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 25, 1927 ~ Banjo player, singer Ralph Stanley born in McClure, Virginia, USA ~ Member of iconic bluegrass band the Stanley Brothers. Also formed the Clinch Mountain Boys which at times included sidemen such as Curly Ray Cline, Melvin Goin, Larry Sparks, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Charlie Sizemore, Ron Thomason, James Alan Shelton, Sammy Adkins, Ernie Thacker, Jimmy Cameron, Ralph Stanley II, Mitchell van Dyke, Jimmie Vaughn, and Alex Hibbits ~ Stanley passed away in 2016
February 25, 1920 ~ Jazz, R&B tenor, alto saxophonist Eddie Chamblee, full name Edwin Leon Chamblee, born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ Worked with Sonny Thompson (including on the 1948 hits Long Gone and Late Freight), the Four Blazes, Lionel Hampton, Amos Milburn, Lowell Fulson, Dinah Washington (with whom he was briefly married), Milt Buckner, Dodo Greene, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker (on the 1955 album T-Bone Blues), and the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band ~ Chamblee passed away in 1999
February 25, 1919 ~ Cellist, composer Fred Katz born in Williamsburg, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Among the earliest to establish the cello as viable improvising solo instrument in jazz. Classically trained. Studied under Pablo Casale. Played with several symphony orchestra before finding fame in jazz, perhaps most notably as a member of Chico Hamilton's 1950's quintet. Noted composer for TV and film soundtracks. Also worked with Carmen McRae, Dorothy Ashby, Paul Horn, Ken Nordine, and Pete Rugolo ~ Katz passed away in 2013
February 25, 1912 ~ Blues singer, guitarist Arthur Big Boy Spires born in Natchez, Mississippi, USA ~ Fronted the Rocket Four, known for their 1952 recording Murmur Low. The single sold poorly but is today seen as a classic of the Chicago blues genre. It featured a three-guitar line up consisting of Spires, Eddie El and Earl Dranes, and maracas by Willie Big Eyes Smith. Spires has also worked with Lightnin' Hopkins in the late 1930s ~ Spires passed away in 1990
February 25, 1879 ~ Composer, conductor Otakar Ostrcil born in Prague, Czechoslovakia ~ Influenced by Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg. Considered one of the leading composers in Czech Modernism, alongside Josef Suk and Vítezslav Novák. Best known for his symphonic works Impromptu, Suite In C Minor and Symfonietta and his operas Poupé and Honzovo Kralovstvi ~ Ostrcil passed away in 1935