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.
December 21, 2022 ~ Harvey Jett, commonly known as guitarist, banjoist, pianist, singer Harvey Burley Jett, passed away in Madisonville, Kentucky, USA ~ Original member of Black Oak Arkansas. Jett was present on most of the band's best known, including their most acclaimed album High On The Hog released in 1973, and was replaced by Jimmy Soybean Henderson in 1974 ~ Jett was born in 1949
December 21, 2021 ~ Percussionist Anthony Williams passed away ~ Pioneer of the steel pan. Best known as founding member of Sun Valley and subsequently the Trinidad All-Steel Percussion Orchestra. Has also worked with Five Graves To Cairo, the Harlem Nightingale Steelband, and the Pan Am North Stars ~ Williams was born in 1931
December 21, 2018 ~ Kalman Felberbaum, commonly known as operatic bass singer Carlos Feller passed away in Kempten, Germany ~ Closely associated with the Cologne Opera. Best known for comedic supporting roles, notably his signature role as Don Alfonso in the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-penned Cosi Fan Tutte. Has also worked with the Teatro Colón, the Frankfurt Opera, the Opernhaus Klei, and the Bavarian State Opera ~ Felberbaum was born in 1923
December 21, 2017 ~ Avant-garde jazz, free jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd, full name Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr, passed away in Kerhonkson, New York, USA ~ Over two dozen albums as a leader or co-leader. Especially acclaimed for Malicool, a 2003 collaborative album with Toumani Diabaté. In-demand sideman, guested on albums by Buell Neidlinger, Cecil Taylor (Cell Walk For Celeste), the New York Art Quartet, Archie Shepp (Four For Trane), Robin Kenyatta, the Jazz Composers Orchestra, the Liberation Music Orchestra, Steve Lacy, Carla Bley (Dinner Music), Enrico Rava, Elton Dean, Glen Hall, Han Bennink, Beausoleil (Alligator Purse), and Rebecca Ferguson ~ Rudd was born in 1935
December 21, 2016 ~ Jazz pianist Betty Loo Taylor passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA ~ Dubbed Hawaii's “First Lady of Jazz” best known for her regular performances at the Trappers club alongside longtime musical partner Jimmy Borges in the 1970s and 1980s and the Kahala Hotel & Resort during the 1990s and 2000s ~ Taylor was born in 1929
December 21, 2015 ~ Flavio Basso, commonly known as singer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, percussionist, songwriter Jupiter Apple or Jupiter Maca, passed away in Porto Alegre, Brazil ~ Influenced by Paul McCartney, Syd Barrett, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger. Founding member of rock, rockabilly band TNT, present on songs such Entra Nessa and Estou Na Mão. Co-founding member of Os Cascavelletes, known for Nega Bombom and Oce Me Deixa Insano. Released his A Setima Efervescenia solo debut album 1997 ~ Basso was born in 1968December 21, 2014 ~ Jürgen Udo Bockelmann, commonly known as pop, schlager singer, songwriter Udo Jürgens, passed away in Münsterlingen, Switzerland ~ Composed some 1,000 songs. Sold over 100 million records. Won the 1966 Eurovision Songfestival representing Austria with the song Merci Chérie ~ Bockelmann was born in 1934
December 21, 2013 ~ Herman Alpert, commonly known as jazz bassist Trigger Alpert, passed away in Jacksonville, Florida, USA ~ Worked with Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Bud Freeman, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, Jerry Jerome, Bernie Leighton, Ray McKinley, Frank Sinatra, Muggsy Spanier, Don Elliott, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Krupa, Mundell Lowe, Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw, the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, Al Cohn, Urbie Green, Tony Scott, Ed Shaughnessy, Zoot Sims, Joe Wilder, Hank Jones, Sonny Igoe, and Chuck Wayne ~ Alpert was born in 1916December 21, 2003 ~ Jazz saxophonist, bandleader Hans Koller passed away in Vienna, Austria ~ Worked with Freddie Brocksieper, Albert Mangelsdorff, Jutta Hipp, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Russo, Lee Konitz, Stan Kenton, Eddie Sauter, Benny Goodman, Attila Zoller, Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Clarke, Wes Montgomery, Martial Solal, Jimmy Pratt, the Norddeutscher Rundfunk, and the International Brass Company ~ Koller was born in 1921
December 21, 1997 ~ Jazz, R&B trumpeter Johnny Coles passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Active from the late 1940s well into the 1990s. Recorded a handful of albums as a leader, noted most for Little Johnny C released in 1963. Most closely associated with Gil Evans, James Moody, and Charles Mingus. Also present on albums by the likes of Clifford Brown, Dinah Washington, Miles Davis (Porgy & Bess), Ray Crawford, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, Horace Parlan (Happy Frame Of Mind), Kenny Burrell, Astrud Gilberto, Booker Ervin (Back From The Gig), Herbie Hancock, and the Manhattan Transfer (Vocaleese) ~ Coles was born in 1926
December 21, 1996 ~ Singer Tina Turner releases In Your Wildest Dreams, lifted off her Wildest Dreams album ~ Written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman, who had previously written Tina Turner's Better Be Good To Me, a Billboard Hot 100 No.5 hit, as well as The Best, which peaked at No.15. In Your Wildest Dreams, a sultry mostly spoken-word duet with Barry White, In Your Wildest Dreams was somewhat of an oddity for Turner. Somewhat overlooked by American audiences, the single barely reached No.34 on the Billboard R&B charts and bubbled just under the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, stalling at No.101. Nevertheless, the single did better in Europe, and is fondly remembered as one of White's last entries on the American charts prior to his death in 2003
December 21, 1995 ~ Progressive rock, reggae bassist, singer, songwriter Charlie Tumahai, full name Charles Turu Tumahai, passed away in Auckland, New Zealand ~ Best known as a member of Be Bop Deluxe, joining the band after their first album and present on some of their most acclaimed including the 1976 Sunburst Finish album. Tumahai has also worked with several other noted groups from New Zealand, Australia, and the UK including Mississippi, which later evolved into the Little River Band, as well as Chain, Healing Force, the Dukes, Tandoori Cassette, and reggae outfit Herbs. Tumahai is also known as an advocate for several Maori causes, working as a voluntary member to assist young Maori offenders, and helping develop an arts program for Maori prisoners. Following a heart attack, Tumahai passed away unexpectedly at age 46 ~ Tumahai was born in 1949December 21, 1995 ~ Pop, rock, country drummer Sammy Creason, full name Sammy Lee Creason, passed away ~ In-demand session and studio musician. Present on Tony Joe White's Tony Joe and Continued albums. Member of Atlantic Records in-house band the Dixie Flyers, an association through which he would regularly guest on Rita Coolidge's albums as well as recordings of her husband Kris Kristofferson, including on the latter's Easter Island, and To The Bone. Creason has also appeared on albums by Jerry Jeff Walker, Delaney & Bonnie, Aretha Franklin (Spirit In The Dark), Delbert McClinton, Jimmy Buffett, Booker T Jones, Gene Clark, and Willie Nelson. Through his association with Kristofferson, Creason landed small parts in the films Convoy and A Star Is Born ~ Creason was born in 1944
December 21, 1993 ~ R&B group Xscape release Understanding, lifted off their Hummin' Comin' At 'Cha debut album ~ Peaking at No.8 Billboard Hot 100, Understanding would become the band's second top 10 hit, following their Just Kickin' It debut single. In retrospect, the group's lead singer Kandi Burruss compared Understanding favorably to Just Kickin' It, commenting: “I felt like I could sing Just Kickin' It in my sleep. Songs like Understanding, which was more vocally complex, had real feeling to it.”
December 21, 1992 ~ Albert Nelson, commonly known as guitarist Albert King, passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Alongside BB King and Freddie King, considered one of the three “Kings of the Blues”, all three ranked among the all-time greatest and most influential blues guitarists. Guitarists influenced by Albert King include Otis Rush, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Cray. King, who at times falsely claimed and at times was even billed as BB King's brother, is especially known for his massive tone, smooth singing and posture. King has recorded well over a dozen albums since the early 1960s, including his highly influential Born Under A Bad Sign sophomore album. The album, considered King's masterpiece and one of the most important blues albums of the 1960s, has King backed by Stax/Volt houseband Booker T & the MG's resulting in an unusually soulful sound and crossover appeal for a blues artist. King's own immediately recognizable style stems from playing left-handed without restringing the guitar from the right-handed setup. This accounts for his difference in sound from most other guitarists, since he pulls down on the same strings that most other players push up on when bending the blues notes ~ Nelson was born in 1923December 21, 1990 ~ Pop, R&B singer Alexa Goddard born in Yateley, UK ~ Toured extensively with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra starting in her teens, also notably featured on Child Of The Night of the band's 2009 Night Castle album. As a solo artist, Goddard is known for a number of notable covers, the 2010 Soulja Boy-cover Turn My Swag On single reaching the UK top 20
December 21, 1988 ~ Bassist Paul Jeffreys, full name Paul Avon Jeffreys, passed away near Lockerbie, UK ~ Member of Cockney Rebel from 1972 through 1974, present on the albums The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo. Jeffreys subsequently played with Be Bop Deluxe, the Warm Jets and the Electric Eels. Newlyweds Jeffreys and Rachel Jeffreys were among the over 250 killed in the Lockerbie plane bombing, just as they embarked on their honeymoon ~ Jeffreys was born in 1952
December 21, 1983 ~ Son cubano, guaracha, bolero trumpeter, bandleader, songwriter Félix Chappottín, full name Félix Chappottín Lage, passed away in Havana, Cuba ~ Considered the founder of the modern Cuban trumpet style due to his innovative approach. Noted for his association with the Sexteto Habanero, Arsenío Rodriguez, and specifically the Conjunto Chappotin, leading the latter ensemble from the 1950s until his death some three decades later ~ Chappottín was born in 1907
December 21, 1983 ~ Singer Nikki Kerkhof, full name Nicole Kerkhof, born in Sint Oedenrode, the Netherlands ~ Best known as winner of the 4th season of Dutch talentshow Idols in 2008, scoring a No.1 hit with the single Hello World. Its follow-up, Bring Me Down, did reasonably well but her career stalled after that. She tried out for another talent show, The Voice Of Holland, in 2016 but to no avail
December 21, 1977 ~ Alternative rock guitarist Steve Mazur, full name Steven Theodore Mazur, born in Port Huron, Michigan, USA ~ Best known as lead guitarist of Our Lady Peace, with whom he has recorded over half a dozen albums since joining the Canadian outfit in 2002 as replacement for original member Mike Turner. Well known songs during Mazur's tenure with the band include Somewhere Out There, Innocent, Where Are You, Angels Losing Sleep, and All You Did Was Save My Life, all of which reached top 20 on the Canadian pop charts. In a 2003 interview with Yamaha All Access, Mazur talked about how producer Bob Rock, who produced Mazur's first album with the band Gravity, had taught him new ways of approaching the guitar: “I have a way I've played for years, but Bob showed me this other way of playing, kind of flicking my picking-hand wrist on the downstrokes, and instantly there was this tonal change for the part we were working on. It's this constant eighth-note downstroke thing, near the pickup, like Pete Townshend or James Hetfield would play, or like the Edge in U2. And that sound is essential for these parts we're putting down”December 21, 1974 ~ Jazz drummer, percussionist Knut Aalefjaer born in Bærum, Norway ~ Worked with Vidar Saether, Moment's Notice, Musikkfiekken Workshop Big Band, Improvice Versa, Geir Lysne, Helge Lien, Frode Berg, Christine Sandtorv, Rune Brondbo, Lars Horntveth, Anders Mjos, Rob Waring, Lars Andreas Haug, Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer, Elfi Sverdrup, and the Oslo Sinfonieta
December 21, 1974 ~ Country singer Waylon Jennings releases Rainy Day Woman, lifted off his The Ramblin' Man album ~ Written by Waylon Jennings, who co-produced the track with Tompall Glaser, the song would become one of his earliest self-penned major hits. On the heels off his I'm A Ramblin' Man hit, lifted off the same album, the song would only fall short behind peaking one spot lower on the Billboard Country charts, peaking at No.2. The song would be covered by several artists, perhaps most notably by Mark Chesnutt some twenty years later as a duet with Jennings on Chesnutt's What A Way To Live album
December 21, 1971 ~ Singer, guitarist Charlie Fuqua passed away in New Haven, Connecticut, USA ~ Co-founded the Ink Spots with Jerry Daniels and Deek Watson, remaining with the band through 1952. From 1943 through 1945 friend Bernie Mackey replaced Fuqua who served in the US Army. The band is best known for If I Didn't Care, Maybe, We Three (My Echo My Shadow & Me), Don't Get Around Much Anymore, and The Gypsy ~ Fuqua was born in 1910
December 21, 1971 ~ James Patrick Yorkston Wright, commonly known as folk singer, guitarist, banjoist, songwriter James Yorkston, born in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK ~ Released his Moving Up Country debut album in 2002 and has been recording to critical acclaim since. Closely associated with Jon Thorne and Suhail Yusuf Khan, releasing several albums as a trio starting with 2016's Everything Sacred. Also known as an author, his 2011 debut book It's Lovely To Be Here (The Touring Diaries Of A Scottish Gent giving readers a behind-the-scenes account of the music industry through the eyes of a singer-songwriterDecember 21, 1971 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Matthieu Chedid born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France ~ Son of singer Louis Chédid. Worked with Tam Tam, Mathiey Boogaerts, Suprême NTM, Sinclair, Billy Ze Kick, Brigitte Fontaine, Sean Lennon, Vanessa Paradis, and Johnny Hallyday
December 21, 1971 ~ Singer, songwriter Natalie Grant, full name Natalie Diane Grant, born in Seattle, Washington, USA ~ Acclaimed contemporary Christian singer. Won the GMA's Dove Award for Female Vocalist of the Year four consecutive years in a row starting in 2006. Known for songs such as Held, I Will Not Be Moved, Perfect People and Your Great Name. Has worked with Truth, Fred Hammond, John Tesh, Dennis Jernigan, and Travis Cottrell
December 21, 1971 ~ Ramón Enrique Acevedo Kerkadó, commonly known as pop singer, actor Raymond Acevedo, born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico ~ Member of Menudo from 1985 taking over for Ray Reyes through 1988, present on songs such as En San Juan Me Enamore, Pañuelo Blanco Americano and the international hit It's You And Me All The Way