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 26, 1940 ~ Guitarist, singer, songwriter John Starling born in Durham, North Carolina, USA ~ Released two solo albums, 1980's Long Time Gone and 1982's Waiting On A Southern Train. Member of the Seldom Scene. Member of the Ready Section. Worked with Mike Auldridge, Ben Eldridge, Carl Jackson, Carolina Star, Emmylou Harris, Lowell George, Buddy Emmons, Claire Lynch, the Nash Ramblers, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt ~ Starling passed away in 2019
March 26, 1940 ~ Jazz flutist, saxophonist Lew Tabackin born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he co-led ensembles since the 1970s. Influenced by sax players Al Cohn and Coleman Hawkins and flutists such as William Kincaid, Julius Baker, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Tabackin has played with artists such as Tal Farlow, Chuck Israels, Elvin Jones, Donald Byrd, Roland Hanna, Doc Severinsen, Shelly Manne, Billy Higgins, Clark Terry, Don Friedman, Benny Carter, Duke Pearson, Maynard Ferguson, Jimmy Knepper, Tom Waits (on the 1976 LP Small Change), Freddie Hubbard, and Howard Alden
March 26, 1939 ~ R&B singer, organist Toussaint McCall born in Delhi, Louisiana, USA ~ Known for the mid 1960s singles I'll Do It For You and its follow-up Nothing Takes The Place Of You. The latter would reach top 10 Billboard R&B, peaking at No.5, and later be covered by Asleep At The Wheel, Shovels & Rope, and by Prince Buster. McCall released several more singles and a full-length album, Nothing Takes The Place Of You named for and including his one big hit, yet would be unable to repeat his earlier success ~ McCall passed away in 2023
March 26, 1934 ~ Actor, director, screenwriter Alan Arkin, full name Alan Wolf Arkin, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Best known for his career in the film industry, working in a variety of roles over a career spanning seven decades and awarded an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Little Miss Sunshine. Also enjoyed some succes as a singer and guitarist as a member of 1950s folk group the Tarriers and children's folk group the Baby Sitters
March 26, 1934 ~ Jazz drummer Donald Bailey, full name Donald Orlando Bailey Sr, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Best known for backing organist Jimmy Smith from the mid 1950s through the mid 1960s, including on the seminal A New Sound A New Star album released in 1958. Has also worked with the likes of Hampton Hawes (The Seance), the Three Sounds, Roy Ayers, Harold Land (The Peace-Maker), Jimmy Rowles, Mundell Lowe, Blue Mitchell, Carmen McRae, Charles McPherson, and Bebop & Beyond ~ Bailey passed away in 2013
March 26, 1933 ~ Salvatore Massaro, commonly known as guitarist Eddie Lang passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Proficient on violin and banjo but best known as “the Father of Jazz guitar” and especially renowned for his work with Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke under the group moniker Tram Bix & Lang. Has worked with Red McKenzie in the Mound City Blowers, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Jean Goldkette, Adrian Rollini, Hoagy Carmichael, Jack Pettis, Bessie Smith, Clarence Williams, Paul Whiteman, Bing Crosby, and Rube Bloom ~ Lang was born in 1902
March 26, 1931 ~ Producer, pianist, vibraphonist, songwriter, arranger Charles Stepney born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Co-founded Rotary Connection with Marshall Chess and produced most of the band's output. Would go on to produce a host of artists including Rotary-lead singer Minnie Riperton, the Dells, Earth Wind & Fire, Terry Callier, Ramsey Lewis, Maurice White, Marlena Shaw, Deniece Williams, the Soulful Strings, Howlin' Wolf, and the Emotions ~ Stepney passed away in 1976March 26, 1929 ~ Jazz saxophonist Maurice Simon, full name Maurice James Simon, born in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Worked with Russell Jacquet, Teddy Edwards, Charles Mingus, Wild Bill Davis, Chico Hamilton, Sonny Stitt, Leo Parker, Charles Thompson, Al Lucas, Shadow Wilson, Gerald Wilson, Snooky Young, Red Kelly, Melba Liston, Dexter Gordon, Ernie Freeman, Red Callender, JC Heard, Fats Domino, Papa John Creach, Big Maybelle, Faye Adams, Bumble Bee Slim, Percy Mayfield, and BB King ~ Simon passed away in 2019
March 26, 1925 ~ Jazz saxophonist, flutist James Moody born in Savannah, Georgia, USA ~ Well over three dozen albums to his name as a leader since the late 1940s, best known for his unexpected 1956 hit Moody's Mood For Love off the album of the same name. As a sideman, Moody has guested on albums by Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie (In Paris), Al Haig, Eddie Lockjaw Davis (Bacalao), Hank Crawford, Eddie Jefferson (Letter From Home), Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Dexter Gordon (The Tower Of Power), Cedar Walton, Charles Mingus (Let My Children Hear Music), Aretha Franklin, Coleman Hawkins, Elvin Jones, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, George Benson (Give Me The Night), and Karin Krog ~ Moody passed away in 2010
March 26, 1924 ~ Milton Aubrey Moore, commonly known as tenor saxophonist, bandleader Brew Moore, born in Indianola, Indiana, USA ~ Moore recorded as a leader starting in 1948, Brew Moore & his Playboys, and played as a sideman with Machito, Claude Thornhill, Kai Winding, Stan Getz, and George Wallington. Moore left New York in 1953, relocated to the West Coast and dropped out of the scene by the end of the 1950s. He would later resurface in Denmark where he would continue to perform for the rest of his life teaming up with artists such as Kenny Drew, Sahib Shihab, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and Alex Riel ~ Moore passed away in 1973
March 26, 1916 ~ Conductor, composer Harry Rabinowitz born in Johannesburg, South Africa ~ Closely associated with the BBC, conducting the BBC Revue Orchestra for most of the 1950s and serving as music director for BBC Television Light Entertainment for most of the 1960s. Also worked with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted numerous film scores including Chariots Of Fire, The English Patient and The Talented Mr Ripley ~ Rabinowitz passed away in 2016
March 26, 1916 ~ Big band, swing, jazz, traditional pop bandleader, arranger, composer Vic Schoen, full name Victor Schoen, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Worked with Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Les Brown, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, George Shearing, Jimmie Lunceford, Ray McKinley, Benny Carter, Louis Prima, Russ Morgan, Guy Lombardo, Carmen Cavallaro, Carmen Miranda, Gordon Jenkins, Joe Venuti, Victor Young, Arthur Fiedler, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Dick Haymes, Ella Fitzgerald, Maurice Chevalier, Mildred Bailey, Peggy Lee, Patti Page, the McGuire Sisters, and Kay Starr ~ Schoen passed away in 2000
March 26, 1915 ~ Joseph Edward Filippelli, commonly known as jazz, swing, jump blues saxophonist, clarinetist Flip Phillips, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Best known for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts from the mid-1940 to the late 1950s. As a leader recorded extensively in the 1940s and 1950s, working with sidemen such as Buddy Morrow, Tommy Turk, Kai Winding, Sonny Criss, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne. Backed singer Billie Holiday on her Billie Holiday Sings album released in 1952 ~ Phillips passed away in 2001March 26, 1909 ~ Jazz double bassist Abe Bolar born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA ~ Worked with the Oklahoma City Blue Devils, Hot Lips Page, Lucky Millinder, Count Basie, and Pete Johnson ~ Bolar passed away in 2000
March 26, 1907 ~ Film composer, songwriter Leigh Harline, full name Leigh Adrian Harline, born in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA ~ First gained attention as film composer working with Disney, including on the original versions of Disney's first animated feature-length film 1937's Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs and 1940's Pinocchio. Would go on to work with other studios, scoring soundtracks for movies such as Mr Bug Goes To Town, Monkey Business, True Story, and The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm ~ Harline passed away in 1969