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 14, 2023 ~ Operatic soprano Jessica Cash passed away in Derbyshire, UK ~ Has performed with the Kent Opera, the Welsh National Opera, and the Glyndebourne Festival, particularly noted for her 1968 performance in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte ~ Cash was born ca.1939
August 14, 2022 ~ Richard Enos Thompson, commonly known as jazz pianist, clarinetist Butch Thompson, passed away in St Paul, Minnesota, USA ~ Best known for his ragtime and stride piano performances. Member of the Hall Brothers New Orleans Jazz Band for two decades starting in 1962. Would gain considerable popularity in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s due to extentsive touring both as a band member and solo artist ~ Thompson was born in 1943
August 14, 2022 ~ Henryk Pick, commonly known as pop singer, songwriter, TV personality Svika Pick, passed away in Rama Ha'sharon, Israel ~ One of Israel's premier pop singers during the 1970s. Internationally best known for co-writing Diva with lyricist Yoav Ginai, Israel's 1998 Eurovision Songfestival winner as performed by Dana International ~ Pick was born in 1949
August 14, 2021 ~ Composer Hugh Wood passed away ~ Cites Johann Sebastian Bach as a major influence. Other influences include Arnold Schoenberg and Ludwig van Beethoven. First gained attention with the orchestral work Scenes From Comus, which premiered in 1965. Would go on to produce a vast repertoire of acclaimed work for chamber music, orchestras, violin, cello, string quartets, and cantatas ~ Wood was born in 1932
August 14, 2018 ~ Randall Desmond Archibald, commonly known as hardcore punk, heavy metal bassist, singer Randy Rampage, passed away in Vancouver, Canada ~ Along with Joe Keithley and Chuck Biscuits co-founded hardcore band DOA, considered pioneers of hardcore punk. Lead singer of thrash metal band Annihilator during the late 1980s, present on the band's Alice In Hell debut album, and again during the late 1990s ~ Archibald was born in 1960
August 14, 2013 ~ Keyboardist, rhythm guitarist Allen Lanier, full name Allen Glover Lanier, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Original member of the Blue Öyster Cult. Wrote or co-wrote several of the band's best known songs including True Confessions, Tenderloin, Searching For Celine, In Thee, and Lonely Teardrops. Also worked with John Cale, Jim Carroll, the Dictators, the Clash, and with Patti Smith ~ Lanier was born in 1946
August 14, 2010 ~ Anna Marie Wooldridge, commonly known as singer, songwriter, actress, civil rights advocate Abbey Lincoln, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Influenced by Billie Holiday. Married to drummer Max Roach from 1962 tot 1970, with whom she also sang including on the 1960 civil rights anthem We Insist. Recorded as a solo artist and guest vocalist from the mid 1950s onwards. Worked with artists such as Benny Carter, Marty Paich, Dave Liebman, Archie Shepp, Steve Coleman, Jerry González, Tarik Shah, Jackie McLean, Clark Terry, Stan Getz, Charlie Haden, Maxine Roach, Rodney Kendrick, Bobby Hutcherson, Victor Lewis, Kenny Barron, Eric Dolphy, Frank Morgan, Bheki Mseleku, Mal Waldron, and Cedar Walton ~ Wooldridge was born in 1930August 14, 2009 ~ Warren Nichols, commonly known as guitarist Gates Nichols passed away ~ Co-founding member of country-rock outfit Confederate Railroad, known for the Billboard Country top 10 hits Jesus And Mama, The Queen Of Memphis and Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind. Nichols remained with the band through 2008 and would be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the next year ~ Nichols was born in 1944
August 14, 2009 ~ Jazz guitarist Lawrence Lucie passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Lucky Millinder, Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Red Allen, Putney Dandridge, Billie Holiday, Spike Hughes, Jelly Roll Morton, Big Joe Turner, Teddy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Spike Hughes, and Marion Williams ~ Lucie was born in 1907
August 14, 2008 ~ Singer Lita Roza, full name Lilian Patricia Lita Roa, passed away in London, UK ~ Most closely associated with her 1953 hit How Much Is That Doggie In The Window, written by Bob Merrill and an American No.1 hit for Patti Page. Roza would take it to the top of the UK charts in 1953, making her the first British solo singer to reach No.1. Ironically, Roza herself hated the song but was pressured to by label exectutives and vowed to never sing it again, and she never did. Long-time British PM Margaret Thatcher named Roza's hit her all-time favorite song ~ Roza was born in 1926August 14, 2004 ~ Jazz trombonist Pete Strange passed away in Banstead, UK ~ Worked with Eric Silk, Teddy Layton, Sonny Morris, Charli Gall, Ken Sims, Bruce Turner, Freddy Randall, Joe Daniels, Ron Russell, the Midnite Follies Orchestra, Alan Elsdon, FIve A Side, Roy Williams, Campbell Burnap, Humphrey Lyttelton, and the Great British Jazz Band ~ Strange was born in 1938
August 14, 2000 ~ Jazz saxophonist Walter Benton passed away ~ Worked with Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Pérez Prado, Quincy Jones, Victor Feldman, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Albert Tootie Heath, Julian Priester, Abbey Lincoln, Eric Dolphy, Slide Hampton, Gerald Wilson, and John Anderson ~ Benton was born in 1930August 14, 1997 ~ Jazz bassist, pianist Eric Von Essen passed away ~ Member of Quartet Music alongside Jeff Gauthier and twin brothers Alex Cline and Nels Cline. Member of the Lighthouse All-Stars, joining the ensemble in 1992 as replacement for Monty Budwig. Has also worked with Frank Morgan, Jimmy Rowles, Vinny Golia, the Jazz Tap Ensemble, and Art Farmer ~ Von Essen was born in 1954
August 14, 1990 ~ Jazz double bassist, tubist Chester Zardis passed away in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Given his nickname “Little Bear” by pianist Fats Pichon, with whom he worked on the riverboats in the 1930s. Zardis began playing professionally in his mid-teens, joining Buddy Petit's band at age 16, much to the dislike of his family. Zardis would go on to play with Kid Rena, AJ Piron, Punch Miller, Kid Howard, Fate Marable, Count Basie, Bunk Johnson, Percy Humphrey, and George Lewis. Zardis, a colorful figure with a unique playing style, would continue to play until his death at age 90, becoming a fixture on the New Orleans, Louisiana, jazz scene. He is regularly featured in documentaries, and is the subject of three of them, Liberty Street Blues (Chester Zardis), Spirit Of New Orleans, and Three Men Of Jazz ~ Zardis was born in 1900
August 14, 1990 ~ Blues, jazz pianist, organist, singer, composer Lafayette Leake passed away in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Member of the Big Three Trio, replacing Leonard Castron in the early 1950s. Session musician for Chess Records, appearing on several Chuck Berry recordings including Rock & Roll Music and Johnny B Goode, songs regarded as pivotal to the development of rock and roll. Though a highly revered pianist who could play anything by ear, Leake's shyness kept him in the background for most of his career, serving as a leader of his own unit only sporadically. Leake has guested on albums by numerous artists, including Dale Hawkins, Bo Diddley (Bo Diddley), Howlin' Wolf (Howlin' Wolf (The Rockin' Chair Album)), Sonny Boy Williamson II, John Lee Hooker (The Real Folk Blues), Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Koko Taylor, Jimmy Dawkins, Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, Eddie C Campbell (King Of The Jungle), Eddy Clearwater, Otis Rush, and Big Walter Horton ~ Leake was born in 1919August 14, 1989 ~ Jazz double bassist, clarinetist, flutist Donald Garrett, full name Donald Rafael Garrett, passed away in Champaign, Illinois, USA ~ Started on clarinet and saxophone, switched to bass after meeting Wilbur Ware. Married to singer, cellist Kali Fasteau, with whom he formed the Sea Ensemble. Perhaps best known for his work with John Coltrane in the 1960s, including on the acclaimed Selflessness Featuring My Favorite Things album. Garrett has also appeared on albums by Paul Serrano, Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Introducing Roland Kirk), Eddie Harris, Archie Shepp (Three For A Quarter One For A Dime), Dewey Redman, Ira Sullivan, Dexter Gordon, and Joseph Jarman ~ Garrett was born in 1932
August 14, 1988 ~ Singer, songwriter Robert Calvert passed away in Ramsgate, UK ~ Best known as lead singer, on and off member of space rock group Hawkwind, co-wrote the band biggest hit Silver Machine. Has also worked with Hawklords, the Sonic Assassins, Steve Peregrin Took, Jim Capaldi, Steve Pond, Vivian Stanshall, and Amon Düül ~ Calvert was born in 1945
August 14, 1988 ~ Leroy Buchanan, commonly known as guitarist Roy Buchanan, passed away in Fairfax, Virginia, USA ~ Though Buchanan never became a household name, he was held in the highest regard by peers and critics and is considered a pioneer of the Telecaster sound, stretching the limits of the electric guitar. Influential on Jimi Hendrix, Danny Gatton, Jerry Garcia, Nils Lofgren, and Jeff Beck, the latter dedicating his Cause We've Ended As Lovers off his 1975 Blow By Blow album to Buchanan. Playing professionally from an early age, Buchanan has backed Johnny Otis while still in his mid-teens, played on Dale Hawkins's rock and roll classic My Babe, and was a member of Ronnie Hawkins's rock & roll unit the Hawks where he mentored Robbie Robertson. As a solo artist, Buchanan has recorded since the early 1970s, and is noted in particular for his eponymous 1972 Roy Buchanan album and the 1975 Live Stock live album. Buchanan passed away at age 48, found hanging in his jail cell after being arrested for public intoxication. His death was officially ruled a suicide, the finding disputed by his friends and family ~ Buchanan was born in 1939
August 14, 1987 ~ Composer, pianist, teacher Vincent Persichetti passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Persichetti's students include Philip Glass, Bruce Adolphe, Louis Calabro, Michael Jeffrey Shapiro, Laurie Spiegel, Kenneth Fuchs, Richard Danielpour, Peter Schickele, Lowell Liebermann, Robert Witt, Elena Ruehr, Wiliam Schimmel, Leonardo Balada, and Leo Brouwer ~ Persichetti was born in 1915
August 14, 1984 ~ John Pickens Jenkins, commonly known as blues, electric blues guitarist, singer Bobo Jenkins, passed away in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Best known for Tell Me Where You Stayed Last Night and the politically themed Democrat Blues, expressing his unease about Dwight D Eisenhower winning the 1952 elections and becoming the first Republican in twenty years to win the White House ~ Jenkins was born in 1916
August 14, 1984 ~ Jazz trombonist Kristoffer Kompen born in Oslo, Norway ~ Influenced by dixieland, swing, big band trombonist Jack Teagarden. First gained serious attention in his mid-teens as a member of the Jazzin' Babies, with whom he recorded three albums starting with Up And Go. Would go on to record several acclaimed albums as a leader, his own compositions critically described as “mysterious yet exciting enough”. As a collaborator and sideman, Kompen has appeared on albums by Håkon Storm-Mathisen, Martha Valle, Jo Skaansar, Ninas Pace, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and Kåre NymarkAugust 14, 1984 ~ Composer Peter Wishart, full name Peter Charles Arthur Wishart, passed away ~ Married to mezzo-soprano Maureen Lehane from 1966 until his death, with whom he also regularly worked. Has written operas, orchestral and chamber music. Especially noted for his opera The Captive, premiered in 1985, and for his song cycles ~ Wishart was born in 1921
August 14, 1983 ~ Curtis Eugene Cross, commonly known as rapper, producer, songwriter Black Milk, born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Released his Sound Of The City Vol.1 solo debut album in 2005. Has collaborated with BR Gunna, Bishop Lamont, Fat Ray, Random Axe, Danny Brown, Nat Turner, Slum Village, J Dilla, Elzhi, Phat Kat, Frank-n-Dank, Lloyd Banks, Canibus, Pharoahe Monch, RZA, and Black Thought
August 14, 1982 ~ Indie rock, alternative rock singer, guitarist, keyboardist Matthew E White born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA ~ Eclectic singer drawing from a wide array of idioms including reggae, folk, gospel, indie pop, and Stax-era R&B. Influenced by Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, and Alan Lomax. Founder and frontman of improv jazz ensemble Fight The Big Bull. Released his Big Inner solo debut album in 2012, at the time hailed by the New York Times as “a dramatic pop-gospel record that hits extremes of the mood spectrum”. White has also notably teamed up with Flo Morrissey for the 2017 Gentlewoman Ruby Man collaborative album featuring covers of songs originally by the Bee Gees, Leonard Cohen, the Velvet Underground, and Frank Ocean, produced Natalie Prass' eponymous Natalie Prass 2015 debut album, and especialy as co-founder of Spacebomb Records served as collaborator, sideman, and producer for the likes of Brooke Annibale, McKinley Dixon, Dan Croll, Nadia Reid, Andy Jenkins, Karl Blau, Bedouine, Lonnie Holley, and the Mountain Goats
August 14, 1981 ~ Pop rock outfit Genesis release Abacab, lifted off the album of the same name ~ The parent album Abacab, and particularly its title track and lead single, found the band straying further from their progressive rock roots and more towards pop oriented songs. The title is taken from the initial song structure, where A stands for verse, B for chorus, and C for bridge, though when completed the song structure didn't still make ACAB. Both the album and its lead single would be well received by critics, both would be a commercial success. Abacab their first to top the album charts in their native UK and their first to reach top 10 on the American Billboard Hot 200. The single Abacab reached top 30 in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and America, and peaked at No.9 in the UK. The band's keyboardist Tony Banks would later tell Songfacts: “On that particular record, we were trying to get away from what was, at that point, traditionally Genesis, which was quite flowery and fantasy, and to go to something that was much more stark and abstract. That's why we went for an abstract art painting on the front and gave it this abstract title, Abacab, so, that it didn't conjure up any particular emotion at all. We started with a kind of blank canvas. It worked well as both a song and an album title, I think”
August 14, 1981 ~ British rockers the Rolling Stones release Start Me Up, lead single off their Tattoo You album ~ Originated as a reggae song, titled Never Stop, recorded for the Black And Blue album, and again for the Some Girls sessions, before being put aside for later use. Eventually, for Tattoo You, engineer Chris Kimsey searched the vaults and found the two takes with a more rock vibe among some fifty reggae versions. As to the band's recording style, Kimsey would later explain: “Including run-throughs, Start Me Up took about six hours to record. You see, if they all played the right chords in the right time, went to the chorus at the right time and got to the middle eight together, that was a master. It was like, “Oh, wow!’. Don't forget, they would never sit down and work out a song. They would jam it and the song would evolve out of that. That's their magic.”