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.
March 22, 1960 ~ Operatic tenor David Hamilton, full name David Mulvenna Hamilton, born ~ Member of vocal ensemble the Song Company. On the opera stage has performed in operas such as Albert Herring, Die Zauberflöte, and Das Rheingold. Has worked with companies such as the Australian Opera, the Queensland Opera, the New Zealand Opera, and the Scottish Opera
March 22, 1959 ~ Murray Kevin Berg, commonly known as rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Moe Berg, born in Edmonton, Canada ~ Fronted the Pursuit Of Happiness. The band is best known for their 1988 Love Junk debut album, containing the modest hits I'm An Adult Now and She's So Young. Both the debut album and its 1990 One Sided Story follow-up album were produced by Todd Rundgren. Berg would released his solo debut album, Summer's Over, in 1997
March 22, 1957 ~ Singer Stephanie Mills, full name Stephanie Dorthea Mills, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Rose to fame as Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz, which ran from 1974 through 1979. Would score a hit with her rendition of Home from the musical, making it her signature song. Would go on to score a string of 1980s R&B hits as a solo artist including I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love, I Feel Good All Over, (You're Puttin') A Rush On Me, Something In The Way You Make Me Feel and perhaps her best known Never Knew Love Like This Before, the latter earning Mills a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1981
March 22, 1955 ~ Pop, rock bassist Fons Sijmons born ~ Best known as member of the Scabs, joining the band in 1989 as replacement for Berre Bergen and remaining until the band folded in 1996. Has also worked with K13, Kadril, Marco Cassiman, Luk Bral, Luna Twist, Starvin' Marvin, the Big Noise, and Tom Wolf. As a songwriter, Sijmons had his songs recorded by Guy Swinnen, Mozaik, Walter Grootaers, Bart van den Bossche, Tiny Mp, and Tex ~ Sijmons passed away in 2013March 22, 1955 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter James House, full name James Andrew House, born in Sacramento, California, USA ~ As a solo artist known for a number of 1990s country singles, notably This Is Me Missing You in 1995. Formed the duo the Troubadour Kings with John Brannen in 2012. Also wrote or co-wrote songs recorded by Diamond Rio, Dwight Yoakam (Ain't That Lonely Yet), Martina McBride (A Broken Wing), Steve Holy, Steve Azar, and the Mavericks
March 22, 1955 ~ Keyboardist, songwriter, producer Wally Badarou born in Paris, France ~ Best known for his association with Level 42. In-demand session musician. Has worked with Sly & Robbie, Tom Tom Club, Grace Jones, Foreigner, Power Station, Talking Heads, Melissa Etheridge, Manu Dibango, Joe Cocker, and Mick Jagger. As a producer, Badarou is associated with Fela Kuti, Trilok Gurtu, and Carlinhos Brown
March 22, 1953 ~ Pop, rock guitarist Robin Le Mesurier, full name Robin Mark Le Mesurier Halliley, born in Kensington, UK ~ Influenced by the Faces, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Jeff Beck. Member of the Reign through its disbandement in 1973. Subsequently worked with novelty band the Wombles. Associated with Rod Stewart since the mid 1970s, officially joining Stewart's backing band in 1980 and present on the albums Tonight I'm Yours, Camouflage, Body Wishes and Every Beat Of My Heart. Musical director for Johnny Hallyday from the mid 1990s well into the 2010s. Co-founded Farm Dogs with Bernie Taupin and Jim Cregan ~ Le Mesurier passed away in 2021
March 22, 1952 ~ Jazz saxophonist, singer Bob Mover born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Worked with Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Tom Harrell, Jimmy Garrison, Kenny Barron, Albert Dailey, Ben Riley, Mike Nock, Ron McClure, Paul Bley, John Abercrombie, Walter Davis Jr, Tony Castillano, Don Thompson, Archie Alleyne, the Toronto Jazz Quartet, Jane Blackstone, Ron Carter, Kenny Washington, John Eardley, Yoshiaki Masuo, and Steve Holt
March 22, 1952 ~ Drummer, songwriter Jay Dee Daugherty born in Santa Barbara, California, USA ~ Worked with Lance Loud, Kristian Hoffman, Patti Smith, Robert Quine, Mars, Tom Verlaine, Willie Nile, the Revelons, the Roches, the Beat, Richard Barone, Holly Beth Vincent, Richard Lloyd, Billy Idol, Mark Knopfler, the Washington Squares, Joey Ramone, the Waterboys, the Indigo Girls, and the Church
March 22, 1952 ~ David Harrison Macon, commonly known as old-time singer, banjoist, comedian, songwriter Uncle Dave Macon, passed away in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA ~ Dubbed “the Dixie Dewdrop” and with his polished stage presence and personality one of the most enduring figures of early country music. Considered the bridge between 19th century folk and vaudeville and early 20th-century phonograph and radio-based music. Known for songs such as A Soldier's Joy, The Bully Of The Town, The Arkansas Traveler and Sail Away Ladies ~ Macon was born in 1870March 22, 1950 ~ Rock, jazz, folk, world music, film composer Goran Bregovic born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia ~ Internationally renowned with a career spanning five decades. Rose to fame as lead guitarist of rock band Bijelo Dugme. Film composer known for scores to La Reine Margot and The Serpent's Kiss. Had his compositions sung by Sezen Aksu, Kayah, Iggy Pop, Saban Bajramovic, George Dalaras, and Cesária Évora
March 22, 1949 ~ Singer Bing Crosby records Careless Hands ~ Written by Carl Sigman and Bob Hilliard. Originally recorded by Sammy Kaye with Don Cornell, this popular song would be a hit for several artists in 1949, including Kaye, Bing Crosby, Bob & Jeanne, and Mel Tormé, the latter reaching the No.1 spot on the pop charts. In later years the song would be covered by Slim Whitman, Kitty Kallen, Vic Damone, and Jerry Lee Lewis
March 22, 1949 ~ Singer, poet, playwright Geirr Lystrup born in Vinje, Norway ~ Released his Ti På Taket Og Måltrostblues debut album in 1972. Well known for Kjærligheta, a collaborative album with det Norske Kammerkor released in 1987. Also noted for working with Godtfolk on the 1988 Egg Og Champagne album
March 22, 1948 ~ Musical composer, impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber born in London, UK ~ Renowned composer of musicals, some running for over a decade on West End and Broadway. Well known productions include Cats, Evita, The Phantom Of The Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar
March 22, 1948 ~ Jazz trombonist, saxophonist, singer Daniel Huck born in Paris, France ~ Worked with the Famous Melody Boys, Jean-Pierre Morel, the Jazzomaniacs, Gilbert Leroux, the Anachronic Jazz Band, Olivier Franc, Raymond Fonseque, Cat Anderson, Bill Coleman, Philippe Baudoin, Emmanuel Hussenot, the Hot Antic Jazz Band, Slapscat, Slim Gaillard, and Eddy Louiss
March 22, 1948 ~ Singer Ken Boothe born in Kingston, Jamaica ~ Cites Owen Gray as a major influence. Known for songs such as Everything I Own, written by David Gates and originally recorded by Bread, and for Crying Over You. Half of Stranger & Ken, the other half being Stranger Cole. Also worked with Coxsone Dodd, Phil Pratt, Sonia Pottinger, Rita Marley, the Wailers, Keith Hudson, Herman Chin Loy, Vincent Chin, Lloyd Charmers, Bunny Lee, King Jammy, Pete Wston, Jak Ruby, Hugh Red Man James, Castro Brown, and Tapper ZukieMarch 22, 1948 ~ Bassist, singer Randy Jo Hobbs born in Winchester, Indiana, USA ~ Worked with the McCoys from 1965 through 1969. Jammed with Jimi Hendrix in 1968, a session later unoficially released on the 1980 Woke Up This Morning And Found Myself Dead album. Spent the first half of the 1970s backing Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter. Appeared on the 1976 Montrose album Jump On It and on the Rick Derringer album Glass Derringer the same year ~ Hobbs passed away in 1993
March 22, 1946 ~ Johannes Hendricus Jacob van den Berg, commonly known as songwriter, guitarist Harry Vanda born in The Hague, the Netherlands ~ Lead guitarist of 1960s rock band the Easybeats, perhaps best known for their hit Friday On My Mind. Would team up with bandmate George Young to form the successful producer, songwriter duo Vanda & Young. The duo has written for or produced acts such as Cheetah, John Paul Young (Love Is In The Air), Stevie Wright, Rose Tattoo, and notably AC/DC, producing several landmark albums for the latter including Let There Be Rock, Powerage, and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. The duo also achieved major succes with their studio-only project Flash & the Pan, known for the singles Hey St Peter, Waiting For A Train, and Midnight Man
March 22, 1946 ~ Gerald Stenhouse Jemmott, commonly known as bassist Jerry Jemmott, born in New York, New York, USA ~ In-demand session bassist of the 1960s and early 1970s. Closely associated with Atlantic Records label. Discovered by King Curtis. Cited by Jaco Pastorius as a major influence. Would go on to work with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Roberta Flack, Margie Joseph, BB King (including on The Thrill Is Gone), Freddie King, Chuck Berry, Otis Rush, Champion Jack Dupree, Mike Bloomfield, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Erroll Garner, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Houston Person, George Benson, Archie Shepp, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Mann, Eddie Palmieri, Charles Earland, Duane Allman, Billy Preston, Steve Berrios, Eric Gale, Neal Creque, Patience Higgins, Lou Marini, Seldon Powell, Bernard Pretty Purdie, Arlen Roth, Melvin Sparks, Tina Fabrique, Connie Fredericks Malone, Frankie Paris, Catherine Russell, Stan Wright, Tony Thunder Smith, Daryl Washington, Herbie Lovelle, Nina Simone (including on the classic Ain't Got No (I Got Life)), Erma Franklin, Lorraine Ellison, Al Kooper, Gil Scott-Heron, Candido Camero, Hank Crawford, Ben E King, Archie Shepp, Richard Groove Holmes, Herbie Mann, Laura Nyro, and Shirley Scott
March 22, 1944 ~ Anthony Charles McPhee, commonly known as guitarist, singer, songwriter Tony TS McPhee, born in Humberstone, UK ~ Given his nickname “TS” for “Tough Shit” by producer Mike Vernon. Co-founding and sole constant member of rock outfit the Groundhogs. The band has recorded since the early 1960s, is especially acclaimed for the early 1970s albums Thank Christ For The Bomb and Live At Leeds '71, and backed both John Lee Hooker and Champion Jack Dupree on mid 1960s UK tours. McPhee has recorded about a dozen albums as a solo artist, starting with Ain't Gonna Cry No More released in 1966, and collaborated with John Dummer, Hapshash & the Coloured Coat, and Jo-Ann Kelly ~ McPhee passed away in 2023March 22, 1944 ~ Jazz drummer Yank Porter, full name Yank Allen Porter, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ In-demand sideman from the 1930s through his death in the mid 1940s. Has backed artists such as Charlie Matson, Louis Armstrong, Bud Harris, James P Johnson, Fats Waller, Dave Martin, Joe Sullivan, Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, and Art Tatum ~ Porter was born in 1895
March 22, 1943 ~ Jazz, R&B, funk, soul guitarist, singer, songwriter George Benson, full name George Washington Benson, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Became a household name with a string of 1970s crossover hits including This Masquerade, On Broadway and his best known Give Me The Night, yet had already a long and acclaimed resumé in soul-jazz and jazz starting in the mid 1960s as a leader, in-demand sideman and composer. Especially acclaimed for the albums Shape Of Things To Come and Beyond The Blue Horizon. Present on albums by the likes of Jack McDuff, Red Holloway (Cookin' Together), Joe Dukes, Jaki Byard, Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Dr Lonnie Smith (Live At Club Mozambique), Freddie Hubbard (Red Clay), Airto Moreira, Don Sebesky, and Johnny Hammond Smith
March 22, 1943 ~ Blues rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, rock singer, guitarist, bassist, harmonicist, songwriter Keith Relf, full name William Keith Relf, born in Richmond, UK ~ Original lead singer, key member of the Yardbirds. The band is best known for hits such as For Your Love, Heart Full Of Soul, Evil Hearted You, Shapes Of Things, and Over Under Sideways Down. Following the band's disbandement in 1968, Relf formed the acoustic duo Together with bandmate Jim McCarthy, followed by Renaissance. Subsequently, Relf has also worked with Steamhammer, folk-rock band Hunter Muskett, world music group Amber, psychedelic rockers Saturnalia, blues-rock outfit Medicine Head, and supergroup Armageddon ~ Relf passed away in 1976
March 22, 1941 ~ Jazz, hard bop bassist, composer Hugo Rasmussen born in Bagsvaerd, Denmark ~ Best known for his 1978 album Sweets To The Sweet. Worked with Teddy Wilson, Ralph Sutton, Horace Parlan, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Oliver Nelson, Tom Waits, Al Grey, Wild Bill Davison, Harry Sweets Edison, Doug Raney, Ole Kock Hansen, Svend Asmussen, Jesper Thilo, Norbert Susemihl, Jakob Dinesen, Kasper Trandberg, Andrew Hyhne, Heine Hansen, Kresten Osgood, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis ~ Rasmussen passed away in 2015March 22, 1941 ~ Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde, commonly known as guitarist, singer, songwriter Jeremy Clyde born in Durham, UK ~ Half of Chad & Jeremy, the other half being Chad Stuart, known for a string of early 1960s folk-infected pop hits including Yesterday's Gone, Willow Weep For Me, Before And After, and perhaps their best known 1964's Summer Song