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.
July 12, 2023 ~ Classical pianist André Watts passed away in Bloomington, Indiana, USA ~ Recorded a wide variety of repertoire, concentrating on Romantic composers such as Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt, yet also included George Gershwin. Has worked with renowned orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra ~ Watts was born in 1946July 12, 2020 ~ Judith Aileen Dyble, commonly known as singer, pianist, songwriter Judy Dyble, passed away in Oxfordshire, UK ~ Best known as co-founding member of Fairport Convention, present on the band's 1968 eponymous Fairport Convention debut album. Also worked with Giles Giles & Fripp and made up half of the duo Trader Horne, the other half being Jackie McAuley ~ Dyble was born in 1949
July 12, 2020 ~ Swamp pop, country, rockabilly singer, guitarist Rod Bernard, full name Rodney Ronald Louis Bernard, passed away in New Iberia, Louisiana, USA ~ Cited as a major influence by artists such as CC Adcock, Marc Broussard, Zachary Richard. Formed the 1960s swamp-pop band the Shondells with Warren Storm and Skip Stewart. As a solo artist turned to country by the 1970s. Especially acclaimed for his 1976 album Boogie In Black & White, a collaboration with Clifton Chenier considered a landmark album for its blend of Cajun and black Creole influences ~ Bernard was born in 1940
July 12, 2019 ~ Country guitarist, singer, songwriter Russell Smith, full name Howard Russell Smith, passed away in Franklin, Tennessee, USA ~ Lead singer of the Amazing Rhythm Aces. Member of Run C&W. Released a handful of solo albums, starting with his eponymous Russell Smith debut album in 1978. As a solo artist best known for his 1989 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight single. Found his biggest success as a songwriter, penning or co-penning songs for Randy Travis (Look Heart No Hands), T Graham Brown (Don't Go To Strangers), Don Williams (Heartbeat In The Darkness), Ricky Van Shelton (Keep It Between The Lines), and Mel McDaniel (Big Ole Brew) ~ Smith was born in 1949July 12, 2015 ~ Singer, songwriter Javier Krahe, full name Francisco Javier Krahe de Salas, passed away in Zahara de los Atunes, Spain ~ As a songwriter strongly influenced by Georges Brassens and Leonard Cohen. Member of La Mandragora alongside Joaquin Sabina and Alberto Pérez. As a solo artist has well over a dozen albums to his name, starting with Valle De Lagrimas released in 1980 ~ Krahe de Salas was born in 1944
July 12, 2012 ~ Percussionist Perry Baggs passed away in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, USA ~ Member of alt-country outfit Jason & the Scorchers, appearing on acclaimed albums such as Reckless Country Soul and Lost & Found before retiring from the band in 1990 for health reasons, diagnosed with diabetes ~ Baggs was born in 1962July 12, 2010 ~ Jazz, swing, choro clarinetist, saxophonist Paulo Moura passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Active since the mid 1950s with over two dozen albums to his name. Noted for his 1962 Carnegie Hall performance alongside Sérgio Mendes. Has worked with Cannonball Adderley, Herbie Mann, Clara Sverner, and Raphael Rabello ~ Moura was born in 1932
July 12, 2010 ~ Country duo Thompson Square release Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not, lifted off their eponymous debut album ~ The husband and wife duo Keifer Thompson and Shawna Thompson, collectively going by the stage name Thompson Square, had made quite an impression with the critics when they released their debut single Let's Fight, described as “one of the catchiest, best-written singles of the 2010 summer season so far“ by Roughstock, yet the single would be overlooked by audiences. However, it would be their second single, Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not, that became the hit, peaking at No.1 Billboard Country and eventually selling over 2 million copies. When Thompson Square first heard the song, penned by David Lee Murphy and Jim Collins, they immediately fell in love with it. As Keifer Thompson told the Boot: “We knew we had to record it. It was semi-autobiographical. We just gravitated towards it. We were definitely blessed to get a hold of it.” Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not was written by David Lee Murphy and Jim Collins, who had previously written the Billboard Country No.1 hit Big Green Tractor for Jason Aldean
July 12, 2010 ~ Percussionist, singer Tuli Kupferberg passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Counterculture poet, author, pacifist anarchist. Co-founded satirical rock group the Fugs with poet Ed Sanders. Eclectic and hugely influential the band is most acclaimed for their 1966 Kill For Peace album. Kupferberg is also known for appearing in Allen Ginsberg's poem How, telling of a person who “jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and walked away”. The incident in question actually occurred on the Manhattan Bridge in 1944, after which Kupferberg was picked up by a tugboat and taken to the hospital ~ Kupferberg was born in 1923
July 12, 2008 ~ Trumpeter, singer Earl Nelson passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Member of 1950s doo-wop outfit the Hollywood Flames, notably singing lead on the 1957 Buzz Buzz Buzz hit single. Formed the duo Bob & Earl with Bobby Day. As a solo artist known for his sole album The Duck, its title track reaching No.4 Billboard R&B and No.14 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, released under the moniker Jackie Lee ~ Nelson was born in 1928
July 12, 2007 ~ Alternative rock guitarist, singer Robert Burås passed away in Oslo, Norway ~ Influenced by Led Zeppelin, Burås regularly citing Rock And Roll as the song that turned him on to music. Co-founding member of Madrugada with whom he recorded four albums including the highly acclaimed The Nightly Disease released in 2001. After Burås was found dead at age 31 in his apartment, holding his beloved guitar, the remaining members finished the band's final album in its original line-up, the eponymous Madrugada released the following year. Burås also formed and fronted the side project My Midnight Creeps, with whom he recorded the albums My Midnight Creeps and Histamin ~ Burås was born in 1975
July 12, 2003 ~ Swing, jazz saxophonist, bandleader, arranger, songwriter Benny Carter, full name Bennet Lester Carter, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Though Carter also played trumpet, clarinet, and piano, he is most acclaimed as a saxophonist, and regarded a pioneer on the alto sax alongside contemporary Johnny Hodges. Carter got his start in music in the early 1920s, serving as arranger for Fletcher Henderson. Carter has also briefly led McKinney's Cotton Pickers, before forming his first band by the early 1930s. Over the years, he has employed numerous sideman who would later rise to fame including Cozy Cole, Ben Webster, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, JJ Johnson, Max Roach, and Miles Davis. Carter has recorded prolifically, and written and first recorded numerous songs which would go on to become standards, covered by many, including Blue Lou, When Lights Are Low, There I've Said It Again, Key Largo, and Summer Serenade. Carter remained active until his death at age 95, his consistency and longevity unprecedented ~ Carter was born in 1907
July 12, 1999 ~ William John Owen Rowbotham, commonly known as actor, songwriter Bill Owen, passed away in London, UK ~ Best known for portraying Compo Simmonite in the BBC comedy series Last Of The Summer Wine for over two decades. Rowbotham has also enjoyed some success as a songwriter, songs written or adapted by him recorded by the likes of Kenny Damon, Engelbert Humperdinck (Stranger Step Into My World), Cliff Richard (Marianne), Sacha Distel, and Ken Dodd ~ Rowbotham was born in 1914
July 12, 1998 ~ James Corbitt Morris, commonly known as folk singer, guitarist, banjoist, fiddler, songwriter Jimmie Driftwood, passed away in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA ~ Best known for penning and first recording The Battle Of New Orleans, based on the traditional Eighth Of January, and Tennessee Stud, both songs becoming country, folk standards covered by numerous artists. Driftwood reportedly adapted or wrote over an estimated 6,000 songs, hundreds of which have been recorded by the likes of Eddy Arnold, Odetta (He Had A Long Chain On), Porter Wagoner, Patrick Sky, Doc Watson, Malcolm Price (Get Along Yearlings), Country Joe McDonald, Sherwin Linton, Chris LeDoux, and Johnny Cash. Morris was also known as an environmental advocate, notably playing a major role in the preservation of the Blanchard Springs Caverns in the Ozark-St Francis National Forest in northern Arkansas ~ Morris was born in 1907
July 12, 1990 ~ Singer, songwriter Joan Whitney, full name Joan Whitney Kramer, passed away in Westport, Connecticut, USA ~ Student of vocal coach Alex Kramer, whom she eventually married. As a husband-wife songwriting team they would become known for penning a number of hits, notably the 1947 Jimmy Dorsey-hit High On A Windy Hill. Other successes would include Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens for Louis Jordan, Deep As The River for Harry Belafonte and Love Somebody for Buddy Clark and Doris Day ~ Whitney was born in 1915July 12, 1990 ~ Dwane Marshall Weir II, commonly known as producer, songwriter Key Wane, born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Produced for artists such as Big Sean (Guap), Jazmine Sullivan (Let It Burn), Beyoncé (Partition), Drake (All Me), Jhené Aiko, Wale, Lil Wayne, Jeezy, Juicy J, Ariana Grande, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign, and Meek Mill (Amen)
July 12, 1987 ~ Post-hardcore, pop-rock, indie pop, electro-pop singer, guitarist, bassist, pianist, songwriter Tilian Pearson born in Clearwater, Florida, USA ~ Best known as lead singer for post-hardcore unit Dance Gavin Dance since 2012, replacing Jonny Craig. First appeared on the 2013 Acceptance Speech, the band's fifth studio album. Pearson has also recorded as a solo artist, starting with Material Me released in 2013, and has worked with Tides Of Man, Emarosa, and Saosin
July 12, 1986 ~ In its 8th week on the charts, Like A Rock by Bob Seger peaks at No.12 Billboard Hot 100 ~ Bob Seger's song about pride and consistency struck a chord with working class Americans, and became a signature song for the singer. Subsequently the song would be used in an advertising campaign for Chevrolet Silverado trucks that ran for well over a decade starting in 1991. It gave the song a new life, becoming better known than on its initial release. With its lyrics about reliability, not to mention a tag line better than any advertising executive could have dreamed up, it is considered one of the all-time best choices for an ad campaign
July 12, 1985 ~ Country singer, songwriter Adam Gregory born in Edmonton, Canada ~ Released his The Way I'm Made debut album in 2000. Best known for Crazy Days and What It Takes. Other songs that would reach top 10 on the Canadian country charts include Horseshoes, Only Know I Do, Never Be Another, and Get It OnJuly 12, 1984 ~ Singer, songwriter Gareth Gates, full name Gareth Paul Gates, born in West Yorkshire, UK ~ First gained attention as contestant in the first series of Pop Idol talent show aired on ITV in 2002. Known for a string of subsequent UK hits including Anyone Of Us (Stupid Mistake), Spirit In The Sky featuring the Kumars and Sunshine. Has since ventured into musical theatre
July 12, 1983 ~ Flutist, saxophonist, keyboardist, songwriter Chris Wood, full name Christopher Gordon Blandford Wood, passed away in Birmingham, UK ~ Co-founded Traffic with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason. The band would launch the career of especially Winwood and is acclaimed for their 1968 eponymous Traffic and their 1971 The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys albums. Wood has also worked with Jimi Hendrix, appearing on the Electric Ladyland album, as well as with Free, the Small Faces, Ginger Baker's Air Force, and Chicken Shack ~ Wood was born in 1944
July 12, 1982 ~ Singer, songwriter Mahalia Barnes, full name Mahalia Violet Barnes, born in Sydney, Australia ~ Daughter of rock singer Jimmy Barnes. Got her start in music as a member of children's pop group the Tin Lids alongside several of her siblings. Has since gone on to become a session and backing singer for the likes of Jackie Bristow, Jessica Mauboy, and notably Joe Bonamassa, including on the latter's Blues Of Desperation and Redemption albums. Has also recorded as a solo artist, noted for her 2015 Ooh Yea (The Betty Davis Songbook) album with her backing unit the Soul Mates
July 12, 1981 ~ Jazz pianist Yaron Herman born in Tel Aviv, Israel ~ Leader and sideman. Influenced by Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Lennie Tristano, Brad Mehldau. Has worked with Ambrose Akinmusire, Emile Parisien, Michel Portal, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dominic Miller, Avishai Cohen, Pat Metheny, Lars Danielsson, Matt Brewer, Gerald Cleaver, Gilad Hekselman, Valgeir Sigurosson, Yael Naïm, and Matthieu Chedid
July 12, 1979 ~ Disco group KC & the Sunshine Band release Please Don't Go, lifted off their Do You Wanna Go Party album ~ The first love ballad by KC & the Sunshine Band, and their final of five Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hits since 1975. Lead singer Harry Wayne Casey, who co-wrote the song with Richard Finch, would later tell Songfacts: “Near the end of 1978, I was kind of anti-disco believe it or not, and I was trying to change a little bit from That's The Way (I Like It) and (Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty and all that. I was in the studio waiting for the next session to start, I'm sitting at the piano and I just start playing these chords, and I remember how beautiful they were. I decided that was the song I was going to record that day, and that became Please Don't Go”
July 12, 1979 ~ Soul, R&B singer Minnie Riperton, full name Minnie Julia Riperton, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Riperton released about half a dozen solo albums, starting with Come To My Garden in 1970, prior to an untimely death at age 31 by cancer. Lead singer of psychedelic soul outfit Rotary Connection. Backup singer for the likes of Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Muddy Waters, and notably Stevie Wonder, including on the albums Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs In The Key Of Life. Wonder would also co-produce Riperton's 1974 Perfect Angel sophomore album, which spawned her biggest hit and Billboard Hot 100 charttopper Lovin' You ~ Riperton was born in 1947