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 3, 2024 ~ Reggae bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist, arranger, songwriter, producer Aston Barrett, full name Aston Francis Barrett, passed away in Miami, Florida, USA ~ Helped define the role of the bass in reggae. Brother of drummer Carlton Barrett. Best known as longtime associate of Bob Marley, serving as bassist, arranger, and bandleader from 1969 until Marley's death a dozen years later. Earned the nickname “Family Man” for his role in Marley's backing unit. One of the first to incorporate a drum machine in reggae, as heard in Marley songs such as No Woman No Cry, So Jah Seh, and Johnny Was. Mentored Robbie Shakespeare of Sly & Robbie, who at some point commented: “He is a master for me. I have had help and influences from other people, but I have to give it mostly to Family Man.” ~ Barrett was born in 1946February 3, 2023 ~ Alternative rock, grunge singer, guitarist Paul Janovitz passed away in Bedford, Massachusetts, USA ~ Younger brother of Buffalo Tom frontman Bill Janovitz. Formed Cold Water Flat with bassist Ted Silva and drummer Paul Harding, known for the 1990s albums Listen and Cold Water Flat. Janovitz also worked as a photographer, noted for taking the photo of Booker T Jones that was used for the cover art of Jones's 2013 Sound The Alarm album ~ Janovitz was born ca.1969
February 3, 2022 ~ Pop, classical, orchestral guitarist, singer Peter Brideoake, full name Peter Arthur Brideoake, passed away in Adelaide, Australia ~ Member of 1960s pop group the Twilights, with whom he scored hits such as Needle In A Haystack and What's Wrong With The Way I Live. Following the band's disbandement in the late 1960s, Brideoake returned to college to formally study music and has since established himself as a songwriter and university lecturer ~ Brideoake was born in 1945
February 3, 2021 ~ Folk, traditional pop, bluegrass singer, guitarist, songwriter, activist Anne Feeney passed away in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Member of bluegrass outfit Cucumber Rapids. Best known as a lawyer and activist, focusing on social issues and especially women's rights. Debuted as a solo artist with the album Look To The Left in 1992 and has recorded as a solo artist consistently since ~ Feeney was born in 1951
February 3, 2021 ~ Singer, songwriter Jim Weatherly, full name James Dexter Weatherly, passed away in Brentwood, Tennessee, USA ~ Revered singer, songwriter wrote or co-wrote songs recorded by pop, R&B and country artists including Bob Luman, Gladys Knight (Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye), Midnight Train To Georgia), Glen Campbell (A Lady Like You), Kenny Rogers, Asha Puthli, Ray Price (If You Ever Change Your Mind), Neil Diamond, Carl Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Lynn Anderson, Brenda Lee, and Batdorf & Rodney ~ Weatherly was born in 1943
February 3, 2019 ~ Kirill Aleksandrovich Tolmatsky, commonly known as hip-hop, reggae, ragga rapper, singer Detsl, passed away in Izhevsk, Russia ~ Debuted his full-length debut album Who Are You in 2000, instantly becoming a teen idol. At one time also recorded under the moniker Le Truk in an effort to distance himself from his earlier material. Has repeatedly publicly entertained the idea of faking his own death. Died unexpectedly at age 35 of a heart attack after performing at a private birthday party ~ Tolmatsky was born in 1983
February 3, 2018 ~ Leon Chancler, commonly known as drummer Leon Ndugu Chancler, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Best known for his association with Santana. Has sporadically recorded as a solo artist and formed the late 1970s funk outfit the Chocolate Jam Co, with whom he recorded the albums The Spread Of The Future and Do I Make You Feel Better. In-demand session drummer in jazz, pop, and funk. Present on albums by Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, George Duke (Faces In Reflection), Patrice Rushen, the Weather Report, Labelle, Gato Barbieri, Minnie Riperton (Minnie), Wilton Felder, Donna Summer, the Dazz Band, Michael Jackson (Thriller), James Ingram, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner (Private Dancer), Kenny Rogers, John Lee Hooker (The Healer), Robbie Robertson, George Benson, and Sheena Easton ~ Chancler was born in 1952
February 3, 2016 ~ Drummer, singer, songwriter Maurice White passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Best known as co-founder of Earth Wind & Fire sharing co-lead vocal duties with Philip Bailey. Previously a Chess Records session drummer backing artists such as Etta James, Chuck Berry, Rotary Connection, Junior Wells, Sonny Stitt, Muddy Waters, the Impressions, the Dells, Betty Everett, Willie Dixon, Sugar Pie DeSanto, and Buddy Guy. Also backed Fontella Bass on Rescue Me, Billy Stewart on Summertime and Jackie Wilson on (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher. Member of the Jazzmen. Member of Ramsey Lewis Trio. Produced or c-produced for a number of R&B and pop artists including Deniece Williams (This Is Niecy, Song Bird), the Emotions, Minnie Riperton (Come To My Garden), Ramsey Lewis. Jennifer Holliday, Barbra Streisand (Emotion), the Urban Knights, and Paul Taylor ~ White was born in 1941
February 3, 2015 ~ Synth-pop trio Years & Years release King, lifted off their Communion debut album ~ Initially none in the band were too pleased with the song, so they went back and reworked it. The single became the biggest hit of their career, and reached top 10 in over a dozen countries including the No.1 spot in the UK. The band's frontman Olly Alexander later recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone: “When we recorded King, no one felt good about it. It sounds lame! And we could never fix it. We shelved it for awhile. When we came back to it, we just took a different approach: ‘Let's try to make it an Eighties dance-pop track.’ And we just started out with that, cut it all up, arranged it. Used that balearic flute vibe, like a bird in the forest”February 3, 2009 ~ Singer Delta Goodrem plays the first of two consecutive nights at the State Theatre, Sydney, Australia ~ With three Australian No.1 albums to her name, Delta Goodrem played her second headlining tour, the first in in four years, playing some 14 dates in just under a month. The two final concerts of her Believe Again Tour would be filmed and recorded, used for a live DVD with a running time of a little over three hours released later the same year. Cover design for the DVD was placed in the hands of her fans, the winning design selected through an online competition on her website
February 3, 2009 ~ Steel guitarist Tom Brumley, full name Thomas Rexton Brumley, passed away in San Antonio, Texas, USA ~ Son of renowned gospel singer, songwriter, music publisher Albert E Brumley. Known best for his longtime association with Buck Owens, including on key recordings such as I've Got A Tiger By The Tail, Act Naturally and notably Together Again. Also worked with Ricky Nelson, Chris Hillman, the Desert Rose Band, Glen Campbell, Guthrie Thomas, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Chris Isaak, Waylon Jennings, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Ray Price, Rod Stewart, and the Light Crust Doughboys ~ Brumley was born in 1935
February 3, 2003 ~ Jerome Albert Link Heinz, commonly known as operatic bass singer Jerome Hines, passed away in Manhattan, New York, USA ~ Made his operatic debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1941, portraying the role of Monterone in Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto. Would Anglicise his surname to Hines due to the prevalent anti-German sentiment at the start of World War II. Best known for his longtime association with the Metropolitan Opera from 1946 through 1987, his stage presence and a stentorian voice. His 1946 Met debut would make him the first US-born singer to tackle the role of Gudonov, the title role in Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Gudonov. He would reprise the role in 1968 at the Bolshoi Theatre, famously for Soviet leader Nikita Kruschev on the eve of the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis ~ Heinz was born in 1921February 3, 2002 ~ Southern gospel singer James Blackwood, full name James Webre Blackwood, passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ The only person to have been nominated for a Grammy Award for 28 consecutive years, winning 9 times including for the 1966 album The Grand Old Gospel and its 1967 follow-up More Grand Old Gospel both of which collaborations of Porter Wagoner and the Blackwood Brothers ~ Blackwood was born in 1919
February 3, 1998 ~ Boy band NSYNC release I Want You Back, lead single off their eponymous NSYNC debut album ~ For a while it seemed boy bands were going out of fashion, but then the Backstreet Boys and the newly formed NSYNC hit the charts. I Want You Back was tested over in Europe where it scored reasonably well. In their native America, the single would be released in early 1998 and exposure on a Disney special got them the attention of American audiences. The single would rise to No.13 Billboard Hot 100, and reached top 10 in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the UK. Boy bands were back, and through the early 2000s NSYNC would score half a dozen American top 10 hits. The band would also serve as a launching pad for Justin Timberlake, who would go on to a sucessful solo career
February 3, 1992 ~ Country singer Garth Brooks releases Papa Loved Mama, lead single off his Ropin' The Wind album ~ Written by Garth Brooks and Kim Williams, the single would become yet another Billboard Country top 10 hit for the singer, peaking at No.3. The song takes its title and chorus from a Carl Sandburg poem: “Papa loved mama, Mama loved men, Mama's in the graveyard, Papa's in the pen.” A newspaper story of a semi-tractor crashing into a seedy motel inspired Brooks to write a fictional account of a man taking revenge on his unfaithful wife. Brooks would later remark: “Now I don't know if the trucker just fell asleep and hit the place or what. I don't think it was planned like a murder or anything. But it gave us the ingredients for a song”February 3, 1992 ~ Herman Cook, commonly known as hard bop tenor saxophonist Junior Cook passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Best known for his association with Horace Silver. Also worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Blue Mitchell, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Louis Hayes, Bill Hardman, McCoy Tyner, Clifford Jordan, Kenny Burrell, Cedar Walton, Louis Hayes, Larry Gales, and Bertha Hope ~ Cook was born in 1934
February 3, 1990 ~ Kisean Paul Anderson, commonly known as hip-hop, reggae fusion, dancehall, dance-pop singer, rapper, songwriter Sean Kingston born in Kingston, Jamaica ~ Known for hits such as Fire Burning and Eenie Meenie and his debut single and perhaps his biggest hit Beautiful Girls, the latter topping the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007. Has collaborated with Natasha Bedingfield, Baby Bash, Bun B, Flo Rida, Gorilla Zoe, and Dizzee Rascal
February 3, 1988 ~ Chantelle Paige Soutas, commonly known as actress, pop singer, songwriter Chantelle Paige, born in Los Gatos, California, USA ~ Member of R&B, rap group Flipsyde, present on the band's 2009 State Of Survival sophomore album. Prior to her stint with the band gained attention through her MySpace videos and as an unsigned artist has opened for the likes of the Pussycat Dolls, Robin Thicke, and Pretty RickyFebruary 3, 1988 ~ Rock, math rock, post-hardcore bassist Tim Feerick born ~ Best known as member of Dance Gavin Dance, initially as a touring member. Feerick became an official full-time member in 2013. The band is best known as thriving force behind and regular headliner of Swanfest music festival and for their 2016 Mothership album which reached top 20 on the Billboard Hot 200 album charts ~ Feerick passed away in 2022
February 3, 1986 ~ Radio DJ Angelique Houtveen born in Utrecht, the Netherlands ~ Active on Dutch national radio since the early-2010s. Won the 2013 Marconi Award for “Aanstormend Talent” (Up and comer). Especially knowledgeable in R&B, rap, hip-hop from the 1990s onwards. Has worked for stations such as 3FM, NPO Radio 6 and FunX
February 3, 1981 ~ Sebastien Akchoté-Bozovic, mononymously known as DJ, producer SebastiAn, born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France ~ Actively recording since the late 2000s, his 2008 Remixes debut album consisting of remixes, his 2011 sophomore Total filled with originals. Has composed soundtracks for the films Our Day Will Come, The World Is Yours and Steak, also acting in the latter. Has served as remixer and producer for the likes of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Daft Punk, the Beastie Boys, Kavinsky, Frank Ocean, Uffie, and Yoann LemoineFebruary 3, 1980 ~ Conductor, arranger, film composer Ray Heindorf, full name Raymond John Heindorf, passed away in Tarzana, California, USA ~ Staff composer, arranger, conductor working for Warner Bros for nearly four decades. Notable credits include the 1954 Judy Garland film A Star Is Born, serving as musical director. Won three Academy Awards for Best Score of a Musical, namely for Yankee Doodle Dandy, This Is The Army, and The Music Man ~ Heindorf was born in 1908
February 3, 1978 ~ Leslie Feist, commonly known as indie pop singer, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer Feist, born in Amherst, Canada ~ Member of Broken Social Scene. Debuted as a solo artist with the Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) album in 1999 and though her debut itself did little, Feist has been recording to critical acclaim and commercial success since. Known for songs such as Mushaboom, My Moon My Man, 1234 and How Come You Never Go There
February 3, 1977 ~ Ramón Luis Ayala Rodriguez, commonly known as rapper, singer, songwriter Daddy Yankee, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico ~ Known as “the King of Reggaeton”, a genre he not only helped define but also actually named coining the term. Known for songs such as Gasolina, Los Que Pasó Pasó and Rompé. Has collaborated with Yandel, De La Ghetto, Luis Fonsi, Romeo Santos, Play 'n Skillz, and Natti Natasha
February 3, 1976 ~ Øyvind Sauvik, commonly known as hip-hop, rap singer, songwriter Vinni, born in Arendal, Norway ~ Formed the hip hop duo the Paperboys with Jarle JJ Hollerud. The duo would score the hits What You Need, One Day, Wiggle It, Keep It Cool, and Lonesome Traveler, all of which would reach top 10 in their native Norway. Sauvik has subsequently recorded as a solo artist, starting with the album Happily Lost released in 2010 with his backing unit under the monniker Vinni & the Vagabonds. Well-known solo hits include Sommerfuggel I Vinterland and Godmorgen Norge