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.
February 17, 1934 ~ Gunnar Olof Björksten, commonly known as jazz bandleader, saxophonist Hacke Björksten, born in Helsinki, Finland ~ Served under Kenneth Fagerland in his teens. Would go on to lead a popular 1950s ensemble featuring sidemen such as Ake Persson, Rune Ofwerman and Kurt Weil. Has also worked with Mel Lewis and Ulf Johansson ~ Björksten passed away in 2020
February 17, 1933 ~ Brian John Heatley, commonly known as jazz, blues rock double bassist Spike Heatley, born in Muswell Hill, UK ~ Active since the late 1950s, playing with the likes of Vic Ash, Tubby Hayes, Johnny Dankworth, and Tony Coe, considered the cream of the crop of British jazz. To rock, blues-rock audiences best known for his association with Alexis Korner, having played with both Blues Incorporated and with CCS. Heatley is also especially acclaimed as a member of 1980s all-star group the Great Guitars alongside Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd, and Barney Kessel. Over the course of his four-decade career, Heatley has guested on albums by Donovan (Sunshine Superan), Harold McNair, Jackie Lomax, Magna Carta, Ian Campbell, Rod Stewart (Never A Dull Moment), Murray Head, Nick Ingman, Chris Connor, and Cleo Laine ~ Heatley passed away in 2021
February 17, 1932 ~ Composer Doru Popovici, full name Ionel Doru Popovici, born in Resita, Romania ~ Revered contemporary classical composer known for three distinct phases in his career; pot-impressionism, dodecaphonic and post-byzantine. Known for works such as Wires Quartet, Prometheus, Homage To Tuculescu, The Byzantine Hymns and The Wedding ~ Popovici passed away in 2019
February 17, 1930 ~ Guitar and fidle group the Mississippi Sheiks record Sitting On Top Of The World ~ Written by Sheiks core members Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon. The song would become the Sheiks best known single, become a standard, used as the theme music in the 1957 film Face In The Crowd, and later be covered in various styles by an array of artists including Doc Watson, Bob Wills, Howlin' Wolf, Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Jerry Reed, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Cream, the Grateful Dead, Jeff Healey, John Lee Hooker, and Willie Nelson. The original record was released in 1930 on the Okeh blues label, paired with Lovely One In This Town on the flip side
February 17, 1928 ~ Lyricist, librettist Tom Jones, full name Thomas Collins Jones, born in Littlefield, Texas, USA ~ Best known for co-writing The Fantasticks with regular collaborator composer Harvey Schmidt, a musical that ran off-Broadway for about four decades starting in the early 1960s. Well-known songs from the musical include Try To Remember, Soon It's Gonna Rain, Much More, and I Can See It. Other musicals written by the duo include 110 In The Shade, I Do I Do, and Philemon. Jones also authored the book Making Musicals (An Informal Introduction To The World Of Music Theatre), published in 1998 ~ Jones passed away in 2023February 17, 1926 ~ Conductor, composer Friedrich Cerha born in Vienna, Austria ~ Renowned interpreter of the works of Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Alban Berg, especially credited for completing the latter's unfinished Lulu three-act opera. During World War II Cerha was conscripted yet deserted the nazi armed forces twice, and actually participated in a number of acts of resistance against the fascist regime ~ Cerha passed away in 2023
February 17, 1926 ~ Noble Watts, commonly known as blues, jump blues, R&B saxophonist Noble Thin Man Watts, born in Deland, Florida, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with the Griffin Brothers, Nat Adderley, Lionel Hampton, Paul Williams, Dinah Washington, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Mathis, Rufus Thomas, Lucky Peterson, Raful Neal, and Floyd Miles ~ Watts passed away in 2004
February 17, 1923 ~ Boniface Ferdinand Leonard DeFranco, commonly known as clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, born in Camden, New Jersey, 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 passed away in 2014
February 17, 1920 ~ Guitarist Billy Byrd born in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Key guitarist in early country, studio musician. Helped popularize the electric lead guitar in country. Influenced by jazz players such as Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. Tutored artists such as Hank Garland and Shot Jackson. Member of Ernest Tubb's backing unit the Texas Troubadours. Also worked with artists such as the Oak Ridge Quartet, Tex Ritter, George Hamilton IV, and Jimmy Dickens ~ Byrd passed away in 2001February 17, 1913 ~ Composer, conductor René Leibowitz born in Warsaw, Poland ~ Known as an avid promoter of the Second Viennese School style after World War II. Renowned conductor acclaimed for his performances of works by composers as diverse as Ludwig van Beethoven, Jacques Offenbach, Maurice Ravel, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, and Arthur Sullivan ~ Leibowitz passed away in 1972
February 17, 1907 ~ Trumpeter, bandleader Charlie Spivak born in Kyiv, Ukraine ~ Served as sideman in bands led by Paul Specht, Ben Pollack, the Dorsey Brothers, Ray Noble, Glenn Miller, Raymond Scott, Bob Crosby, Jack Teagarden. Started his own band by the end of the 1930s, remaining one of the most popular bandleader through the late 1950s, employing sidemen such as Dave Tough, Jimmy Middleton, Les Elgart, Paul Fredricks, Don Raffell, Jimmy Knepper, June Hutton, and Irene Daye, marrying the latter in 1950 ~ Spivak passed away in 1982
February 17, 1906 ~ Jazz drummer Wallace Bishop born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Art Sims, Jelly Roll Morton, Bernie Young, Hughie Swift, Richard M Jones, Tommy Dorsey, Erskine Tate, Earl Hines, Jimmie Noone, Coleman Hawkins, Don Redman, Phil Moore, Walter Foots Thomas, John Kirby, Sy Oliver, Sammy Price, Billy Kyle, Buck Clayton, Bill Coleman, Don Byas, Ben Webster, Kid Ory, Milt Buckner, Buddy Tate, and T-Bone Walker ~ Bishop passed away in 1986February 17, 1905 ~ Orville Jones, commonly known as singer, cellist Hoppy Jones, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Member of the Ink Spots until his death at age 39. Present on hits such as If I Didn't Care, Address Unknown, My Prayer, When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano, Maybe, We Three (My Echo My Shadow & Me), and Don't Get Around Much Anymore. Jones would be succeeded by Herb Kenny, brother of the band's frontman Bill Kenny ~ Jones passed away in 1944
February 17, 1899 ~ Jazz pianist Harvey Brooks, full name Harvey Oliver Brooks, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Wrote the score for the Mae West film I'm No Angel released in 1933, making him the first African-American to have written a complete score for a major motion picture. Has toured and recorded with Mamie Smith in the 1920s. Musical director for Les Hite during the early 1930s. Brooks has also worked with Kid Ory, Teddy Buckner, and Joe Darensbourg ~ Brooks passed away in 1968February 17, 1898 ~ Jazz bandleader, violinist Alex Hyde born in Hamburg, Germany ~ Founded dance band the Romance Of Rhythm Orchestra, popular in the 1920s. Has worked with Howard McFarlane, Walker O'Neill, Eddie Grosso, Gene Sedric, and Mike Danzi ~ Hyde passed away in 1956
February 17, 1653 ~ Baroque violinist, composer Arcangelo Corelli born in Romagna, Papal States ~ Influential on Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Marked an epoch in chamber music. Pivotal to the development of moderne genres such as sonata and concerto. ~ Corelli passed away in 1713