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 20, 1944 ~ Folk rock singer, songwriter, playwright, screenwriter Jo Carol Pierce born in Wellington, Texas, USA ~ Schoolmate of Butch Hancock and Joe Ely, the latter encouraging her to become a songwriter. High school sweatheart of Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Widely acclaimed for her 1995 Bad Girls Upset By The Truth debut album ~ Pierce passed away in 2022
July 20, 1944 ~ William Neal Browder, commonly known as country singer TG Sheppard, born in Humboldt, Tennessee, USA ~ Scored close to two dozen Billboard Country charttopppers from the mid 1970s through the mid-1980s including Devil In The Bottle, I Loved 'Em Every One, Only One You, Finally and Make My Day, the latter a collaboration with actor Clint Eastwood. Sheppard is married to singer, songwriter Kelly Lang
July 20, 1941 ~ Jazz baritone saxophonist, clarinetist Charles Tyler, full name Charles Lacy Tyler, born in Cadiz, Kentucky, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Ornette Coleman, Sunny Murray, Arthur Blythe, Bobby Bradford, David Murray, Steve Reid, Cecil Taylor, Billy Bang, Sun Ra, Khan Jamal, Steve Lacy, Albert Ayler, Wilber Morris, and Hal Russell ~ Tyler passed away in 1992July 20, 1940 ~ Monica Danielsson, commonly known as pianist, songwriter, actress Monica Dominique born in Vasterås, Sweden ~ Married to composer Carl-Axel Dominique, with whom she regularly worked including co-writing the 1973 Swedish Eurovision Songfestival entry You're Summer performed by Nova. Member of Solar Plexus. Member of Gals & Pals. Has also recorded as a solo artist and has collaborated with Carol Rogers, Monica Nielsen, and her brother bassist Palle Danielsson
July 20, 1938 ~ James Tigner Jr, commonly known as R&B, soul singer, drummer Jimmy Tig, born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ Recorded as a leader with various units, best known for Small Town Girl and A Love That Never Grows Cold, from the 1950s through the early 1970s. Would enjoy popularity particular in the Southern states. As a backing musician Tig has worked with a wide array of artists including James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, the Drifters, and Gladys Knight ~ Tigner passed away in 2007
July 20, 1938 ~ Pop singer, dancer, songwriter Jo-Ann Campbell born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA ~ Best known for her 1962 I'm The Girl From Wolverton Mountain single, an answer song to Claude King's Wolverton Mountain. Other charting singles include Motorcycle Michael and Mother Please (I'd Rather Do It Myself). Retired from music in 1964 after marrying producer Troy Seals
July 20, 1935 ~ Organist André Isoir born in Saint-Dizier, France ~ Recorded over 50 albums. Acclaimed for his interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's The Art Of The Fugue. Best known as head organist at Eglise St Medard church, a position he held from 1952 through 1967 ~ Isoir passed away in 2016
July 20, 1935 ~ Thomas Paulsley LaBeff, commonly known as rockabilly, rock & roll, blues, gospel, country singer, guitarist Sleepy LaBeef, born in Smackover, Arkansas, USA ~ Influenced by George Jones, Bill Monroe, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Elvis Presley. Earned the nickname “Sleepy” for his lazy eye. Actively recording since the mid 1950s, initially focusing on rockabilly with songs such as I'm Through. Best known for a number of late 1960s, early 1970s singles notably Every Day and Blackland Farmer. Would continue to record and tour extensively, at times playing up to 300 sets per year, well throughout the 2010s ~ LaBeff passed away in 2019
July 20, 1934 ~ Label executive, A&R scout, label founder, producer Bob Krasnow, full name Robert Alan Krasnow, born in Rochester, New York, USA ~ Associated with various labels including King Records, Blue Thumb Records, Loma Records, Elektra Records, Warner Bros Records, Asylum Records. Co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Discovered and signed Captain Beefheart, produced Beefheart's acclaimed 1967 Safe As Milk debut album. Krasnow was also helpful in advancing the careers of acts such as Ben Sidran, Gerry Rafferty, Hugh Masekela, the Pointer Sisters, Marc Bolan, Clifton Chenier, John Mayall, Chaka Khan, Funkadelic, Teddy Pendergrass, Womack & Womack, Public Image Ltd, and the Cure ~ Krasnow passed away in 2016
July 20, 1934 ~ Singer, mandolinist Ralph Rinzler, full name Ralph Carter Rinzler, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Key figure in the folk revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s, helpful in introducing a wide array of musicians to a wider audience. Best known as a member of bluegrass outfit the Greenbriar Boys, for whom he co-wrote Stewball. An in-demand sideman and collaborator, Rinzler has appeared on albums by Shirley Collins, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Doc Watson, Patrick Sky (Patrick Sky), and Joan Baez. Rinzler is also known as a curator for the Smithsonian Museum, and as co-founder of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival held annually in Washington DC since 1967 ~ Rinzler passed away in 1994
July 20, 1933 ~ Rock & roll singer Buddy Knox, full name Buddy Wayne Knox, born in Happy, Texas, USA ~ First singer of the rock and roll era to reach the top of the charts with a self-penned song, his Party Doll produced by Norman Petty hitting the No.1 spot in 1957. Subsequently, Knox would score several more hits through the early 1960s, most notably Hula Love and Lovey Dovey. Buddy Holly-drummer Jerry Allison would later state Knox's Party Doll had served as inspiration for his drumming on the Holly track Not Fade Away ~ Knox passed away in 1999July 20, 1933 ~ Michelle Jacqueline Jeanne Fricault, commonly known as lyricist, songwriter Michelle Senlis, born in Montgeron, France ~ Wrote or co-wrote songs such as C'Est Un Jour A Naples for Dalida, Rachel for Juliette Gréco and Quatre Cents Enfants Noir for Christine Sevres. Others who recorded her songs include Edith Piaf, Leo Ferré, Marguerite Monnot, Jean Ferrat, Fabienne Thibeault, Hugues Aufray, Noëlle Cordier, Mireille Mathieu, Regine Zylberberg and Jacques Hustin ~ Senlis passed away in 2020
July 20, 1932 ~ Folk singer, banjoist, songwriter Iain Mackintosh born in Glasgow, UK ~ Inspired to take up the banjo after attending a Pete Seeger concert. Known for his self-deprecating wit Mackintosh was regarded as a vital exponent of the Scottish folk revival. Over a dozen albums to his name as a solo artist, starting in the early 1970s. Perhaps best known for penning Pawn Song, recorded with his first band the Islanders. Also a member of the Skerries, and the Other Half. Regularly backed artists such as Hamish Imlach, Gaberlunzie, and Watt Nicoll ~ Mackintosh passed away in 2006
July 20, 1928 ~ Jazz double bassist, engineer, producer Peter Ind born in Middlesex, UK ~ Played violin and piano through his teens, including professionally, before switching to bass. Ind had been active since the late 1940s, briefly serving in the house band on the luxury liner the Queen Mary, before relocating to New York altogether where he would work with Lee Konitz, Buddy Rich, Booker Ervin, Mal Waldron, Slim Gaillard, and notably mentor Lennie Tristano. By the mid 1950s, Ind had branched out into production and engineering, recording sessions by Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, and Booker Little, founded his own recording studio, and pioneered overdubbing of jazz music, both for his own endeavours as well as freelancing for several labels. As a leader, co-leader, or solo performer, Ind has recorded over half a dozen albums, including notably Looking Out released in 1961. Ind returned to the UK by the mid 1960s, where he woulkd continue to perform, run several jazz clubs, and author two books, including Jazz Visiosn (Lennie Tristano And His Legacy), a memoir of his association with Tristano and the 1950s New York jazz scene ~ Ind passed away in 2021
July 20, 1927 ~ Composer, conductor Michael Gielen, full name Michael Andreas Gielen, born in Dresden, Germany ~ Closely associated with the Royal Swedish Opera. Premiered works by György Ligeti, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bernd Alois Zimmermann. Has also worked with the Oper Frankfurt, the National Orchestra Of Belgium, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ~ Gielen passed away in 2019
July 20, 1922 ~ Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr, commonly known as jazz, swing saxophonist Ernie Wilkins, born in St Louis, Missouri, USA ~ Played violin and piano as a child before settling on the saxophone. Perhaps best known for his association with Count Basie, as an arranger playing a key role in the development of Basie's sound in the early 1950s. Wilkins has served as musical director for Cannonball Adderley, Dinah Washington, Oscar Peterson, and Buddy Rich, recorded over a dozen albums as a leader or co-leader, including the acclaimed 1955 Flutes And Reeds album, and has worked in one capacity or another on albums by Paul Quinichette, Tubby Hayes, Kenny Clarke, Sarah Vaughan, Milt Jackson, Manny Albam (Jazz Workshop), Dizzy Gillespie, Big Joe Turner, Zoot Sims, Ray Charles, Maynard Ferguson, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Joe Newman, Eddie Lockjaw Davis (Trane Whistle), Ray Brown, Sam Jones (Down Home), King Curtis, and Charles McPherson ~ Wilkins passed away in 1999
July 20, 1919 ~ Bassist, upright bassist Arnold Fishkind, full name Arnold Aaron Fishkind, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Got his start in music in the mid 1930s, working with the likes of Bunny Berigan, Jack Teagarden, and Les Brown. After serving in the US Army during World War II, Fishkind would go on to become a versatile bassist most closely associated with technically brilliant improvisers such as Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano. Fishkind has also appeared on albums by Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Billy Bauer (Let's Have A Session), Tony Aless, Ella Fitzgerald (Lullabies Of Birdland), Eartha Kitt (Down To Eartha), Coleman Hawkins, Maynard Ferguson, Miles Davis, Bobby Short, Enoch Light (Dimension 3), Guy Mitchell, and Peanuts Hucko ~ Fishkind passed away in 1999
July 20, 1917 ~ Country songwriter, singer Cindy Walker born in Mart, Texas, USA ~ In 1940, accompanying her parents on a business trip to Los Angeles, Walker visited the Bing Crosby Enterprises Building on an impulse to pitch her Lone Star Trail song. Crosby's brother Larry Crosby was impressed, and arranged a demo session at Paramount Studios. It would land Walker a recording contract, while Lone Star Trail became a top 10 hit for Bing Crosby. Walker went on to become a prolific songwriter, with over an estimated 600 songs to her name. She is especially known for her association with Bob Wills, who recorded some 50 of her songs including Bubbles In My Beer, one of Walker's best known. Other songs written or co-written by Walker include Cowboy Blues (Gene Autry), I Was Just Walking Out The Door (Sue Thompson, Tommy Duncan, Wynn Stewart), I Don't Care (Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Ricky Skaggs), You Don't Know Me (Eddy Arnold, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley), Distant Drums (Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Tex Ritter), Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) (Roy Orbison, the Marvelettes, Jerry Lee Lewis), In The Misty Moonlight (Jerry Wallace, Dean Martin, Hank Snow), and Gringo's Guitar (Perry Como, the Sons Of The Pioneers) ~ Walker passed away in 2006
July 20, 1902 ~ Songwriter, lyricist Jimmy Kennedy born in Omagh, Ireland ~ Co-wrote over an estimated 2,000 songs, adding lyrics to traditional songs or collaborating on original songs by composers such as Michael Carr, Wilhelm Grosz, and Nat Simon. Well known songs include Red Sails In The Sunset (Lew Stone, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong), Did Your Mother Come From Ireland (Roy Fox, Rudy Vallée, Guy Lombardo), South Of The Border (Billy Cotton, Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra), Istanbul Not Constantinopel (the Four Lads, Joe Fingers Carr, Caterina Valente), Write To Me From Naples (Dean Martin, Elvis Presley) ~ Kennedy passed away in 1984July 20, 1898 ~ Joseph Emmett Mainer, commonly known as old-time fiddler, banjoist JE Mainer, born near Weaverville, North Carolina, USA ~ Frontman and sole constant member of JE Mainer's Mountaineers, which initially also included his brother Wade Mainer. The band would rise to notoriety in the early 1930s playing on North Carolina and South Carolina radio stations, and record in various incarnations throughout the outbreak of World War II. Mainer would continue to record throughout the late 1940s. From 1967 until his death in 1971 hundreds of previously unreleased recordings would be released on Rural Rhythm Records ~ Mainer passed away in 1971