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 23, 1946 ~ Blues rock, garage rock singer Jimmy Sohn passed away ~ Lead singer of 1960s outfit the Shadows Of Knight, known best for their 1966 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 single Gloria previously a hit for Them featuring Van Morrison. The band recorded three albums through the end of the decade and would continue to perform in various incarnations, Sohn being a constant member, into the 2000s ~ Sohn passed away in [artist-jimmy-sohn]
August 23, 1946 ~ Rock, hard rock drummer Keith Moon, full name Keith John Moon, born in London, UK ~ Best known as drummer of the Who, as well as its predecessor the High Numbers. Wrote or co-wrote songs such as I Need You, Cobwebs And Strange, In The City, Girl's Eyes. Also worked with Jeff Beck (Beck's Bolero), the Plastic Ono Band, Ringo Starr, Curly Smith, and Jim Keltner ~ Moon passed away in 1978
August 23, 1943 ~ Giuseppe Prestipino Giarritta, commonly known as bassist, conductor, producer, composer, arranger Pino Presti, born in Milan, Italy ~ Worked with Mina, Astor Piazzolla, Gerry Mulligan, Quincy Jones, Wilson Pickett, Shirley Bassey, Franco Cerri, Aldemaro Romero, and Tullio de Piscopo
August 23, 1941 ~ Edward O'Sullivan Lee, commonly known as reggae producer Bunny Lee, born in Kingston, Jamaica ~ One of Jamaica's most important and influential producers from the late 1960s through the late 1970s, instrumental in the development of dub music. Started as a plugger in the early 1960s for producer Duke Reid, later for Leslie Kong. Would turn to engineering and producing records by 1967, his first hit record being Roy Shirley's Music Field. Founded his own label, Lee, producing artists such as Lloyd Jackson, Lester Sterling, Derrick Morgan, Slim Smith (Everybody Needs Love), the Uniques, Pat Kelly, Max Romeo, Delroy Wilson, Eric Donaldson (Cherry Oh Baby), John Holt, Johnny Clarke, Owen Gray, Cornell Campbell, and King Tubby ~ Lee passed away in 2020August 23, 1939 ~ Terje Nielsen, commonly known as country singer, guitarist, songwriter Teddy Nelson, born in Bergen, Norway ~ Best known for his singles Diggy Liggy Lo, Bonde Ifrå Hamlagrø, Skilsmisseferd I Hardanger, internationally best known for his collaborations with country-pop singer Skeeter Davis ~ Nielsen passed away in 1992
August 23, 1937 ~ Composer Albert Roussel, full name Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel, passed away in Royan, France ~ Regarded as one of the most prominent French composers of the Interbellum period. Influenced by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, gravitating towards neoclassicism later on in his career. Well known works written by Roussel include Suite For Piano, Le Festin De L'Araignee, and Third Symphony ~ Roussel was born in 1869August 23, 1934 ~ Trombonist Raul de Souza born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Leader and sideman. Known especially for his 1975 Colors and 1977 Sweet Lucy albums, both produced by George Duke. Has worked with Sérgio Mendes, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Milton Nascimento, Sonny Rollins, Hermeto Pascoal, Cal Tjader, Caldera, and David Feldman ~ De Souza passed away in 2021
August 23, 1933 ~ Pianist, composer Jure Robeznik born in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia ~ Despite the lack of formal musical education authored over a hundred and fifty musical works, focusing primarily on jazz and popular music. Robeznik was bestowed with a Kozina Award by the Society of Slovenian Composers in 2017 ~ Robeznik passed away in 2022
August 23, 1929 ~ Jazz saxophonist, jazz club manager Pete King, full name Peter Stephen George King, born in Bow, UK ~ Managed Ronnie Scott's noted Soho, London jazz club for fifty years. Played wih Jiver Hutchinson, George Evans, Oscar Rabin, Dill Jones, Lennie Bush, Tony Crombie, Jack Parnell, Victor Feldman, and Philly Joe Jones ~ King passed away in 2009
August 23, 1927 ~ Jazz pianist, composer Martial Solal born in Algiers, French Algeria ~ Alongside Django Reinhardt, Solal is considered one of the most important European jazz musicians. Held in the highest regards by Duke Ellington. Influenced both by contemporary classical composers such as Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, and Olivier Messiaen, as well as swing, stride, and jazz pianists including Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Bud Powell, and Bill Evans. Praised for his intuitive approach to improvisation, Solal has recorded well over 50 albums as a leader, co-leader or solo pianist since the mid 1950s, composed chamber music, and written and performed some 20 soundtracks including notably for Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 directing debut À Bout De Soufflé, known in English as Breathless. Closely associated with Sidney Bechet, with whom he regularly toured. Solal has also collaborated with the likes of Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Lee Konitz, Stéphane Grappelli, Michel Portal, Dave Douglas, and David Liebman. On performing with Solal, the latter once commented: “I will admit that at times I had no idea what he was playing either behind me or during his solos. His almost constant reharmonization is out of this world. (…) Martial also sprinkles a scattering of 20th century classical dissonances around, which might happen at any time. In fact, anything can happen at any moment!” ~ Solal passed away in 2024
August 23, 1924 ~ Gospel, R&B, rock & roll singer, songwriter Wynona Carr, full name Wynona Merceris Carr, born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA ~ Actively recording since the late 1940s initially to little success. Would fade into obscurity by the early 1960s only to be rediscovered in the 1990s with re-releases of old material ~ Carr passed away in 1976August 23, 1923 ~ Leandros Papathanasiou, commonly known as singer, songwriter Leo Leandros, born in Astakos, Greece ~ Father of singer Vicky Leandros, for who he co-wrote the 1972 Eurovision Songfestival winner Après Toi. Other artists who recorded his songs include Julio Iglesias, Demis Roussos, Nana Mouskouri, and Jairo ~ Papathanasiou passed away in 2025
August 23, 1917 ~ Sollie Paul Williams, commonly known as singer, actor Tex Williams born in Ramsey, Illinois, USA ~ Best known for he novelty hit Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette. Also known for songs such as California Pola, That's What I Like About The West, Talking Boogie and Life Gets Tee-jus Don't It ~ Williams passed away in 1985
August 23, 1912 ~ Actor, singer, dancer Gene Kelly. full name Eugene Curran Kelly, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Pioneering choreographer, dancer. Credited with transforming the Hollywood musical as an artform. Made ballet commercially viable. Starred in numerous musical films of the 1940s and 1950s, perhaps best remembered for 1952's Singing In The Rain. Honored with several lifetime achievement awards, including an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 ~ Kelly passed away in 1996
August 23, 1900 ~ Composer, conductor Ernst Krenek, full name Ernst Heinrick Krenek, born in Vienna, Austria ~ Explored atonality and other modern styles. Perhaps best known for composing the opera Johnny Spielt Auf published in 1927. The work typified the cultural freedam of the golden era of the Weimar Republic. In the 1930s it would draw the ire of the Nazis, classifying it as degenerate music due to its jazz-influences. Krenek would leave Germany in 1933, settling in America a few years later ~ Krenek passed away in 1991
August 23, 1896 ~ Arthur Blake, commonly known as blues, ragtime singer, guitarist Blind Blake, born in Newport News, Virginia, USA ~ Fingerpicking guitarist influential on Reverend Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, John Fahey, Ralph McTell, and Leon Redbone. Known for songs such as Early Morning Blues, West Coast Blues, and You Gonna Quit Me Blues, the latter would be notably covered by Bob Dylan ~ Blake passed away in 1934August 23, 1894 ~ Jazz double bassist, trombonist John Lindsay born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Worked with John Robichaux, AJ Piron, Dewey Jackson, Willie Hightower, Carroll Dickerson, Lil' Hardon, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Richard M Jones, Jimmie Noone, Punch Miller, Johnny Dodds, Bertha Hill, Georgia White, the Harlem Hamfats, and Baby Dodds ~ Lindsay passed away in 1950