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.
June 16, 2025 ~ R&B, soul singer Patti Drew passed away ~ Sang in church with siblings Lorraine Drew and Erma Drew when the sisters were discovered by promoter and songwriter Carlton Black, a friend of the Drew sisters' mother. The siblings are best known for first recording Tell Him, not to be confused with the song of the same title by the Exciters, which would become a modest hit in the Chicago area. Two follow-up singles, It's My Time and I've Known, also did well regionally, before the trio split up by 1965. Patti would continue to record as a solo artist through the end of the decade, scoring several modest hits on the Billboard R&B charts. Drew would be the first to record Workin' On A Groovy Thing, later notably recorded by Barbara Lewis, the 5th Dimension, and Neil Sedaka, who originally wrote the song with Roger Atkins. Other notable singles include a re-recorded solo version of Tell Him, which reached No.22 Billboard R&B, Hard To Handle, and The Love That A Woman Should Give To A Man ~ Drew was born in 1944
June 16, 2024 ~ James Elmore Cason, commonly known as rock & roll, pop, country singer, songwriter, producer Buzz Cason, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Best known for penning Everlasting Love with Mac Gayden. The song would first be recorded by Robert Knight in 1967, with Cason and Gayden also serving as producers, and has been covered by dozens of artists including notably Love Affair, whose rendition topped the UK charts, and Carl Carlton, who took the song to No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Knight's original had reached No.13 in America. Other songs written or co-written by Cason have been recorded by Jan & Dean, Arthur Alexander (Soldier Of Love), Brenda Lee, the Fleetwoods, Ronny & the Daytonas, and TG Sheppard. Cason has also worked as a singer, notably founding the Casuals, the first rock & roll band to come out of Nashville, as a solo singer going by the moniker Garry Miles, and as a backing singer for Elvis Presley and Kenny Rogers. In 1970, Cason founded the Creative Workshop recording studio, located in Nashville, where artists such as Jimmy Buffett, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and the Doobie Brothers have recorded ~ Cason was born in 1939
June 16, 2022 ~ Andrew Jacob Hiebert, commonly known as neo-swing singer Big Rude Jake, passed away in Hamilton, Canada ~ Acquired a dedicated following as a cult hero on the Toronto music scene. Primarily categorized as a neo-swing irony-laden troubadour, drawing from blues, rock, rockabilly, jazz, and other idioms. Some 10 albums to his name, starting with Butane Fumes & Bad Cologne released in 1993. Noteworthy is also 2002's Live Faust Die Jung which was never officially released. Semi-retired from music for a while in the 2000s. Hiebert has briefly used the moniker Chet Valiant aiming to keep a low profile ~ Hiebert was born in 1963June 16, 2021 ~ Michael Edward Campbell Champion, commonly known as singer, songwriter, actor Michael Champion, passed away in Casper, Wyoming, USA ~ Sometimes credited as Mike Campbell, not to be confused with Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell. Member of short-lived 1960s band Abstract Reality, known for their Love Burns Like A Fire single. Member of Scorpion alongside Bob Babbitt and Ray Monette. Appears on Meat Loaf's 1971 Stoney & Meatloaf debut album, for which he also co-wrote She Waits By The Window, Kiss Me Again, Lady Be Mine and Jessica White. Active as an actor since the late 1970s, appearing in TV shows such as Matlock and The Flash and films such as Beverly Hills Cop and Total Recall ~ Champion was born in 1946
June 16, 2018 ~ Gennady Nikolayevich Anosov, commonly known as conductor Gennnady Rozhdestvensky, passed away in Moscow, Russia ~ Son of conductor Nikolai Anosov and soprano Natalya Rozhdestvesnkaya. Closely associated with the Bolshoi Theatre, starting at age 20 conducting Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Would go on to conduct works such as Edison Denisov's Les Soleil Des Incas, Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Dmitri Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony. Has worked with renowned orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra ~ Rozhdestvensky was born in 1931June 16, 2018 ~ The 49th edition of Pinkpop takes place in Landgraaf, the Netherlands ~ Day 2 of 3. Mostly sunny, this year's edition would draw some 113,500 visitors in total. Included on today's, Saturday the 16th's bill would include Walking On Cars, Miss Montreal, Nothing But Thieves, the Script, the Foo Fighters, JP Cooper, Parov Stelar, A Perfect Circle, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, the Marmozets, Sevn Alias, Alan Walker, Theo Lawrence & the Hearts, the Gang Of Youths, De Likt, and Riley Pearce
June 16, 2016 ~ Charles Phillip Thompson, commonly known as swing, bebop pianist, organist, composer, arranger Sir Charles Thompson, passed away in Tokyo, Japan ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Earl Bostic, Coleman Hawkins, Bennie Moten, Count Basie, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, JC Heard, Lucky Millinder, Illinois Jacquet, Vic Dickensen, Buck Clayton, Dodo Greene, Joe Newman, Paul Quinichette, Harold Ashby, Paul Gonsalves, Ike Quebec, and Harry Sweets Edison ~ Thompson was born in 1918
June 16, 2013 ~ The 44th edition of Pinkpop takes place in Landgraaf, the Netherlands ~ Day 3 of 3. Sunny and pleasant with an occasional splash of rain, this year's edition would draw some 60,000 visitors in total. Included on today's, Sunday the 16th's bill would be Kensington, Will & the People, the Vaccines, Ben Howard, Green Day, Tom Odell, Trixie Whitley, Blaudzun, the Stereophonics, Triggerfinger, Puggy, Bastille, Lianne La Havas, Die Antwoord, and Alt-J
June 16, 2010 ~ Funk, R&B guitarist Garry Shider, full name Garry Marshall Shider, passed away in Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA ~ Backed gospel artists such as Shirley Caesar, the Five Blind Boys and the Mighty Clouds Of Joy in his youth. Best known for his association with funk icon George Clinton, serving as guitarist and music director for P-Funk, Parliament and Funkadelic for 15 years starting in the early 1970s. Notably present on songs such as Cosmic Slop, Gettin' To Know You and One Nation Under A Groove ~ Shider was born in 1953
June 16, 2009 ~ Carmine Ugo Mariano, commonly known as jazz saxophonist, flutist Charlie Mariano, passed away in Cologne, Germany ~ Married to Toshiko Akiyoshi from 1959 through 1967, with whom he regularly collaborated. Their daughter is actress and singer Monday Michiru. Besides playing sax and flute Mariano is also noted for playing the nadaswaram, a classical wind instrument. Well over a dozen albums to his name as a leader, especially acclaimed for Boston All-Stars, Charlie Mariano Plays, and Helen 12 Trees. Also appears on albums by Nat Pierce, Stan Kenton, Herb Ellis (Ellis In Wonderland), Shelly Manne, Manny Albam, Jackie & Roy, McCoy Tyner (Live At Newport), Charles Mingus (The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady), Elvin Jones, Embryo (We Keep On), Eberhard Weber, and the United Jazz+Rock Ensemble ~ Mariano was born in 1923
June 16, 2008 ~ Country outfit the Zac Brown Band release Chicken Fried, lifted off their The Foundation album ~ The song had been written by Zac Brown and Wyatt Durrette years before the Zac Brown Band recorded it for their major label debut. The song celebrates the rural lifestyle with the lyrics listing all the things the two men love about the South. Chicken Fried was first given to the Lost Trailers on the condition that it wouldn't be issued as a single, yet it was released to radio and retracted after a cease-and-desist letter from Brown. When the Zac Brown Band recorded their own version for The Foundation in 2008, it became their breakout hit and the single reached No.1 Billboard Country. The follow-up single Whatever It Is reached No.2, while three more subsequent singles off the same parent album also reached the top spot. Prior to recording their own version, Brown had pitched the song to fellow Georgia native Alan Jackson. Jackson would later recollect to the Boot: “I had just recorded several songs about food, and I just thought I should not record another one at the time. I thought it was a good song, and I was happy when they had their own hit with it”
June 16, 2005 ~ Jazz guitarist Billy Bauer, full name William Henry Bauer, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Worked with Jerry Wald, Carl Hoff, Woody Herman, the First Herd, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Chubby Jackson, Bill Harris, Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Tony Aless, George Barnes, Al Caiola, Harry Carney, Helen Carroll, Al Cohn, Cozy Cole, Tommy Dorsey, Bobby Hackett, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Hasselgard, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, JJ Johnson, Beverly Kenney, Big Miller, Chico O'Farrill, Seldon Powell, Barry Ulanov, Charlie Ventura, Ben Webster, and Cootie Williams ~ Bauer was born in 1915June 16, 1999 ~ David Edward Sutch, commonly known as rock singer Screaming Lord Sutch, passed away in South Harrow, UK ~ Serial parliamentary candidate and founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. As a singer active since the early 1960s. Has collaborated with Keith Moon, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Charlie Watts, John Bonham, and Nicky Hopkins ~ Sutch was born in 1940
June 16, 1997 ~ Jazz trumpeter Rolf Ericson passed away in Stockholm, Sweden ~ Over half a dozen albums as a leader or co-leader, most notably Stockholm Sweetnin' released in 1985. In-demand sideman, present on albums by the Lighthouse All-Stars, Chet Baker, Harold Land, Ernestine Anderson, Stan Kenton, Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich, Charles Mingus (The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady), Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, and Monica Zetterlund ~ Ericson was born in 1922
June 16, 1997 ~ Britpop, rock outfit the Verve release Bitter Sweet Symphony, lead single off their Urban Hymns album ~ Based on a six-second riff from an orchestral version of the Rolling Stones song The Last Time, its rights owned by publisher Allen Klein, the Verve were forced to relinquish all royalties to Klein despite previously having gotten permission from Decca Records. Nevertheless, the song did put the Verve in the spotlight as it became their first major hit, reached No.2 in their native UK, and earned several awards including a BRIT Award and Grammy Award nomination. Retrospectively, the song has been acknowledged as one of the defining songs of the Britpop era. The follow-up single The Drugs Don't Work would top the UK charts
June 16, 1996 ~ Ronnie Jones, commonly known as country singer Anthony Armstrong Jones, passed away in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA ~ A former professional golfer, Jones released his Proud Mary debut album in 1969, followed by two more within a year. During his brief musical career, Jones would land half a dozen singles within the top 40 of the Billboard Country charts, mostly countrified covers of pop and rock songs including renditions of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary, Gary US Bonds' New Orleans, Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, Jim Croce's Bad Bad Leroy Brown and RB Greaves' Take A Letter To Maria, the latter his highest charting single reaching Billboard Country No.8 in 1970. Following his retirement from music in the early 1970s Jones founded a club named Proud Mary in Shreveport, Louisiana, named for his debut single which reached No.22 Billboard Country ~ Jones was born in 1949June 16, 1994 ~ Singer Destinee Monroe, full name Detinee Rae Monroe, born in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, USA ~ Member of girl group the Clique Girlz, known for the singles Then I Woke Up and Smile. The group disbanded in 2009 after the departure of Sara Diamond. Destinee subequently recorded with her sister and Clique-bandmate Paris Monroe under the moniker Destinee & Paris
June 16, 1994 ~ Bassist, pianist, singer Kristen Pfaff, full name Kristen Marie Pfaff, passed away in Seattle, Washington, USA ~ Briefly a member of Hole, present on the band's 1994 Live Through This major label debut album. Returned to her previous band Janitor Joe in the weeks before her death of a heroin overdose ~ Pfaff was born in 1967
June 16, 1987 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Bob Dylan records Silvio at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, USA ~ Written by Bob Dylan and longtime the Grateful Dead-associate Robert Hunter. A concert favorite during Dylan's late 1980s era, touring with the Dead as his regular backing band. Included on the 1988 Down In The Groove albumJune 16, 1987 ~ Thomas Valentine, commonly known as jazz trumpeter, bandleader Kid Thomas Valentine, passed away in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Rose to prominence in the early 1920s with a hot distinctive, at times percussive style. Would front his own ensembles by the mid 1920s. Has worked with Kid Ory, Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong, Louis Nelson, Big Bill Bissonnette, John Robichaux, and Preston Jackson ~ Valentine was born in 1896
June 16, 1986 ~ Guitarist, photographer, film director Brendan Walter, full name Brendan Stuart Walter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Lead guitarist for Valencia from 2004 until the band's indefinite hiatus in 2011. Walter has also directed music videos and designed album covers for Sia, Weezer, Lorde, Fall Out Boy, the Lonely Island, Panic At The Disco, and Shawn MendesJune 16, 1982 ~ Guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away in London, UK ~ Co-founding member of the Pretenders. Present on the band's first two albums, 1979's The Pretenders and 1981's The Pretenders II which include some of the band's best known including Brass In Pocket, Message Of Love and I Go To Sleep ~ Honeyman-Scott was born in 1956
June 16, 1981 ~ Indie rock, indie folk, country rock, power pop singer, guitarist, basist, keyboardist, drummer, songwriter Ben Kweller, full name Benjamin Lev Kweller, born in San Francisco, California, USA ~ Member of Radish. Member of the Bens. As a solo artist best known for his 2002 Wasted & Ready single. Co-wrote and sings lead on Guster's I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today of the 2003 Keep It Together albumJune 16, 1981 ~ Jazz violinist Ola Kvernberg born in Fræna, Norway ~ Virtuoso string swing violinist. Son of Liv Rypdal Kvernberg and Torbjørn Kvernberg, brother of Karl Kvernberg and Jorun Marie Kvernberg. Classically trained. Has collaborated with the Hot Club de Norvege, Toots Thielemans, Jimmy Rosenberg, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Stian Carstensen, Ole Morten Vågan, Eirik Hegdal, Thomas Dybdahl, and Jon Larsen
June 16, 1981 ~ Alfred Schoeninger, commonly known as hip hop, alternative hip hop rapper, producer Prolyphic, born in Rhode Island, USA ~ Forms the duo Stick Figures with Robust, known for their eponymous Stick Figures album released in 2005. Has also recorded as a solo artist, collaborated with Reanimator and Buddy Peace, and guested on recordings by Sage Francis, B Dolan, and Metermaids