Clayton. Moore continued to work into the early 1980s, including performances at the inaugurations of presidents John F Kennedy, Lyndon B Johnson, and Richard Nixon, and leading his own band in the 1970s. Moore has recorded two albums as a leader, Russell Big Chief Moore's Powwow Jazz Band released in 1973 and its successor Russell Big Chief Moore Vol.2 two years later. Proud of his Native American heritage, Moore often participated in events for the Native American community and is well known for his own composition Chant For Wounded Knee ~ Moore passed away in 1983