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 5, 2023 ~ Composer Anthony Gilbert passed away ~ Initially trained as a translator, Gilbert preferred to seek a career in music instead. Has studied privately with Mátyás Seiber, and subsequently at Trinity College and Morley College. Gilbert composed extensively since the 1960s, primarily for larger chamber ensembles, yet also for piano, choral and vocal works, and opera. As an educator, he has taught at several colleges including notably at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK. Among his students are artists such as Sally Beamish, Simon Holt, Priti Paintal, Jane Antonio Cornish, and Ian Vine. As to composing, Gilbert has been quoted as saying: “Ultimately, for me, the only honest thing to do in composing is to write straight from the heart and guts, whilst closely involving the brain. Trying to assess what my audience would like to hear, to be ‘accessible’, would to me seem cheap and patronising” ~ Gilbert was born in 1934
July 5, 2023 ~ Roger Prud'homme, commonly known as pop singer Martin Stevens, passed away in Gaspé, Canada ~ Sang in English and French. Enjoyed popularity in the disco era in his native Canada. Known for songs such as J'Aime La Musique (Comme Un Fou), Sans Ton Amour, and the Harry Vanda & George Young-penned Love Is In The Air. His rendition of the latter would precede the internationally more famous version by John Paul Young by a mere couple of weeks. Prud'homme published his Sexe Drogue Et Disco autobiography in 2007 ~ Prud'homme was born in 1953
July 5, 2022 ~ Manuel Charlton, commonly known as guitarist, singer Manny Charlton, passed away in Texas, USA ~ Founding member, lead guitarist of Nazareth remaining with the band through 1990. Initially hired by Guns 'n Roses to produce what would become their Appetite For Destruction debut album, yet after commitments called Charlton back to the UK the band would hire Mike Clink to produce the final cut. Has released over a dozen solo albums, starting with 2004's Say The Word, and collaborated with Neil Miller, From Behind, Tim Bogert, Walfredo Reyes Jr, Steven Adler, Vivian Campbell, and Robyn Delarenzo ~ Charlton was born in 1941July 5, 2021 ~ Rock, pop guitarist Leo van de Ketterij passed away in Vlissingen, the Netherlands ~ Best known as member of Shocking Blue in 1970 and 1971 succeeding Robbie van Leeuwen. Has also worked with the Flying Arrows, Flarth, Universal Delight, Minisink Townhouse, the Cave, and with the L&C Band, the latter also including his wife singer Cindy Tamo ~ Van de Ketterij was born in 1950
July 5, 2021 ~ Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni, commonly known as singer, dancer, TV personality, actress Raffaella Carrà, passed away in Rome, Italy ~ Active as an actress since the early 1960s, making her name in Italian peplum films. Moved to Hollywood in 1965, pursuiing an international career aiming to follow in the footsteps of fellow Italian actresses such as Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren yet feeling homesick she returned to Italy the following year. Has recorded about two dozen albums as a singer, starting with Raffaella released in 1970 ~ Pelloni was born in 1949
July 5, 2020 ~ Jazz, swing, funk, R&B double bassist, composer, arranger, producer Cleveland Eaton, full name Cleveland Josephus Eaton II, passed away in Birmingham, Alabama, USA ~ Best known for his associations with Ramsey Lewis and Count Basie. Known by funk aficionados for his 1975 recording Plenty Good Eaton. Worked with wide array of artists including John Klemmer, Ike Cole, Bunky Green, the Dells, Bobby Rush, Minnie Riperton, Jerry Butler, Rotary Connection, George Benson, Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Mimi Hines, Sammy Davis Jr, Julie London, Bobby Troup, Brook Benton, Lou Rawls, Nipsey Russell, Morgana King, Gloria Lynne, Herbie Hancock, the Magic City Jazz Orchestra, the Platters, the Temptations, and the Miracles ~ Eaton was born in 1939July 5, 2020 ~ Actor, singer Nick Cordero, full name Nicholas Eduardo Albert Cordero, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Best known for his roles in the 2014 production of Bullets Over Broadway, portraying the role of Cheech earning a Tony Award nomination. Has also acted in non-musical roles for TV and film ~ Cordero was born n 1978
July 5, 2019 ~ Luther Johnson, commonly known as electric blues singer, guitarist, songwriter Luther Houserocker Johnson, passed away in East Point, Georgia, USA ~ Influenced by Jimmy Reed and Lightnin' Slim. Despite enjoying popularity as a live performer for some seven decades from the late 1950s until his death has only recorded two studio albums, namely Takin' A Bite Outta The Blues and Houserockin' Daddy ~ Johnson was born in 1939
July 5, 2019 ~ Jazz drummer Paolo Vinaccia passed away in Oslo, Norway ~ Leader and sideman. Contributed to over 100 albums. Worked with Terje Rypdal, Bendik Hofseth, Jan Eggum, Knut Reiersrud, Gisle Torvik, Ole Amund Gjersvik, Jonas Fjeld, Palle Mikkelborg, Mike Mainieri, Jon Christensen, David Darling, Arild Andersen, Maj Britt Andersen, Anne Grete Preus, Øystein Sevåg, Bugge Wesseltoft, Alf Craner, Haakon Graf, Helge Iberg, David Lindley, Nils Petter Molvær, and Lynni Treekrem ~ Vinaccia was born in 1954
July 5, 2016 ~ Classical guitarist, composer Alirio Díaz passed away in Rome, Italy ~ Known for his expression, clarity, and flawless technique, Díaz is considered one of the most prominent composer guitarists of South America. Studied with Andrés Segovia. Combined baroque music with the works of modern Latin American composers. Especially acclaimed for his 1994 Five Centuries Of Spanish Guitar Music album ~ Díaz was born in 1923
July 5, 2016 ~ Composer Gladys Nordenstrom, full nme Gladys Mercedes Nordenstrom, passed away in Palm Springs, California, USA ~ Studied under composer Ernst Krenek, whom she would later marry. After Krenek's death in 1991 would become major promoter of her late husband's legacy, eventually founding the Ernst Krenek Institute ~ Nordenstrom was born in 1924
July 5, 2014 ~ Florence Kathleen Stobart, commonly known as jazz saxophonist Kathy Stobart, passed away in London, UK ~ Worked with Denis Rose, Ted Heath, Jimmy Skidmore, Art Pepper, Peanuts Hucko, Art Thompson, Vic Lewis, Derek Humble, Dill Jones, Bert Courtley, Humphrey Lyttelton, Harry Beckett, John Burch, Lennie Best, Johnny Griffin, Al Haig, Earl Hines, Buddy Tate, Zoot Sims, Marian McPartland, and Dick Hyman ~ Stobart was born in 1925
July 5, 2011 ~ Producer, songwriter Fonce Mizell passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Co-founding member of vocal jazz quartet the Vanlords, which also included his brother Larry Mizell. Best known as a producer and songwriter, again in tandem with his brother, producing numerous albums for Blue Note Records setting the tone for 1970s jazz fusion sound and scoring pivotal R&B hits including A Taste Of Honey's Boogie Oogie Oogie, LTD's Love Ballad and Mary Wells' Gigolo. Fonce was also a member of Motown's producer, songwriter collective the Corporation alongside Berry Gordy Jr, Freddie Perren and Deke Richards, responsible for all of the Jackson 5's early hits including I Want You Back, ABC and The Love You Save ~ Mizell was born in 1943July 5, 2005 ~ Singer Raymond Davis passed away in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA ~ Best known for his longtime association with George Clinton, co-founding member of the Parliaments, worked with Funkadelic and Parliament. Briefly a member of a latter-day incarnation of the Temptations, taking over for the late Melvin Franklin and present on the 1995 For Lovers Only album ~ Davis was born in 1940
July 5, 2005 ~ Singer Shirley Goodman passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Formed the 1950s duo Shirley & Lee with singer Leonard Lee, known for I'm Gone, Let The Good Times Roll and Feel So Good. Sang backup for Sonny & Cher, Dr John, and notably for the Rolling Stones on their 1971 Exile On Main St album. Perhaps best known for her disco hit Shame Shame Shame recorded under the moniker Shirley & Company, a disco favorite to this day ~ Goodman was born in 1936
July 5, 2003 ~ José Fernando Arbex Miró, commonly known as drummer, singer Fernando Arbex, passed away in Madrid, Spain ~ Co-founding member of Los Brincos. The band is sometimes referred to as Spain's equivalent to the Beatles for their popularity and is known for songs such as Flamenco, Sola, Tú Me Dijiste Adiós, Mejor, and Un Sorbito De Champán. Following the band's disbandement by the end of the 1960s Arbex formed the progressive rock trio Alacrán, the Latin disco and rock outfit Barrabás, known for the 1970s singles Woman and Wild Safari, and served as producer for artists such as José Feliciano, Harry Belafonte, Nana Moskouri, Miguel Bosé, and the Middle Of The Road ~ Arbex was born in 1941
July 5, 2003 ~ Juan Fernando Silvetti Adorno, commonly known as producer, arranger, pianist Silvetti, passed away in Miami, Florida, USA ~ Internationally best known for Spring Rain, an instrumental disco hit in 1977. In-demand producer and arranger. Worked with numerous artists including José José, Plácido Domingo, Luis Miguel, Paul Anka, Engelbert Humperdinck, Vikki Carr, Ana Cristina, Rocio Dúrcal, Jerry Rivera, Los Kjarkas, Daniela Romo, Armando Manzanero, Daniel Barenboim, Los Nocheros, Ricardo Montaner, Paloma San Basilio, Nazareno Andorno, and Vic Damone ~ Silvetti was born in 1944July 5, 2000 ~ Gloria Jean Williamson, commonly known as singer Gloria Williams, passed away in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Original lead singer of the Del-fi's alongside Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and notably Martha Reeves, scoring a minor hit with I'll Let You Know. Williams would eventually become disillusioned and leave the group. The remaining trio would become known as Martha & the Vandellas ~ Williams was born in 1942
July 5, 1999 ~ Torch singer Roberta Sherwood passed away in Sherman Oaks, California, USA ~ Daughter of Robert Sherwood, a manager of a traveling minstrel show. After the death of her mother, she and her sister Anne Sherwood would be raised on the road, and become a sibling act while in their early teens, performing in vaudeville shows and nightclubs. Sherwood married Broadway actor Don Lanning, with whom she operated a nightclub in Miami through the early 1950s. After the club lost its concession, Sherwood began to seriously focus on her career, leading to her Introducing Roberta Sherwood debut album released in 1956. The album would spawn the modest hit Lazy River, which would be her sole charting hit, peaking in the 50s on the pop charts. Sherwood continued into the 1970s, recording about a dozen albums, but despite being a popular live performer she failed to reach the charts ~ Sherwood was born in 1912July 5, 1998 ~ Stephen Austin, commonly known as drum and bass, jungle, hip hop MC Stevie Hyper D, passed away in London, UK ~ Considered a pioneering drum and bass MC, the first to use the “double time” technique, where he would double the speed of the flow but still remain with the bars of the music. Has released a number of singles starting in the early 1990s, including Teknoragga, Boomshakalack, and All I Wanna Do. Austin's sole full-length album, The Next Step, was released posthumously in 1999. Austin passed away at age 31 of a heart condition ~ Austin was born in 1966
July 5, 1991 ~ Gavin Wigglesworth, commonly known as pop singer, guitarist, songwriter Gavin James, born in Dublin, Ireland ~ Released his full-length Bitter Pill debut album in 2016 and has been recording to commercial success in his native Ireland since. The album would spawn the hit single Nervous (The Ooh Song) which reached top 30 across Europe including top 10 positions in France and the Netherlands
July 5, 1988 ~ Singer Whitney Houston releases Love Will Save The Day, lifted off her Whitney sophomore album ~ John Benitez, then best known for producing and remixing some of Madonna's early hits, had previously worked on a dance remix of How Will I Know and was brought in by label executive Clive Davis to produce an original dance track for Whitney Houston's sophomore album. Love Will Save The Day was met with mixed reviews, as some dismissed it for “trying to mix social comment with dance-floor vigor,” as the Los Angeles Times phrased it while others specifically praised the song for it. After seven consecutive Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hits, Love Will Save The Day would be the first to miss the top spot yet despite mixed reviews still managed to reach top 10, peaking at No.9. The song would also reach top 10 in over half a dozen other countries including the UK, Canada, France, and the NetherlandsJuly 5, 1984 ~ Don Helfman, commonly known as trumpeter, vibraphonist, singer Don Elliott passed away in Weston, Connecticut, USA ~ Recorded over 60 albums. Longtime associate of Quincy Jones. As a sideman Elliott played with artists such as Louie Bellson, Joe Puma, Dinah Washington, Sylvia Syms, Paul Desmond, Michel Legrand, Art Farmer, Dave Grusin, Billy Taylor, Ruby Braff, Connee Boswell, Mundell Lowe, Bob Brookmeyer, and Leonard Feather ~ Helfman was born in 1926
July 5, 1983 ~ Bandleader, trumpeter Harry James, full name Harry Haag James, passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA ~ Enjoyed his biggest popularity in the late 1930s and the 1940s. Served under Ben Pollack and Benny Goodman before starting his own big band in 1939. Best known for his 1941 hit You Made Me Love You ~ James was born in 1916
July 5, 1981 ~ Singer, actress, model Linda Sundblad, full name Linda Caroline Sundblad, born in Lidköping, Sweden ~ Rose to fame as a member of Lambretta, dropping out of school at age 15 to join the band and remaining with them for the first three albums. Released her Oh My God in 2006, which included the hit single Oh Father. Also known for songs such as Lose You and Let's Dance. Has guested on recordings by Apocalyptica, Rasmus Faber and Kleerup