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 24, 2023 ~ Vasilis Kesoglidis, commonly known as laiko singer Vasilis Karras, passed away in Thessaloniki, Greece ~ Started performing in 1969, at age 16, at a local club, quickly becoming a regional favorite due to his distinctive raspy voice. Would continue to perform thoughout Northern Greece throughout the 1970s building a steady reputation. Released his Alismonites Ores debut album in 1980 recording steadily over the next few years. Shot to national fame in the early 1990s. Known best for the 1990s albums Tilefonise Mou and Epistrefo. Has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Greek music including Michalis Rakintzis, Zafeiris Melas, Phoebus, Despina Vandi, and Tolis Voskopoulos ~ Kesoglidis was born in 1953
December 24, 2023 ~ Jazz hornist, bassist Willie Ruff, full name Willie Henry Ruff Jr, passed away in Killen, Alabama, USA ~ Half of longtime duo the Mitchell-Ruff Duo, the other half being pianist Dwike Mitchell. The duo has recorded well over a dozen albums and made history in 1959 when they became the first jazz act to play in the Soviet Union since World War II. Half of Pisano & Ruff, the other half being John Pisano. An in-demand sideman and collaborator, Ruff has appeared on albums by Clifford Coultier, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Benny Golson, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin, Leonard Cohen (Songs Of Leonard Cohen), Jimmy Smith, and Sonny Stitt. Ruff was also particularly known as a music scholar and teacher, graduating in 1954 from the Yale School of Music, New Haven, Connecticut, and serving as a professor at his alma mater from 1971 through 2017 ~ Ruff was born in 1931December 24, 2022 ~ Electric blues lap steel guitarist, singer Freddie Roulette, full name Frederick Martin Roulette, passed away ~ Member of Daphne Blue. Also worked with Earl Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, Henry Kaiser, Harvey Mandel, Pinetop Perkins, Carey Bell, Andrew Odom, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Don Sugarcane Harris, Will Bernard, the Holmes Brothers, and David Lindley ~ Roulette was born in 1939
December 24, 2022 ~ Latozi Mpahleni, commonly known as traditional bow player Madosini, passed away in Mtatha, South Africa ~ Played traditional South African instruments such as the uhadi and mhrubhe musical bows, considered a national treasure in her field. Achieved international fame through her performances at the WOMAD festivals and collaborations with a wide array of musicians including rock singer Patrick Duff, Afrosoul artist Thandiswa Mazwai, and MPB, samba singer Gilberto Gil, performing around the world until her death ~ Mpahleni was born in 1943December 24, 2022 ~ Mandla Maphumulo, commonly known as kwaito singer Mampintsha, passed away in Durban, South Africa ~ Member of Big Nuz, which he co-founded in 2002. The band is known best for songs such as Ubala of their sophomore 2nd Round Knockout breakout album, as well as later hits such as Umlilo, Newlands West, Sting Ray, and Inazo ~ Maphumulo was born in 1982
December 24, 2021 ~ James Dee Crowe, commonly known as bluegrass, progressive bluegrass banjoist, guitarist, singer JD Crowe, passed away in Nicholasville, Kentucky, USA ~ Got his start in music while still in his teens playing with Raymond Curly Parker and notably with Jimmy Martin from 1956 through 1960. Formed the Kentucky Mountain Boys in 1961, enjoying regional succes in the Lexington area. The band would be renamed to JD Crowe & the New South by the early 1970s and become one of the most popular, influential and longest-running bluegrass, progressive bluegrass acts drawing from both rock and country. Served as mentor to numerous sidemen, many later becoming stars in their own right including Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Keith Whitley ~ Crowe was born in 1937December 24, 2021 ~ Punk, hardcore punk bassist Marco Mathieu passed away in Turin, Italy ~ Member of Negazione, along with Raw Power and Wretched considered one of the premier hardcore punk bands in Italy during the 1980s and early 1990s. Mathieu had been in a coma since 2017 after suffering a stroke ~ Mathieu was born in 1964
December 24, 2020 ~ Producer, songwriter Geoff Stephens passed away in Bedfordshire, UK ~ Discovered and managed Donovan and co-produced his 1965 What's Bin Did And What's Bin Hid debut album. As a songwriter known for writing or co-writing a number of 1960s, 1970s classics including Tell Me When for the Applejacks, Crying Game for Dave Berry, Winchester Cathedral and There's A Kind Of Hush for the New Vaudeville Band, Sorry Suzanne for the Hollies, Daughter Of Darkness for Tom Jones, Silver Lady for David Soul and You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me for the New Seekers ~ Stephens was born in 1934
December 24, 2019 ~ Alta Sherral Willis, commonly known as singer, songwriter Allee Willis, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ As a singer released her sole album, Childstar, in 1974. As the album did not sell well and she did not enjoy performing would focus on songwriting since. Perhaps best known for co-writing Earth Wind & Fire's September and Boogie Wonderland. Others who have recorded songs written or co-written by Willis include Bonnie Raitt, Rita Coolidge, Herbie Hancock, Patti LaBelle (Come What May), Debby Boone, Valerie Carter, Pablo Cruise, Narada Michael Walden, Maxine Nightingale, Lani Hall, LTD, Leo Sayer, the Pointer Sisters (Neutron Dance), Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Pet Shop Boys (What Have I Done To Deserve This), Cyndi Lauper, the Rembrandts (I'll Be There For You), and LaChanze ~ Willis was born in 1947December 24, 2019 ~ Bassist Dave Riley, full name David Michael Riley, passed away in Arivaca, Arizona, USA ~ Bassist of punk rock band Big Black from 1985 until the band's disbandement in 1987, present on both studio albums, 1986's Atomizer and 1987's Songs About Fucking ~ Riley was born in 1960
December 24, 2018 ~ Bassist, guitarist James Calvin Wilsey passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Bassist for San Francisco punk band the Avengers. Better known as lead guitarist in Chris Isaak's backing band, playing on Isaak's albums Silvertone (1985), Chris Isaak (1986), Heart Shaped World (1989), and San Francisco Days (1993). Wilsey recorded one solo album, 2008's El Dorado, paying homage to influences such as Duane Eddy, Billy Strange, James Burton and Link Wray ~ Wilsey was born in 1957December 24, 2018 ~ Singer, songwriter Jerry Riopelle passed away ~ Mixed rock, country, jazz, R&B and hard rock. Played drums for the Hollywood Argyles. Staff writer, producer at Phil Spector's Philles Records label. Also worked at A&M Records and at Irving Music. As a songwriter had his work recorded by artists such as Brewer & Shipley, We Five, Shango, Leon Russell, Herb Alpert, Kenny Loggins, Rita Coolidge, and Meat Loaf ~ Riopelle was born in 1941
December 24, 2016 ~ Singer, guitarist Rick Parfitt, full name Richard john Parfitt, passed away in Marbella, Spain ~ Rhythm guitarist of Status Quo, with whom he recorded well over two dozen albums from the band's inception in 1967 until shortly before his death some five decades later. The band, one of the longest-running British acts, managed to stay relevant through the ages, and are considered one of the most energetic live acts. Some have dismissed the band for repeating the same formula again and again, an argument to which Parfitt has been known to once have replied: “People try to dismiss what we do but they can't. People have terrible goes at us about the music being simple when it's not really. It appears simple perhaps in its chording but generally, to actually play what we play and how we play it, it's not simple. It's bloody hard work.” Over the course of their career, the band has scored close to two dozen UK top 10 hits ~ Parfitt was born in 1948December 24, 2015 ~ Singer Takeharu Kunimoto passed away in Tokyo, Japan ~ Performs rokyoky, a genre of traditional Japanese singing, and plays the shamisen, a three-stringed instrument. Besides traditional Japanese music, Kunimoto has also played bluegrass music, notably on the 2007 Appalachian Shamisen album, inspired by a Bill Monroe concert in Tokyo, Japan, he attended at age 14 ~ Kunimoto was born in 1960
December 24, 2014 ~ Boniface Ferdinand Leonard DeFranco, commonly known as clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, passed away in Panama City, Florida, USA ~ One of the few bebop clarinetists DeFranco was a revered bandleader in his own right who also led the the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and 1970s. DeFranco worked with Count Basie, Tommy Gumina, Gene Krupa, Art Blakey, Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Lennie Tristano, Dodo Marmarosa, Terry Gibbs, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Eddie Daniels, Putte Wickman, and Billie Holiday ~ DeFranco was born in 1923December 24, 2012 ~ Courtney Everald Dewar Junior, commonly known as rapper Capital Steez, passed away in Manhattan, New York, USA ~ Worked with CJ Fly, Chuck Strangers, Joey Badass, Dirty Sanchez, Jakk The Rhyner, Madlib, MF Doom, Free The Robots, DJ Premier, Knxwledge, Ant, J Rawls, Tommy Mas, the Entreproducers, Kirk Knight, Bruce Leekiz, and Pro-Era ~ Dewar was born in 1993
December 24, 2006 ~ Charles Edward Springall, commonly known as comedian, singer Charlie Drake, passed away in Twickenham, UK ~ Best known as a comedian. As a singer known for a number of covers and novelty hits starting in the late 1950s including singles such as the Bobby Darin cover Splish Splash, My Boomerang Won't Come Back and the Peter Gabriel-produced You Never Know ~ Springall was born in 1925
December 24, 2006 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter, comedian Kenneth Sivertsen passed away in Bergen, Norway ~ Formed his first band, One Two Three, while still in primary school. Would go on to become a renowned guitarist and composer with over a dozen albums, internationally most acclaimed for Remembering North and One Day In October. Sivertsen also composed numerous symphonic works, perhaps most notably Symfoni Nr.1 and Timeglaset Og Morgonstjerna (Symfoni Nr.2), both of which premiered by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, composed for film, and collaborated with the likes of Michael Brecker, Mike Mainieri, Tony Levin, and Bob Mintzer. Sivertsen has also worked with singer, actress Herborg Kråkevik, with whom he was romantically involved during the 1990s ~ Sivertsen was born in 1961December 24, 2002 ~ John Philip Thackray, commonly known as singer, guitarist, songwriter Jake Thackray passed away in Monmouth, UK ~ Hard to categorise storyteller known for a number of late 1960s, early 1970s recordings. Drew comparisons to Noël Coward, a comparison he resisted but acknowledged. Influenced by chansoniers such as Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet, and songwriters such as Randy Newman. Admired by later singers such as Jarvis Cocker, Morrissey and Alex Turner ~ Thackray was born in 1938
December 24, 2001 ~ Bassist, keyboardist, songwriter Gareth Williams, full name Gareth John Williams, passed away in London, UK ~ Best known as member of experimental rock, punk outfit This Heat, present on the band's eponymous This Heat debut album. Has subsequently played with the Flaming Tunes and Mind The Gap ~ Williams was born in 1953
December 24, 2000 ~ Nicholas Macioci, commonly known as singer Nick Massi, passed away in Newark, New Jersey, USA ~ Joined the Four Lovers in 1958, which would evolve into the Four Seasons best known for their association with Frankie Valli. Massi remained with the group through 1965, appearing on some of the band's best known hits including Sherry, Dawn Go Away, Rag Doll ~ Macioci was born in 1927
December 24, 1999 ~ Blues, jazz drummer Billy Davenport passed away in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Best known for his association with Paul Butterfield, appearing on the 1966 East-West album. Has also worked with Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Otis Rush ~ Davenport was born in 1931December 24, 1999 ~ Singer Zeke Carey passed away in Washington DC, USA ~ Member of doo-wop, R&B outfit the Flamingos, known for songs such as A Kiss From Your Lips, I'll Be Home, and their best known I Only Have Eyes For You. The latter would reach top 20 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and remains a radio staple to this day ~ Carey was born in 1933
December 24, 1998 ~ Indie rock singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Declan McKenna, full name Declan Benedict McKenna, born in Enfield, UK ~ First gained attention at age 16 with his self-released critically acclaimed single Brazil, protesting the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil. Would release a full-length debut album What Do You Think About The Car, in 2017
December 24, 1994 ~ Singer Brandy releases Baby, lifted off her eponymous debut album ~ Peaking at No.4 Billboard Hot 100, Baby would become the singer's second top 10 hit, preceded by I Wanna Be Down. The song finds Brandy stating her intentions, letting a boy know she wants to get with him. It is all very PG-rated though, as the singer was only fifteen when the single was released. Brandy would later recall: “I didn't like it at first because I was afraid that I wasn't old enough. But when I started to sing it, I was thinking about this guy I liked and it started to connect. That was fun. It was a cute baby crush, but I was able to pull from that feeling”