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 29, 1984 ~ Songwriter, lyricist Leo Robin passed away in Woodland Hills, California, USA ~ Perhaps best remembered for co-writing Thanks For The Memory with Ralph Rainger, sung by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the film The Big Broadcast Of 1938. Other well known songs co-written by Robin include Blue Hawaii (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley), In Love In Vain (Margaret Whiting, Betty Madigan, Patti Page), Prisoner Of Love (Russ Columbo, Mildred Bailey, Teddy Wilson, the Ink Spots), Miss Brown To You (Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day, Carmen McRae), Love Is Just Around The Corner (the Pickens Sisters, the Dorsey Brothers), and Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend (Carol Channing, Marilyn Monroe, Lena Horne, Della Reese) ~ Robin was born in 1900
December 29, 1980 ~ Singer, songwriter Tim Hardin, full name James Timothy Hardin, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Though he is best known for penning and first recording two specific songs, Reason To Believe and If I Were A Carpenter, both recorded by well over a 100 artists each, Hardin was perhaps one of the gentlest and most soulful folk singers to emerge from the 1960s and hugely influential on a wide array of singer-songwriters to rise to fame in the 1970s. Hardin has recorded ten albums until his death of an overdose at age 39, and is especially acclaimed for his 1966 Tim Hardin 1 debut album and its Tim Hardin 2 follow-up issued the following year. Hardin's debut album included Reason To Believe which perhaps may have been most notably covered by Brainbox in 1969 and subsequently by Rod Stewart who issued the song, paired with Maggie May, as the double A-side lead single off his 1971 Every Picture Tells A Story album. If I Were A Carpenter was taken off of Hardin's sophomore album, and though Hardin was the first to record it, Bobby Darin would be the first to release it beating Hardin by less than two months in the fall of 1966. Peaking at No.8 Billboard Hot 100 it would become Darin's final top 10 hit of his career. Other Hardin originals have also been frequently covered, including Hang On To A Dream (Ian & Sylvia, Françoise Hardy, Cissy Houston), It'll Never Happen Again (Connie Stevens, PP Arnold, Peggy Lee), Don't Make Promises (Marianne Faithfull, Scott McKenzie, ZZ Hill), Misty Roses (Sonny & Cher, Astrud Gilberto, Colin Blunstone), and Simple Song Of Freedom (Della Reese, the Bells) ~ Hardin was born in 1941December 29, 1978 ~ R&B, soul, jazz singer, actress LaToya London, full name LaToya Renee London, born in San Francisco, California, USA ~ First gained attention in 2004, reaching 4th place on the talent show American Idol. Would release her Love & Life debut album the following year. Would go on to focus on stage work, notably portraying the role of Shug Avery in the musical The Color Purple from 2007 through 2010
December 29, 1973 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Glenn Richards, full name Glenn Anthony Richards, born in Shepparton, Australia ~ Key member, primary songwriter of Augie March, best known for the singles The Vineyard and One Crowded Hour. Richards released a solo album, Glimjack, in 2010
December 29, 1973 ~ In its 7th week on the charts, Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100 ~ The track first appeared on You Don't Mess Around With Jim, Croce's third studio album and his first to make a serious impact on the charts. However, it would be only after Croce's premature death that it was issued as a single. During his lifetime, Jim Croce had scored the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits You Don't Mess Around With Jim and Bad Bad Leroy Brown, peaking respectively at No.8 and No.1. However, at the height of his popularity, Croce died in a plane crash at age 30. Following his death, Time In A Bottle would gain significant airplay and the song would be released as a single. It became a posthumous No.1 hit for Croce. Time In A Bottle is cherished to this day as perhaps one of the most gentle and lyrically inventive ballads of the era, the singer telling of how he wishes he could save every day in a bottle “til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you”. Croce originally wrote the song in 1970, after learning his wife was pregnant. Croce's son, AJ Croce, would later also become a professional singerDecember 29, 1973 ~ Jazz singer, composer Maja Ratkje, full name Maja Solvief Kjelstrup Ratkje, born in Trondheim, Norway ~ Worked with Jaap Blonk, Lasse Marhaug, Joëlle Léandre, Per Inge Bjørlo, Stian Westerhuis, Kathy Hinde, Odd Johan Fritzoe, POING, HC Gilje, Stephen O'Malley, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Spunk, Fe-mail, Matmos, and Derek Piotr
December 29, 1973 ~ Chad Lamont Butler, commonly known as rapper Pimp C, born in Crowley, Louisiana, USA ~ Formed the rap duo UGK with Bun B. The pair has recorded over half a dozen albums since the early 1990s, noted especially for 1992's Ridin' Dirty, and had guested on tracks such as Jay-Z's hit Big Pimpin', as well as on Three 6 Mafia's hit Spin On Some Syrup ~ Butler passed away in 2007
December 29, 1970 ~ R&B producer, keyboardist, guitarist, percussionist, songwriter Dallas Austin born in Columbus, Georgia, USA ~ First gained attention as a staff producer at Motown, producing debut albums by then-unknown acts such as Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. Would go on to work with artists such as TLC (Unpretty), Monica, Pink (Just Like A Pill), After 7, Crystal Waters, Samantha Ronson, N'dea Davenport, Carly Rae Jepsen, Madonna, the Brand New Heavies, Terence Trent d'Arby, Anastacia, the Sugababes, Gwen Stefani (Cool), George Clinton, Ciara, Janet Jackson, Fishbone, Deborah Cox, Blu Cantrell, Klymaxx, and Goodie MobDecember 29, 1970 ~ Singer, guitarist, mandolinist, keyboardist, songwriter Glen Phillips born in Santa Barbara, California, USA ~ Lead singer of alternative rock band Toad The Wet Sprocket, best known for their 1991 Fear album which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hits All I Want and Walk The Ocean. Has also recorded as a solo artist and worked with Flapping Flapping, Mutual Admiration Society, Plover, RemoteTreeChildren, and Works Progress Administration
December 29, 1969 ~ Jazz pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, bandleader, composer George Colligan born in New Jersey, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Influenced by Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner. Has worked with Phil Woods, Gary Bartz, Robin Eubanks, Billy Higgins, Lee Konitz, Nicholas Payton, Steve Wilson, Richard Bona, Cassandra Wilson, Christian McBride, Buster Williams, Al Foster, Don Byron, Benny Golson, Lonnie Plaxico, Vanessa Rubin, Dwayne Burno, Drew Gress, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Perico Sambeat, and Larry GrenadierDecember 29, 1968 ~ Derek Murphy, commonly known as MC Sadat X, born in New Rochelle, New York, USA ~ Best known as member of Brand Nubian, known for songs such as Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down and Don't Let It Go To Your Head. Has recorded about a dozen albums as a solo artist. Guested on recordings by A Tribe Called Quest (Show Business), the Notorious BIG, OSTR, and DJ Symphony
December 29, 1966 ~ Jazz, Latin Jazz pianist, composer Danilo Pérez born in Panama City, Panama ~ Leader and sideman. Actively recording since the early 1990s. Merges Panamanian roots with Latin folk, jazz, and European and African influences. Has worked with Jack DeJohnette, Steve Lacy, Lee Konitz, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, Roy Haynes, Rubén Blades, George Garzone, Larry Grenadier, Jeff Tain-Watts, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, Paquito d'Rivera, Claudio Roditi, and Wayne ShorterDecember 29, 1966 ~ Bryan Keith Holland, commonly known as Dexter Holland, born in Garden Grove, California, USA ~ Best known as lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter of the Offspring. Has guested on recordings by the Vandals, the Aquabats, Ron Emory, and the Dwarves
December 29, 1965 ~ R&B girl group the Supremes release My World Is Empty Without You, as second and final single off their I Hear A Symphony album ~ Diana Ross on lead vocals, backing vocals Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, with instrumentation provided by the Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. One of the few songs penned for the girl group by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland Jr, to not reach No.1, peaking at No.5 for two consecutive weeks in February 1966. The group's previous single, the title track I Hear A Symphony held the Billboard Hot 100 No.1 spot for two consecutive weeks in November 1965December 29, 1962 ~ In its 7th week on the charts, You Are My Sunshine by Ray Charles peaks at No.7 Billboard Hot 100 ~ The exact origins of this old-time classic are a bit unclear, with at least four different people credited as the song's original author. Most likely the song was first recorded by Georgia country music duo the Pine Ridge Boys in 1939. By the time Ray Charles got around to recording the song for his Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music Vol.2 album, the song had already become a standard, with early versions made into hits by Jimmie Davis, who according to one theory is the original author, Gene Autry, and Bing Crosby. For R&B singer, pianist Ray Charles, known to once have stated “You take country music, you take black music, it's exactly the same thing”, it would be his third country cover to reach top 10 Billboard Hot 100, preceded by I Can't Stop Loving You and You Don't Know Me. Charles would score one more Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit with a cover of a country classic when Take These Chains From My Heart, first recorded by Hank Williams, reached No.8 in 1963
December 29, 1959 ~ Latin pop, cumbia, bachata singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor Marco Antonio Solís, full name Marco Antonio Solís Sosa, born in Ario de Rosales, Mexico ~ Actively performing since age 6 as member of Los Hermanitos Solis. Co-founder, lead singer, guitarist of Los Bukis. As a solo artist debuted in 1996 with the En Pieno Vuelo album and has been recording steadily to commercial success since
December 29, 1958 ~ In its 8th week on the charts, Treasure Of Love by George Jones peaks at No.6 Billboard Country ~ Retrospectively, George Jones' biographer Bob Allen would describe the single with Jones' drawling singing as “more reminiscent of the diphthong-twisting style of Oklahoma honky-tonk king Hank Thompson than anything he'd ever recorded”. Jones co-wrote the song with JP Richardson, better known by his stage name the Big Bopper. Richardson also penned White Lightning, which would become Jones' first Billboard Country No.1 hit when it topped the charts in 1959. Richardson is particularly known for songs such as Chantilly Lace and Running Bear, both of which would reach top 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Richardson died at age 28 in the same plane crash that killed singers Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens
December 29, 1958 ~ Jazz drummer George Schuller, full name George Alexander Schuller, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Co-founding member, leader of avant-garde jazz unit Orange Then Blue, acclaimed especially for the early 1990s albums Where Were You, Funkallaro, and While You Were Out. Schuller has also led Chump Change, Schulldogs, and Jiggle, and has appeared on albums by Frank Carlberg, Emery Davis (Sauce), Joe Lovano (Rush Hour), Rob Levit, Billy DeArango, Lisa Thorson, Chuck Florence, Luciana Souza, Tom Beckham (Suspicions), Miles Donahue, Ran Blake (Sonic Temples), the Mosaic Sextet, Armen Donelian, and Michael Musillami (From Seeds). Schuller is the son of noted conductor and composer Gunther Schuller, and the younger brother of jazz bassist, double bassist Ed SchullerDecember 29, 1957 ~ Jazz saxophonist Ernie Henry, full name Ernest Albert Henry, passed away in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Active since the late 1940s. Recorded three albums as a leader shortly before his death of a heroin overdose at age 31. Has worked with Tadd Dameron, Fats Navarro, Charlie Ventura, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie (At Newport), Illinois Jacquet, Thelonious Monk (Brilliant Corners), Charles Mingus, Kenny Dorham, Kenny Drew, Wynton Kelly, Wilbur Ware, Art Taylor, and Philly Joe Jones ~ Henry was born in 1926
December 29, 1956 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Yehudit Ravitz born in Beersheba, Israel ~ One of the most popular Israeli pop rock singers with a career spanning over four decades starting in the mid 1970s. First gained attention as member of Sheshet, noted for their 1977 hit Forgiveness. As a solo artist she is best known for her 1987 Coming From Love album. Ravitz has also collaborated with Parnasa Tova, Gidi Gov, Corinne Allal, and David D'OrDecember 29, 1955 ~ Avant-prog, art rock, rock bassist, guitarist, banjoist, keyboardist, singer Fred Chalenor born in Seattle, Washington, USA ~ Best known as a member of Caveman Shoestore, Tone Dogs, Face Ditch. Frequent collaborator of Wayne Horvitz, including in Pigpen and Zony Mash. Has also worked with Owen Maercks, Jeff Greinke, the Walkabouts, LAND, and Curlew ~ Chalenor passed away in 2018
December 29, 1955 ~ Rock drummer Piotr Szkudelski born in Warsaw, Poland ~ Member of Perfect, one of the best known Polish rock, hard rock acts active on and off since the early 1980s and known for songs such as Nie Placz Ewka, Choemy Byc Soba, Autobiografia and Kolysanka Dia Nieznajomej ~ Szkudelski passed away in 2022December 29, 1954 ~ Drummer Alan Myers born in Akron, Ohio, USA ~ Best known for his association with Devo, joining the band in 1976 as replacement for Jim Mothersbaugh. Myers has recorded about half a dozen albums with the band including the acclaimed Q Are We Not Men (A We Are Devo) album. Myers has also guested on albums by Ron Wood (1234), Toni Basil, and the Martini Ranch ~ Myers passed away in 2013
December 29, 1954 ~ Drummer John JR Robinson born in Creston, Iowa, USA ~ In-demand session drummer, arguably one of the most recorded drummers in history. Notable sessions include Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album and Chaka Khan's Grammy Award-winning Ain't Nobody hit. Has also worked with Rufus, John Fogerty, Bonnie Raitt, Joyride, Peter Frampton, Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, Wilson Phillips, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Anita Baker, Barbra Streisand, Seal, Peter Cetera, Rod Stewart, the Pointer Sisters, George Strait, Clint Black, Toby Keith, Hans Zimmer, Christophe Beck, James Newton Howard, Jeff Lorber, David Benoit, and Sadao WatanabeDecember 29, 1953 ~ Singer, actress Gali Atari born in Rehovot, Israel ~ Internationally best known as lead vocalist of Milk & Honey, winning the 1979 Eurovision Songfestival for Israel with their song Hallelujah
December 29, 1953 ~ Singer Perry Como records Wanted at Manhattan Center, New York, New York ~ Written by Jack Fulton and Lois Steele. Perry Como recordeed the song with accompaniment by Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra. Released the next year, paired with Look Out The Window And See How I'm Standing In The Rain on the flip side, it would top both the Billboard and Cash Box pop charts