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.
January 20, 2026 ~ Drummer, percussionist Rob Hirst, full name Robert George Hirst, passed away ~ Founding member of Midnight Oil, known for hits such as Power And The Passion, The Dead Heart, Blue Sky Mine, Truganini and perhaps their best known Beds Are Burning, the latter also reaching the American top 20 in 1987 ~ Hirst was born in 1955
January 20, 2025 ~ Rock & roll, R&B, soul, pop drummer Bob Kuban passed away ~ Drummer, bandleader of Bob Kuban & the In-Men, known for the 1966 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit Look Out For The Cheater. Considered a one-hit wonder the band would actually subsequently chart two more singles, The Teaser and a cover of the Beatles-song Drive My Car but these would stall in the bottom end of the charts ~ Kuban was born in 1940
January 20, 2025 ~ Heavy metal, glam metal guitarist, bassist, singer John Sykes, full name John James Sykes, passed away ~ Influenced by Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, and Gary Moore. Member of Tygers Of Pan Tang. Member of Thin Lizzy, present on their 1983 Thunder And Lightning album. Member of Whitesnake, present on the band's 1987 eponymous Whitesnake. Formed and fronted Blue Murder and has recorded as a solo artist since the late 1980s ~ Sykes was born in 1959
January 20, 2023 ~ Classical violinist Michaela Paetsch, full name Michaela Modjeska Paetsch, passed away in Bern, Switzerland ~ Best known for being the first American female to record all 24 Niccolò Paganini Caprices for solo violin. Had her first violin lesson at age 3. Has been performing publicly since her early teens, notably soloing with the Pueblo Symphony and the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra. Paetsch would go on to become an in-demand soloist and recorded prolifically from the late 1980s onward ~ Paetsch was born in 1961
January 20, 2022 ~ Samba singer Elza Soares, full name Elza da Conceicao Soares, passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Active since the late 1950s. Rose to fame with her debut single Se Acaso Você Chegasse, merging jazz scat singing with samba. Other well known songs include Boato, Cadeira Vazia, Só Danço Samba, Mulata Assanhada, and Aquarela Brasileira. Deemed dangerous by the Military dictatorship at the time fled to Italy in 1970 after regome agents machine-gunned her house ~ Soares was born in 1930
January 20, 2022 ~ Marvin Lee Aday, commonly known as rock singer Meat Loaf, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Praised for his powerful, operatic voice and theatrical stage presence. Best known for his Bat Out Of Hell-trilogy consisting of 1977's Bat Out Of Hell, 1993's Bat Out Of Hell II (Back Into Hell) and 2006's Bat Out Of Hell III (The Monster Is Loose). Compounded the trilogy has sold over an estimated 65 million records ~ Aday was born in 1947January 20, 2021 ~ Reggae producer Ronnie Nasralla passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ Early Jamaican producer, band manager best known for his work with the Blues Busters and Toots & the Maytals. Once rejected Bob Marley's band the Wailers, reportedly because they were “untidy,” for the 1962 Dr No Bond film club scene favoring the Dragonaires ~ Nasralla was born ca.1930
January 20, 2018 ~ Bassist Jim Rodford, full name James Walter Rodford, passed away in St Albans, UK ~ Best known as founding member of Argent, known for songs such as Hold Your Head Up and God Gave Rock & Roll To You. Following the band's disbandement in 1976 would work with the Kinks from 1978 through 1997, and with later-day incarnations of 1960s UK bands such as the Zombies and the Swinging Blue Jeans ~ Rodford was born in 1941January 20, 2018 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Terry Evans passed away ~ Influenced by Elmore James, Little Walter, Albert King, BB King. Songs Evans wrote were recorded by Pops Staples and by Louis Jordan. Collaborated with artists such as Ry Cooder, Bobby King, John Fogerty, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, John Lee Hooker, Boz Scaggs, Maria Muldaur and by Hans Theessink ~ Evans was born in 1937
January 20, 2017 ~ Joseph S Ruggiero, commonly known as pop singer, guitarist, songwriter Joey Powers, passed away in Washington, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Released about a dozen singles from the late 1950s through the early 1970s. Best known for his sole hit Midnight Mary, which reached top 10 Billboard Hot 100 in 1963 ~ Ruggiero was born in 1934
January 20, 2016 ~ Country singer Tim McGraw releases Humble And Kind, lifted off his Damn Country Music album ~ Written by Lori McKenna, Humble And Kind lists a number of things she would give her children as advise ranging from the practical to imparting strong character and moral values, yet the most important lesson is to always be humble and kind. The Tim McGraw version would be warmly received by critics, topped the Billboard Country chart, with its universal message crossed over to the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at No.30, and earned the singer several awards including a Grammy Award, a CMT Music Award, and an AMA Award. For McKenna it would be her second Billboard Country No.1 hit as a songwriter, preceded by Little Big Town's Girl Crush the previous year. McKenna would also issue her own version of Humble And Kind as a single off her 2016 The Bird And The Rifle albumJanuary 20, 2015 ~ Electronic music pioneer Edgar Froese, full name Edgar Willmar Froese passed away in Vienna, Austria ~ Founded Tangerine Dream. Had previously founded psychedelic rock outfit the Ones, once invited to play at Salvador Dali's villa. The encounter inspired Froese to seek a more experimental approach in his music ~ Froese was born in 1944
January 20, 2014 ~ Rock drummer Jan Manschot, also known as Brekken Jan Schampschot, passed away in Doetinchem, the Netherlands ~ Co-founded Normaal with Bennie Jolink, with whom he recorded over a dozen albums. The band, a mainstay in Dutch rock and one of the first to consistently gain national attention with songs performed in a regional dialect, is known especially for songs such as Oerend Hard, Net As Gisteren, Mamma Woar Is Mien Pils and Deurdonderen. Manschot has also worked with Boi Foi Toch, Bakkerij Manschot, Old Ni-js, and the Hanska Duo ~ Manschot was born in 1947
January 20, 2012 ~ Jamesetta Hawkins, commonly known as singer Etta James, passed away in Riverside, California, USA ~ Bridged the gap between R&B and rock & roll. Active since the mid 1950s. Known for songs such as All I Could Do Was Cry, The Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry), At Last, Trust In Me, Tell Mama, Something's Got A Hold On Me, I'd Rather Go Blind, and I Just Want To Make Love To You. Worked with Johnny Otis, Bobby Murray, Harvey Fuqua, Chuck Berry (sang back-up on Berry's Back In The USA), Gabriel Mekler, and Sugar Pie DeSanto ~ Hawkins was born in 1938
January 20, 2012 ~ Jazz double bassist, artist manager John Levy passed away in Altadena, California, USA ~ In addition to an impressive resume as a bassist and accompanist, Levy is often credited as the first African-American artist manager in jazz managing artists such as Cannonball Adderley, Wes Montgomery, Shirley Horn, Ramsey Lewis, and perhaps most notably Nancy Wilson. As a bass player, Levy has accompanied a wide array of artists including Stuff Smith during their tenure at The Onyx Club, Billie Holiday in her 1948 Carnegie Hall comeback concert, George Shearing on tracks such as September In The Rain, Conception, and Move, and Erroll Garner on the Savoy recordings. Levy studied the piano and violin prior to taking up the bass in high school. Levy himself found the bass was his basis, his foundation as a musician, and has been quoted as saying: “As it turned out, my forte, or what I was best known for as a musician, as a bass player, was the accompanying part of it. I had the sense of rhythm and I had the sense of the bassline and what it meant to the soloist who was playing.” As a business man, Levy cultivated an air of trust, preferring a handshake to a formal contract, and approached his work in very much the same way he approached playing, aiming to help his clients fulfill their own potential. In his memoir, Levy would remark his job was “to build with what they gave me”. Levy was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997, and named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment For The Arts in 2006 ~ Levy was born in 1912
January 20, 2012 ~ Producer, pianist, songwriter Larry Butler passed away in Pensacola, Florida, USA ~ Best known for his association with Kenny Rogers, producing albums such as Kenny Rogers, The Gambler, and Gideon. As a producer or songwriter Butler is also responsible for a wide array of hits including for BJ Thomas (Hey Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song), Jean Shepard (Seven Lonely Days), Charlie Rich (You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning), John Denver (Some Days Are Diamonds), Debby Boone { Are You On The Road To Loving Me Again), Billie Jo Spears (Blanket On The Ground), and Don McLean (Crying). Earlier Butler hit the charts as a member of Ronny & the Daytonas (GTO) and the Gentrys (Keep On Dancing, Every Day I Have To Cry Some). Has also worked as a session pianist for artists such as Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty (Hello Darlin'), George Jones, Bobby Goldsboro (Honey), Roger Miller, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Lynn Anderson ~ Butler was born in 1942
January 20, 2010 ~ Nerlynn Taitt, commonly known as guitarist, bassist Lynn Taitt, passed away in Montreal, Canada ~ Rocksteady pioneer. Worked with the Sheiks, the Cavaliers, the Comets, Baba Brooks, the Skatalites, Tommy McCook, Supersonics, the Jets, Hux Brown, Headley Bennett, Hopeton Lewis, Gladstone Anderson, Winston Wright, Bunny Lee, Duke Reid, Joe Gibbs, Coxsone Dodd, Sonia Pottinger, Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker, Lee Scratch Perry, Ken Boothe, Bob Marley, Joe Higgs, and the Kingpins ~ Taitt was born in 1934January 20, 2000 ~ Jazz pianist Don Abney, full name John Donald Abney, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Worked with Wilbur de Paris, Bill Harris, Kai Winding, Chuck Wayne, Sy Oliver, Louie Bellson, Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Oscar Pettiford, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Eartha Kitt, Pearl Bailey, Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Bellson, Benny Carter, Harry Sweets Edison, Oscar Pettiford, Al Sears, and Carol Sloane ~ Abney was born in 1923
January 20, 1996 ~ Arley Benton, commonly known as blues guitarist, singer Buster Benton, passed away in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Influenced by Sam Cooke and BB King. Member of Willie Dixon's acclaimed blues outfit the Blues All-Stars including on the acclaimed 1973 The All-Star Blues World Of Maestro Willie Dixon And His Chicago Blues Band album. As a solo artist, Benton is best known for the singles Spider In My Stew, written by Dixon, and its follow-up Money Is The Name Of The Game. Benton would subsequently issue his debut album, Spider In My Stew, in 1978. The album has been recognised as one of the prime Chicago blues albums of its day. Benton would record over half a dozen more albums until his death at age 63 ~ Benton was born in 1932
January 20, 1996 ~ Jazz, cool jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, arranger Gerry Mulligan, full name Gerald Joseph Mulligan, passed away in Darien, Connecticut, USA ~ Praised for his fluidity on the baritone sax. Recorded over 50 albums as a leader or co-leader, starting in the early 1950s. Best known for compositions such as Venus De Milo, Jeru, Walkin' Shoes, and Five Brothers. Especially acclaimed for the albums Konitz Meets Mulligan with Lee Konitz, Songbook, and What Is There To Say. Other notable collaborations include Chubby Jackson, George Wallington, Chet Baker, JJ Johnson, Teddy Wilson, Manny Albam, Billy Taylor (My Fair Lady Loves Jazz), Miles Davis (Birth Of The Cool), Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mandel, Zoot Sims (Choice), Jack Teagarden (100 Years From Today), Dave Brubeck, and T-Bone Walker ~ Mulligan was born in 1927January 20, 1995 ~ Jo Vaughn Virginie Scott, commonly known as rapper, producer, songwriter Joey Badass, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Founding member of hip-hop collective Pro-Era. As a solo artist best known for Devastated and Rockabye Baby featuring Schoolboy Q. Has also collaborated with Statik Selektah, Snakehips, Westside Boogie, and A$AP Rocky
January 20, 1988 ~ Keytarist, singer Victoria Asher, full name Victoria Jane Asher, born ~ Daughter of Peter Asher of British pop duo Peter & Gordon. Best known as keytarist for Cobra Starship from 2007 through 2015, with whom she scored the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits Good Girls Go Bad and You Make Me Feel. Asher has also worked with Optimo and Not In Town, and self-released her solo debut single, Protect This Love, in 2016
January 20, 1987 ~ Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter Peter Broderick born in Searsmont, Maine, USA ~ Brother of Heather Woods Broderick. Worked with M Ward, Zooey Deschanel, Dolorean, Horse Feathers, Norfolk & Western, Loch Lomond, Laura Gibson, Efterklang, de Machinefabriek, and Neon Dance
January 20, 1986 ~ Producer, songwriter Kane Churko, full name Kane Gregory Churko, born in Regina, Canada ~ Best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Gemini Syndrome, In This Moment, Hellyeah, Robert John Mutt Lange, Eric Valentine, Bob Dylan, Maroon 5, Smash Mouth, Hinder, the Corrs, the Vamps, Skillet, and Jason Hook
January 20, 1986 ~ Psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia, synth-pop singer, guitarist, drummer, bassist, keyboardist Kevin Parker, full name Kevin Richard Parker, born in Sydney, Australia ~ Frontman of Tame Impala, known for songs such as Patience, Borderline, It Might Be Time, Posthumous Forgiveness, Breathe Deeper, and Is It True. Has also worked with the Dee Dee Dums, Pond, Mink Mussel Creek, Melody's Echo Chamber, Space Lime Peacock, Canyons, Discodeine, Kevin Spacey. Served as producer for artists such as Mark Ronson, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Travis Scott, and the Flaming Lips
January 20, 1986 ~ New wave, pop rock outfit the Simple Minds release Sanctify Yourself, lifted off their Once Upon A Time album ~ The band's lead singer and the song's co-writer Jim Kerr often touches upon religious themes without getting religious. The uplifting Sanctify Yourself is no exception, as the uplifting lyrics empower the listeners to sanctify themselves, or make themselves holy.