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 26, 2026 ~ Richard Alan Beirach, commonly known as jazz pianist, composer Richie Beirach or Richard Beirach, passed away in Worms, Germany ~ Leader and sideman. Frequent collaborator of Dave Liebman since the late 1960s. Has also worked with artists such as Frank Tua, Terumasa Hino, Masahiko Togashi, George Mraz, Jack DeJohnette, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, George Coleman, Andy Laverne, Billy Hart, George Adams, John Abercrombie, Chet Baker, and Jeremy Steig ~ Beirach was born in 1947
January 26, 2026 ~ Lowell Fillmore Dunbar, commonly known as drummer Sly Dunbar, passed away ~ Cites the Skatalites-drummer Lloyd Knibb, Stax/Volt stalwart Al Jackson Jr, and Bob Marley-drummer Carlton Barrett as influences. Best known for his longtime association with bassist Robbie Shakespeare, the duo sessioning together on numerous Jamaican recordings since the early 1970s. By 1980 they would found their own Taxi Records label, releasing their own music as well as pivotal records by the likes of Black Uhuru, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Ini Kamoze, Beenie Man, and Red Dragon. As the 1980s progressed Sly & Robbie would also become an in-demand duo for numerous American and British artists appearing on recordings by Joan Armatrading, Grace Jones (Nightclubbing), Joe Cocker (Sheffield Steel), Carly Simon, Gwen Guthrie, Nona Hendryx, Bob Dylan (Empire Burlesque), Mick Jagger, Yoko Ono, and Simply Red ~ Dunbar was born in 1952
January 26, 2024 ~ Jazz, jazz fusion, R&B, funk, rock guitarist Dean Brown passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ One of the most respected jazz guitarists of his generation, praised for his virtuosity and innovative approach. Has recorded five albums as a leader, starting with Here in 2000, often featuring all-star casts of regular collaborators. As a sideman, Brown has appeared on albums by Vital Information, Billy Cobham, Kirk Whalum (And You Know That), Bob James (Grand Piano Album), Steps Ahead, the Brecker Brothers, Marcus Miller (Tales), Till Brönner, Roberta Flack, Ricky Peterson (Souvenir), David Sanborn, Nelson Rangell (Always), Jason Miles, and Joe Zawinul ~ Dean was born in 1955
January 26, 2024 ~ Vibraphonist Michel Hausser passed away in Munster, France ~ Played the accordion before switching to vibraphone by his late teens. Sessioned prolifically in the 1950s and 1960s, backing the likes of Eddy Barclay, Christian Chevallier, Henri Crolla, Benny Golson, Stéphane Grappelli, Roger Guérin, Bobby Jaspar, Lucky Thompson, and Sarah Vaughan. Formed his own trio in the mid 1960s with bassist Jacky Samson and a rotating roster of drummers. Hausser relocated to Germany in the 1970s, where he worked as a teacher ~ Hausser was born in 1927
January 26, 2023 ~ Pianist, organist Dean Daughtry, full name William Dean Daughtry, passed away in Huntsville, Alabama, USA ~ Keyboardist for Classics IV after Joe Wilson left, appearing on the 1968 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit Spooky. Co-founding and sole constant member of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, with whom he recorded about a dozen albums. The band is best known for the late 1970s Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits So In To You and Imaginary Lover. Other well known songs include Doraville, I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight, and Do It Or Die ~ Daughtry was born in 1946January 26, 2012 ~ Douglas Clare Fischer, commonly known as keyboardist, arranger, composer Clare Fischer, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Best known for penning and first recording Pensative and Morning, the former covered by the likes of George Shearing, Art Blakey, and Freddie Hubbard, while the latter has been covered by Sérgio Mendes, Donald Byrd, and Tito Puente. As a leader or solo pianist, Fischer has recorded over fifty albums since the early 1960s including perhaps most notably America The Beautiful, Starbright, Just Me (Solo Piano Excursions), and On A Turquoise Cloud. As a sideman, Fischer has appeared on albums by Cal Tjader, the Jazz Crusaders, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Henry Mancini, Moacir Santos, Hubert Laws (In The Beginning), Art Pepper, George Benson (Give Me The Night), and Jeff Berlin, while as an arranger he has worked with Chaka Khan, DeBarge, Robert Palmer, Prince (Diamonds And Pearls), Diane Schuur, Céline Dion, Tony Toni Toné, and Al Jarreau ~ Fischer was born in 1928
January 26, 2011 ~ Charles Elzer Loudermilk, commonly known as country singer, guitarist, songwriter Charlie Louvin, passed away in Wartrace, Tennessee, USA ~ Formed the Louvin Brothers with Ira Louvin, the duo considered one of the most important sibling acts of the 1940s and 1950s, influential especially on Gram Parsons, the Byrds, and Emmylou Harris. Well known songs include When I Stop Dreaming, I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby, Cash On The Barrelhead, and My Baby's Gone. Most of the Louvin Brothers catalogue was penned by Ira and Louvin, numerous of their songs becoming country standards covered by Bill Monroe, Porter Wagoner, Don Gibson, Ray Charles, Etta James, Del McCoury, Uncle Tupelo, Ralph Stanley, Dolly Parton, and Alison Krauss. In 1963, two years before Ira's death in a traffic accident, the Louvin Brothers disbanded. Louvin has since recorded prolifically as a solo artist, notably Something To Brag About issued in 1971. Later on in his career, Louvin would on occasion guest on albums by the likes of Rhonda Vincent, Melba Montgomery, Jeannie Seely, and Lucinda Williams ~ Loudermilk was born in 1927
January 26, 2011 ~ Edwin Mordue, commonly known as jazz saxophonist Eddie Mordue, passed away in London, UK ~ Considered one of the finest sax players to emerge from the heyday of British big band music. Professionally active since an early age, moving to London at age 13 to play with Archie's Juvenile Band and subsequently hone his skills working with Eric Winstone during World War II. Mordue's first wife was singer Julie Dawn, with whom he also regularly collaborated. Mordue was a fixture on the 1950s West End jazz scene, notably as a member of Jack Nathan's band, regularly playing the the London Palladium, before focusing on his work as a freelancer. Over the course of his career, Mordue has performed and recorded with the likes of Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Dusty Springfield, Alexis Korner, and Shirley Bassey, as well as orchestras for several TV shows, and in numerous soundtracks including The Pink Panther and several James Bond films. Mordue continued to perform until his death at age 83. Mordue never lost his sense of humor, as reportedly his last words were “yes, rock & roll” in reply to the ambulance medics asking him if he had any allergies ~ Mordue was born in 1928January 26, 2011 ~ Singer Gladys Horton, full name Gladys Catherine Horton, passed away in Sherman Oaks, California, USA ~ Founder, lead singer of the Marvelettes, known for songs such as Playboy, Strange I Know, As Long As I Know He's Mine, Too Many Fish In The Sea, Don't Mess With Bill, The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game, and My Baby Must Be A Magician, all of which reached top 10 Billboard R&B. Their biggest hit, Please Mr Postman released in 1961, would be the first Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit for the Motown label ~ Horton was born in 1945
January 26, 2010 ~ Singer Lady Gaga releases Telephone featuring Beyoncé, lifted off her The Fame Monster EP ~ Lady Gaga initially wrote Telephone for Britney Spears, who recorded a demo version for her Circus album. Subsequently, Gaga and Spears tried the song as a duet, but that didn't pan out either. Eventually, Gaga brought in Beyoncé, with the final version making it to Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster EP. The single would reach No.3 Billboard Hot 100, making it Gaga's sixth American top 10 hit
January 26, 2009 ~ Country, country-pop outfit Lady Antebellum release I Run To You, lifted off their eponymous debut album ~ Despite lukewarm critical reception, I Run To You became their second single to reach top 10 Billboard Country, preceded by Love Don't Live Here, and their first to top the chart. The song finds singers Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott turning to eachother to escape the negativity and prejudice of the world. On the subject of the song, not a typical subject for a country song, co-writer Tom Douglas has stated: “Most people will tell you to write for the quintessential guy on the bar stool, and not get above his head. I think that guy is a lot smarter than we give him credit for. This song has a pretty intelligent, mature lyric and I think the guy on the bar stool got it. Our experiences are pretty universal, and I think he wants to run from prejudice and pessimists just like I do. You don't have to have an MBA from Harvard University to feel that kind of thing, it's all pretty universal”
January 26, 1998 ~ Singer Will Smith releases Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, lifted off his Big Willie Style album ~ As Gettin' Jiggy Wit It drew from Sang And Dance by the Bar-kays, Love Rap by Spoonie Gee, and He's The Greatest Dancer by the Pointer Sisters, no less than twelve songwriters received co-writing credit. Rapper Nas also contributed to the lyrics but is not mentioned as a co-writer, as he would later explain his contribution was only minimal: “I hung out with Will Smith in the studio. And watched him write it. It was a fun studio session, and I said a line or two or three to him. It wasn't that serious. Will Smith wrote that song.” Originating from a derogatory term for African-Americans, “Jiggy” somehow acquired the meaning of being cool and trendy, in the context of the song referring mostly to dancing effectively, and as the single became a hit the term made the leap from street slang to the popular lexicon. Gettin' Jiggy Wit It would reach top 10 across the globe including in the Netherlands, Ireland, the UK, and America, spending three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the latter, and earned Smith a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. It would be the second consecutive year Smith earned a Grammy, as Men In Black had won in the same category the previous year
January 26, 1996 ~ Double bassist, conductor Henry Lewis, full name Henry Jay Lewis, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Married to singer Marilyn Horne from 1960 until 1972. Child prodigy. Member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic by age 16. Director of the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra. Also worked with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Itzhak Perlman, Misha Dichter, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra ~ Lewis was born in 1932January 26, 1993 ~ Composer Kenneth Gaburo, full name Kenneth Louis Gaburo, passed away in Iowa City, Iowa, USA ~ Professor of music at the University Of Illinois, the University Of California, the University Of Iowa. Founded Lingua Press, publishing scores, books, and films. As a composer perhaps best known for his Flow Of U, a minimalist composition for three voices published in 1974 ~ Gaburo was born in 1926
January 26, 1989 ~ Soul, R&B, disco singer Donnie Elbert passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Active from the mid 1950s throught the late 1970s. Member of 1950s doo-wop outfit the Vibraharps, known for songs such as Walk Beside Me. Debuted as a solo artist in 1957 with What Can I Do, which reached top 20 on the R&B charts. Best known for his 1971 single Where Did Our Love Go ~ Elbert was born in 1936
January 26, 1987 ~ Composer, conductor Charles Wolcott, full name Charles Frederick Wolcott, passed away in Haifa, Israel ~ Best known as a composer, musical director for Disney. Wrote music for cartoon shorts and feature films such as Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and Bambi. Served as musical director on films including Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Song Of The South and Fun And Fancy Free ~ Wolcott was born in 1909
January 26, 1987 ~ Singers Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt release To Know Him is To Love Him, lead single off their collaborative Trio album ~ Written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on Spector's father's tombstone: “to know him was to love him.” First recorded in 1958 by the Teddy Bears, the only group that had Spector as a member. Several other hit versions have been recorded since, the text and title sometimes changed to To Know You Is To Love You, notably a hit for Peter & Gordon in 1965 and for Bobby Vinton in 1969. The song would be resurrected in the mid-1980s by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, who took it to the top of the Billboard Country charts in 1987, partly due to heavy rotation of the clip on CMT. The video clip was shot and directed by Star Wars-director George Lucas, then Ronstadt's boyfriend
January 26, 1985 ~ Drummer Kenny Clarke, full name Kenneth Clarke Spearman, passed away in Montreuil, France ~ Major innovator of bebop drumming, shifting the time-keeping rhythm from the bass drum to the ride cymbal. Well over two dozen albums as a leader, noted particularly for his 1955 album Bohemia After Dark, and Change Of Scenes released in 1971. Member of the Modern Jazz Quartet through 1955, with whom he also performed at the very first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954. A revered sideman, Clarke is present on albums by Cal Tjader, Sonny Criss, Milt Jackson (Wizard Of The Vibes), André Hodeir, Thelonious Monk (Genius Of Modern Music Vol.1), Zoot Sims, Bud Powell, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Eddie Bert, Urbie Green (Blues And Other Shades Of Green), Joe Wilder, Charles Mingus, Phineas Newborn Jr (Here Is Phineas), Carmen McRae, Bud Powell, Miles Davis (Birth Of The Cool), Victor Feldman (Suite Sixteen), Gigi Gryce, Oscar Pettiford, Dexter Gordon (Our Man In Paris), Nathan Davis (The Hip-Walk), and Don Patterson ~ Clarke was born in 1914January 26, 1983 ~ Alonzo Keith Mathis Jr, commonly known as MC Gorilla Zoe, born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ Member of rap group Boyz n Da Hood, replacing Young Jeezy in 2006. Released his Welcome To The Zoo debut album in 2007, which spawned the modest hit Hood Nigga. Collaborated with Yung Joc on Coffee Shop and Bottle Poppin'. Has alos collaborated with Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Cheri Dennis, Santigold, T-Pain, and Juicy J
January 26, 1983 ~ Rory William Quigley, commonly known as hip-hop producer Harry Fraud, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Fixture in the New York underground scene. Reached mainstream succes producing French Montana's Shot Caller single. Has also worked with Smoke DZA, Curren$y, Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, the Weeknd, Troy Ave, NORE, Rich the Kid, and Jack Harlow
January 26, 1981 ~ Indie rock guitarist, singer Dante DeCaro born ~ Key member of Hot Hot Heat, present on Make Up The Breakdown and Elevator, considered the band's two best albums. Prior to joining the band, DeCaro had been a fan of the band which then lacked a guitar player. With the addition of DeCaro's adventurous guitar playing, the band would gain traction. As the guitarist stated in a later interview with Guitar World: “It wasn't just that our career was suddenly moving at warp speed, it was music itself. Rock music had this sudden shift, and we were right in the middle of it.“ Following his departure from the band, citing the band's grueling touring schedule, DeCaro initially teamed up with Wolf Parade drummer Arlen Thompson to play acoustic shows, and joined Wolf Parade later the same year. DeCaro remained with Wolf Parade for over a dozen years, during which time he recorded four albums with the band including the highly acclaimed At Mount Zoomer. DeCaro has also guested on alternative country band Blood Meridian's 2006 Kick Up The Dust album, briefly played bass in Frog Eyes, and fronted his own outfit Johnny & the MoonJanuary 26, 1976 ~ Gospel singer, keyboardist, songwriter Tye Tribbett, full name Tyrone Tribbett, born in Camden, New Jersey, USA ~ Choir director, founder of Greater Anointing, recording since 2000 and best known for their Grammy Award-winning Greater Than album released in 2013. Tribett and his wife are pastors of the LiVe Church in Orlando, Florida
January 26, 1974 ~ Jazz clarinetist Archie Semple, full name Archibald Stuart Nisbet Semple, passed away in London, UK ~ Brother of trumpeter John Semple, with whom he frequently worked. Influenced by Edmond Hall and Pee Wee Russell. Considered one of the finest clarinetists of his day, praised for his rich and quirky imagination. Perhaps best known for his association with Alex Welsh from the mid 1950s through the 1960s. Semple has also played with Freddy Randall, Roy Crimmins, Mick Mulligan, Diz Disley, Nat Gonella, Humphrey Lyttelton, and Acker Bilk. Semple has recorded about half a dozen albums as a leader, starting with Jazz For Young Lovers released in 1960. Semple passed away at age 36, his health frailed by chronic alcoholism ~ Semple was born in 1928January 26, 1971 ~ Ambient, drone sampler, theremin player, guitarist Helge Sten, also known as Deathprod, born in Roros, Norway ~ Married to singer Susanna Wallumrød. Best known for a collection of works, released as a box set in 2004 under the moniker Deathprod. Member of Supersilent. Staff producer with the Rune Grammofon label, working with artists such as Motorpsycho and Biosphere
January 26, 1971 ~ Jazz, blues, R&B saxophonist Nat Perrilliat, full name Nathaniel Perrilliat, passed away in Sacramento, California, USA ~ Active since the early 1950s. Worked with Professor Longhair, Smiley Lewis, Shirley & Lee, Ellis Marsalis Jr, Alvin Batiste, Nat Adderley, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino, Barbara George, Clarence Frogman Henry, Junior Parker, and Joe Tex ~ Perrilliat was born in 1936