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 4, 1895 ~ Musical actor, singer Bobby Howes, full name Charles Robert William Howes, born in Battersea, UK ~ Leading figure in London's West End theatres during the 1930s and 1940s. Would continue to star in musicals, including on Broadway, and work for film and TV until retiring from the entertainment industry by the late 1960s. Perhaps best known for his leading role in a 1960 production of Finian's Rainbow ~ Howes passed away in 1972August 4, 1890 ~ Austin Dafora Horton, commonly known as drummer, singer, songwriter, choreographer Asadate Dafora, born in Freetown, Sierra Leone ~ Credited with the development of dance-drame, integrating narrative and song into dance performance. Broke through with his 1934 production of Kykunkor, its success so overwhelming the show had to move to a larger venue ~ Horton passed away in 1965
August 4, 1890 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Carson Robison, full name Carson Jay Robison, born in Oswego, Kansas, USA ~ Though largely forgotten, Robison played an important role in the early development of country music, especially noted for his years with pianist Frank Luther scoring hits from the late 1920s through the early 1930s. Robison also performed and recorded as a solo artist, and is reportedly one of the first country artists to tour UK from the early 1930s onward. Robison's 1942 reworking of the standard Turkey In The Straw, with new lyrics relating to World War II, would be one of the major hits of the year. In his native America, Robison is perhaps most known for his 1948 recording of Life Gets Tee-jus Don't It. Robison is also specifically noted for accompanying Vernon Dalhart, including notably on the landmark recordings The Wreck Of The Old '97 and The Prisoner's Song ~ Robison passed away in 1957August 4, 1887 ~ Jazz trumpeter, violinist Peter Bocage, full name Peter Edwin Bocage, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Pivotal figure in early New Orleans jazz. Led the Superior Orchestra in his early 20s, a ragtime band that also included Bunk Johnson. Also worked with the Tuxedo Orchestra, the Excelsior Brass Band, King Oliver, Fate Marable, AJ Piron, and Sidney Bechet ~ Bocage passed away in 1967