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 8, 1958 ~ Folk, indie, alternative, dream pop singer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter Heidi Berry born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Acclaimed for a number of late 1980s, early 1990s albums, starting with Firefly released in 1987. Drew comparisons to Marianne Faithfull, Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Sarah McLachlan, and Beth Orton
December 8, 1958 ~ Blues, R&B singer, pianist Julia Lee passed away in Kansas City, Missouri, USA ~ Known for a string of 1940's R&B hits including Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got, Snatch It And Grab It, King-Size Papa, I Didn't Like It The First Time and My Man Stands Out. Her recordings regulary featured backing musicians such as Jay McShann, Vic Dickenson, Benny Carter, Red Norvo, Nappy Lamare, Red Nichols and Jack Marshall ~ Lee was born in 1902
December 8, 1957 ~ Bryan David Vig, commonly known as alternative rock, grunge, noise rock, power pop producer, drummer, bassist Butch Vig born in Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA ~ Best known as producer of Nirvana's quintessential Nevermind album released in 1991. Has served as member of Wisconsin-based bands Spooner and Fire Town. Drummed with Garbage. Notable production credits include Urge Overkill, Jimmy Eat World, the Smashing Pumpkins (Gish), Against Me, Green Day, the Foo Fighters, Muse, and Silversun Pickups
December 8, 1957 ~ Guitarist, singer Phil Collen, full name Philip Kenneth Collen, born in Hackney, UK ~ Best known as co-lead guitarist of Def Leppard, alongside Steve Clark, joining the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. Has also worked with Lucy, Tush, the Dumb Blondes, Girl, Man Raze and with Delta Deep
December 8, 1955 ~ Donald J Bonebrake, commonly known as rock, punk rock drummer, percussionist DJ Bonebrake, born in Burbank, California, USA ~ First gained attention as drummer of the Eyes, which also included Charlotte Caffey of later fame as member of all-female outfit the Go-Go's. Co-founding member of pivotal California punk outfit X, known best for their acclaimed Los Angeles debut album and its follow-up Wild Gift. Bonebrake was also involved with the side project the Knitters and guested with acts such as the Germs, the Flesh Eaters, the Devil's Brigade, and Meat PuppetsDecember 8, 1955 ~ Earl Anthony Robinson, commonly known as reggae DJ General Echo, born in Kingston, Jamaica ~ One of the first reggae DJ's to introduce risqué lyrics. Best known for songs such as Drunken Master and Arleen. Shot to death by police in Kingston. The incident has never been satisfactory explained ~ Robinson passed away in 1980
December 8, 1955 ~ Bassist, keyboardist, singer Kasim Sulton, full name Kasim Anthony Sulton, born in Staten Island, New York, USA ~ Best known as member of Todd Rundgren's Utopia, singing lead on the band's sole top 40 hit Set Me Free released in 1980. Has participated in various of Rundgren's bands and solo projects. As a solo artist known for his 1982 single Don't Break My Heart, a modest hit in Canada. Guested on Meat Loaf's pivotal 1977 Bat Out Of Hell debut album. Member of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, present on the 1988 Up Your Alley album. Has also worked with Cherry Vanilla, the Shondells, the Blue Öyster Cult, Hall & Oates, Scandal, the Rubinoos, and the New CarsDecember 8, 1954 ~ Mark John Hough, commonly known as guitarist, drummer Buster Stiggs, born in Harold Wood, UK ~ Member of After Hours, the first band of a teenage Neil Finn. Would subsequently follow Finn joining Split Enz. Member of Swingers, known for the early 1980s hits One Good Reason and Counting The Beat. Has also worked with Fang, the Suburban Reptiles, and the Models ~ Hough passed away in 2018
December 8, 1952 ~ Richard Sanders, commonly known as folk rock, progressive rock, jazz, jazz fusion violinist Ric Sanders, born in Birmingham, UK ~ Best known for his associations with Soft Machine and Fairport Convention. Has also worked with Stomu Yamashta, the Albion Band, Rick Wakeman, Dave Cousins, Jethro Tull, Robert Plant, Gary Brooker, Pentangle, Gordon Giltrap, June Tabor, Martin Simpson, Charlie Landsborough, All About Eve, the Mission, Catherine Howe, and John Ethridge
December 8, 1951 ~ Pop, rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Jan Eggum born in Bergen, Norway ~ Actively recording since the mid 1970s. At times described as “the voice of melancholy”. Rose to national fame with his third album, 1977's Heksedans, which also contained the classic Mor Jeg Vil Tilbake. Member of Gitarkamaratene alongside fellow guitarists Lillebjørn Nilsen, Øystein Sunde and Halvdan Sivertsen.
December 8, 1950 ~ Singer Dan Hartman born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Best known as a solo artist scoring hist such as Relight My Fire, Instant Replay, I Can Dream About You, We Are The Young, and Second Nature. Member of the Edgar Winter Group, wrote Free Ride which reached Billboard Hot 100 top 20 in 1973. Wrote and produced Loleatta Holloway's Love Sensation of her 1980 album of the same name. Co-wrote James Brown's Living In America, which reached Billboard Hot 100 top 10 in 1986 ~ Hartman passed away in 1994
December 8, 1950 ~ Southern rock, blues rock, folk-rock, Christian rock singer, songwriter Jimmy Farrar, full name James Edwin Farrar, born in La Grange, Georgia, USA ~ Fronted Raw Energy. Fronted Molly Hatchet from 1980 through 1982, present on the albums Beatin' The Odds and Take No Prisoners. Subsequently founded Gator Country with several Hatchet bandmates. Has also worked with the Southern Rock Allstars ~ Farrar passed away in 2018December 8, 1950 ~ Rock bassist Ruud Englebert, full name Rudolphus Franciscus Maria Englebert, born ~ Member of 1980s band Vitesse, including on the band's best known Rosalyn and Good Lookin'. Englebert is also well known for his association with Herman Brood, notably present on Brood's 1988 Yada Yada album, and has worked with A Girl Called Johnny, Innersleeve, the Raiders Of The Last Corvette, the New Adventures, and Thé Lau ~ Englebert passed away in 2023
December 8, 1950 ~ Melvin Ragin, commonly known as guitarist Wah Wah Watson, born in Richmond, Virginia, USA ~ As a member of the Funk Brothers played on key Motown recordings including by Gladys Knight, the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye (What's Going On), and the Four Tops. Released his sole solo album, the moderately received Elementary, in 1977. Remained an in-demand session musician for a wide array of R&B, pop and jazz artists well into the 2000s, appearing on albums by Buddy Miles, Quincy Jones (Body Heat), Etta James, Herbie Hancock, Freddie King, Bill Withers, Bobby Womack, the Pointer Sisters, Yvonne Fair (The Bitch Is Black), Eric Clapton, the Alessi Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Gato Barbieri, Michael Jackson (Off The Wall), Deniece Williams, Blondie (Autoamerican), Boz Scaggs, Brian McKnight, Coolio (My Soul), Angélique Kidjo, Angie Stone (Black Diamond), Boney James, Raphael Saadiq (Stone Rollin'), and Marcus Miller ~ Ragin passed away in 2018
December 8, 1949 ~ Raymond Shulman, commonly known as progressive rock bassist, producer Ray Shulman born in Portsmouth, UK ~ Member of progressive rock outfit Gentle Giant, known for the complexity and sophistication of their music merging hard rock with classical music and medieval influences. The band recorded about a dozen albums and is especially acclaimed for the albums Octopus and Free Hand. Shulman also played violin, viola, guitar, trumpet, keyboards and percussion but was most praised for his virtuoso bass playing, drawing comparisons to Yes-bassist Chris Squire. After the band disbanded in the early 1980s would go on to work as a producer, working with artists such as the Sugarcubes, the Sundays, the Trash Can Sinatras, Ian McCulloch, and the Defects ~ Shulman passed away in 2023December 8, 1948 ~ Rock, progressive rock guitarist Andy Dalby, full name Andrew Kenneth Dalby, born in Lincolnshire, UK ~ Best known as a member of Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come from 1971 though 1973, present on the acclaimed 1973 Kingdom Come album. Also worked with Kiki Dee, the Vapour Trails, Jack Green (Humanesque), a 1980s reincarnation of Camel, and with Spirits Burning
December 8, 1948 ~ Rock, folk rock, afro-prog, free jazz, jazz fusion drummer, percussionist Liam Genockey born in Dublin, Ireland ~ Best known as member of Steeleye Span from 1989 through 1997, present on the albums Tempted And Tried and Time, rejoining in 2001. Has also worked with Rab Noakes, Amalgam, Trevor Watts, Gillan (Mr Universe), Gerry Rafferty, Sonja Kristina, Bonnie Tyler, Alain Bashung, Paul Brady, Trevor Watts (With One Voice), Richard Thompson, Annie Whitehead, McCoy, Moke, Paul Brady, Hugh Hopper, and Roger Daltrey
December 8, 1947 ~ Keyboardist, guitarist, singer Gregg Allman, full name Gregory LeNoir Allman, born in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Member of the Allman Brothers Band, writing or co-writing several of the band's best known including Whipping Post, Melissa, Midnight Rider. Has released about a dozen solo albums, starting with Laid Back in 1973. Has also worked with Delaney & Bonnie and Hour Glass. Married seven times, including to singer Cher from 1975 to 1979 ~ Allman passed away in 2017December 8, 1946 ~ Beat, pop, rock singer, bassist Graham Knight born ~ Co-founding and last remaining original member of Marmalade, remaining with the band from 1966 until 2010 with a brief pause in the 1970s. The band is known for a string of late 1960s, early 1970s singles including Lovin' Things, the Beatles-cover Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, Baby Make It Soon, Reflections Of My Life, Rainbow, Cousin Norman and Radancer, all of which reached top 10 in their native UK
December 8, 1945 ~ Singer, guitarist, actress Maryla Rodowicz born in Zielona, Poland ~ Active since 1967 with well over two dozen albums to her name in Polish, German, Czech and Russian. Known for songs such as Mowily Mu (Love Doesn't Grow On Trees), Futbol, To Juz Bylo, Wielka Woda, Tozmowa Przez Ocean, Bossanova Do Posuszki, and Wszyscy Chca Kochac. Rodowicz released her Niech Zyje Bal autobiography in 1992
December 8, 1945 ~ Jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, producer Richard M Jones, full name Richard Marigny Jones, passed away in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Perhaps best known for penning Trouble In Mind, first recorded by Thelma La Vizzo with Jones on piano, quickly becoming a standard recorded by Georgia White, Dinah Washington, and Nina Simone. Jones is also especially noted for producing Louis Armstrong's famed the Hot Five and the Hot Seven recordings. Other notable associations include Joe Oliver, John Robichaux, AJ Piron, and Papa Celestin ~ Jones was born in 1892
December 8, 1944 ~ Bassist, vibraphonist Don Elliot born ~ Co-founding member of the Rogues, who changed their name to Mandala just prior to scoring their first Canadian hit with Opportunity in 1967. The band is best known for also including guitarist Domenic Troiano who would later join the James Gang and subsequently the Guess Who
December 8, 1944 ~ Johannes Bouwens, commonly known as rock, pop rock singer George Baker, born in Hoorn, the Netherlands ~ Fronted the George Baker Selection, known for songs such as Paloma Blanca and Little Green Bag. The latter, a hit in the Netherlands in 1969, would be used in the 1992 Quentin Tarantino-film Reservoir Dogs, which gained Baker international attention and rejuvenated his career
December 8, 1944 ~ Susan Traynor, commonly known as pop singer Noosha Fox, born in Australia ~ Lead singer and Fox, with whom she scored the UK top 20 hits Only You Can, Imagine Me Imagine You, and S-s-s-single Bed. Traynor departed the band after their third album, Blue Hotel. As a solo artist, Traynor is perhaps best known for the modest UK hit Georgina Bailey, and The Heat Is On, the latter later a hit for Agnetha Fältskog. Traynor also sang backup for Tim Renwick's 1980 eponymous Tim Renwick album, before retiring from musicDecember 8, 1943 ~ James Douglas Morrison, commonly known as singer, songwriter Jim Morrison, born in Melbourne, Florida, USA ~ Lead singer of the Doors. Wrote or co-wrote vast amount of the band's best known songs including Light My Fire, Break On Through To The Other Side, The End, Moonlight Drive, People Are Strange, Hello I Love You, Roadhouse Blues, LA Woman, and Riders On The Storm ~ Morrison passed away in 1971