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 3, 1943 ~ Edward Cornelius, commonly known as trumpeter Corky Cornelius, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Active since the early 1930s, working with Les Brown, Buddy Rogers, Frank Dailey, Benny Goodman, and the Casa Loma Orchestra. While working with Gene Krupa in the early 1940s, Cornelius met the band's singer Irene Daye whom he would marry soon after. Only a few years into the marriage, Cornelius passed away unexpectedly at age 53 of kidney cancer. His widow Daye would later marry trumpeter, bandleader Charlie Spivak ~ Cornelius was born in 1914August 3, 1943 ~ Roberto Orlando Bracone Macceialli, commonly known as singer Elio Roca, born in Presidencia Roque Saenz Peña, Argentina ~ Active since the mid 1960s. Best known for songs such as Como Deseo Ser Tu Amor, Te Necesito Tanato Amor, Yo Quiero Dubujarte. Has also ventured into acting ~ Bracone passed away in 2021
August 3, 1941 ~ R&B, pop singer Beverly Lee born in Passaic, New Jersey, USA ~ Member of 1960s all girl vocal group the Shirelles, known for songs such as Tonight's The Night, Baby It's You and Will You Love Me Tomorrow. The latter would be the first single by a black girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100. The song stands as a classic from the era and has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Brenda Lee, Ben E King, Dusty Springfield, Carla Thomas, and the Righteous Brothers. Carole King, who had penned the song with then-husband Gerry Goffin back in 1960, would also record her own version for the acclaimed 1971 Tapestry album, and has regularly performed the song sinceAugust 3, 1940 ~ Singer Antonis Kalogiannis born in Kaisariana, Greece ~ Actively recording since the mid 1960s, initially with the help of composer Mikis Theodorakis. Exiled during the reign of Greece's military junta, known for recording protesting songs among others collaborating with Maria Farantouri. Established himself as a popular balladeer in the 1980s ~ Kalogiannis passed away in 2021
August 3, 1940 ~ Lutenist, banjoist, guitarist, musicologist James Tyler, full name James Henry Tyler, born in Hartford, Connecticut, USA ~ Helped pioneer an early music revival with over 50 recordings to his name. Has notably collaborated with the New York Pro Musica, and performed with Sidney Beck's Consort Players for President John F Kennedy at the White House. Has formed the New Excelsior Talking Machine ragtime ensemble, for which he played banjo, and the London Early Music Group ~ Tyler passed away in 2010August 3, 1939 ~ Drummer Jimmie Nicol, full name James George Nicol, born in London, UK ~ Best known for filling in for the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who fell ill with tonsillitis and was hospitalised, for eight dates during the height of Beatlemania in 1964. The brief stint with the band propelled Nicol to fame and back to obscurity again in the space of a fortnight
August 3, 1939 ~ Roy Charles Hammond, commonly known as R&B, soul singer Roy C, born in Newington, Georgia, USA ~ Best known for Shotgun Wedding, which reached top 20 Billboard R&B in 1965. Hammond is also noted for recording Impeach The President with the Honey Drippers, calling for the impeachment of then-President Richard Nixon. The song would become one of the most sampled drum tracks in hip-hop music used in hundreds of songs including MC Shan's The Bridge, De La Soul's Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) and the Notorious BIG's Unbelievable ~ Hammond passed away in 2020
August 3, 1937 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter, poet, author, journalist Patricio Manns, full name Iván Patricio Eugenio Manns De Folliot, born in Nacimiento, Chile ~ Wrote Bandido which was recorded by Los Travadores. Wrote El Sueño Americano which he recorded with the group Voces Andina. Reached national fame with Arriba En La Cordillera of his 1966 Entre Mar Y Cordillera solo album. Actively worked with the 1964 and 1970 Salvador Allende presidential campaigns as both a musician and journalist, fled the country after the military coup in 1973 and in exile became a spokesperson of the Chilean resistance ~ Manns passed away in 2021August 3, 1936 ~ Producer, songwriter Henri Belolo born in Casablanca, French Morocco ~ Most active during the disco era. Club DJ, A&R representative. Best known as producer and songwriter who, along with Jacques Morali, was behind the chart-busting acts Ritchie Family and the Village People ~ Belolo passed away in 2019
August 3, 1935 ~ Jazz drummer Andrew Hilaire, full name Andrew Henry Hilaire, passed away in in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ In-demand collaborator, especially on the Chicago jazz scene, from the 1920s until his premature death at age 36, plagued by ill health. Perhaps best known for his brief tenure with Jelly Roll Morton in the mid 1920s, including on recordings such as Black Bottom Stomp, Dead Man Blues, Grandpa's Jazz, and Doctor Jazz. Hilaire has also notably worked with Lil' Armstrong, Doc Cook, Jerome Don Pasquall, and Eddie South, and led his own band in the early 1930s ~ Hilaire as born in 1899
August 3, 1930 ~ Robert McCormick, commonly known as musicologist, folklorist, music journalist Mack McCormick, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Correspondent for famed Down Beat magazine. Helpful in bringing artists such as Mance Lipscomb, Robert Shaw and Lightnin' Hopkins to the forefront in the late 1950s. Also a valued researcher on Robert Johnson, closely associated with the Smithsonian Institute ~ McCormick passed away in 2015
August 3, 1926 ~ Anthony Dominick Benedetto, commonly known as singer Tony Bennett, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Enjoyed a career spanning eight decades, singing both pop and jazz. Has released over 70 albums including the acclaimed The Beat Of My Heart, Count Basie Swings Tony Bennett Sings with Count Basie, and I Left My Heart In San Francisco. Well-known hits include Because Of You, Cold Cold Heart, and Rags To Riches. Later on in life would rejuvenate his career through collaborations with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, extending his appeal to younger generations ~ Benedetto passed away in 2023
August 3, 1925 ~ Jazz, bossa nova, jazz fusion drummer Dom Um Romão born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Internationally best known for his stint with the Weather Report, joining the renowned fusion outfit in 1972 as replacement for Airto Moreira, and as a solo artist with about a dozen albums to his name including the highly acclaimed eponymous Dom Um Romão album. Prior to his rise to fame on the international scene, Romão was a celebrated accompanist for the likes of Latin artists such as Elis Regina, Elizeth Cardoso, Jorge Ben, and his then-wife singer Flora Purim. An in-demand sideman, Romão has also appeared on albums by Walter Wanderley, Vince Guaraldi, Luiz Bonfá, Stanley Turrentine, Collin Walcott (Grazing Dreams), Eddie Palmieri, Herbie Mann, Helen Merrill, Roberta Flack, Roy Ayers, McCoy Tyner, Kip Hanrahan (Coup De Tête), and Bobby Watson ~ Romão passed away in 2005
August 3, 1924 ~ Gospel, country, rock & roll singer Gordon Stoker born in Gleason, Tennessee, USA ~ Longtime member of the Jordanaires, a vocal group credited most with bringing black spirituals to white audiences. The group is also known for touring with Mahalia Jackson, one of the first interracial gospel pairings, as a backing vocal group for Elvis Presley on classic recordings such as (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care, King Creole, I Got Stung, GI Blues, and Return To Sender, and for backing Patsy Cline on all of her Decca Records-sessions including Crazy, I Fall To Pieces, Walkin' After Midnight and She's Got You ~ Stoker passed away in 2013August 3, 1921 ~ Conductor Louis Frémaux, full name Louis Joseph Felix Frémaux, born in Aire-sur-la-Lys, France ~ Member of the French Resistance during World War II. As a conductor and director worked with the Monte Carlo Orchestre, the Orchestre National De Lyon, the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra ~ Frémaux passed away in 2017
August 3, 1918 ~ Organist, pianist, composer Olivier Alain, full name Olivier Georges Alain, born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France ~ Son of Albert Alain, brother of Jehan Alain and Marie-Claire Alain, all renowned organists. Director of the Saint-Germain-en-Laye Conservatory from 1950 through 1964. Director of the Ecole Casar Franck in Paris from 1960 through 1974. Founder of Conservatoire National de Region in Paris, serving as its director from 1976 through 1985. Has composed some 170 works, most of which are still unpublished. Alain has also authored several books, including a monograph on Johann Sebastian Bach ~ Alain passed away in 1994
August 3, 1917 ~ Jazz, swing trumpeter Charlie Shavers, full name Charles James Shavers, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Played piano and banjo before switching to trumpet. Worked with Tiny Bradshaw, Lucky Millinder, and Dizzy Gillespie early on in his career. Well known for his tenure with John Kirby from the mid 1930s through the mid 1940s, Shavers' arrangements and solos making the band one of the most successful of its day. Kirby also recorded several compositions co-written by Shavers including Why Begin Again, Dawn On The Desert, Wondering Where, and notably Undecided, the latter of which became a jazz standard covered by well over 300 artists. As a leader or co-leader, Shavers has recorded some two dozen albums since the mid 1950s, specifically acclaimed for Like Charlie released in 1961. As an in-demand collaborator and sideman, Shavers has appeared on recordings by Gene Krupa, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman, Ernie Wilkins, Dinah Washington (The Swingin' Miss D), Billie Holiday (Lady Sings The Blues), Teddy Wilson, Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Charlie Byrd, and Jimmy McPartland ~ Shavers passed away in 1971
August 3, 1917 ~ Jazz, swing, easy listening trumpeter Les Elgart, full name Lester Elliott Elgart, born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA ~ Served in orchestras led by the likes of Raymond Scott, Charlie Spivak, and Harry James prior to teaming up with his brother Larry Elgart by the mid 1940s. With the declining popularity of big bands by the end of the decade, the siblings parted ways, Les going on to freelance, before reuniting by late 1952 with a new and unique blend of brass and reeds, with a handsome sound and smart arrangements appealing to a large audience through the end of the decade with albums such as Sophisticated Swing, The Elgart Touch, and For Dancers Also. One of their best known tracks, Bandstand Boogie, would be used as the theme song to the musical TV show American Bandstand ~ Elgart passed away in 1995
August 3, 1916 ~ R&B, rockabilly songwriter Claude Demetrius born in Bath, Maine, USA ~ Perhaps best known for writing Mean Woman Blues, one of the earliest hits for Elvis Presley and later covered by over an estimated hundred artists including Roy Orbison, whose single reached No.5 Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. Presley also recorded several other songs written or co-written by Demetrius including I Was The One, Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me), and Hard Headed Woman. Others who have recorded songs written or co-written by Demetrius include Louis Jordan (Ain't That Just Like A Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)), Dinah Washington, the Blenders, and Johnnie Ray ~ Demetrius passed away in 1988