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.
May 16, 2023 ~ Ska, reggae trumpeter, saxophonist Lester Sterling, also known as Lester Ska Sterling, passed away ~ Brother of keyboardist Keith Sterling. Co-founding member of seminal ska outfit the Skatalites, remaining with the band through its initial disbandement in 1965 and involved in several its later reunions. The band is known for a number of early to mid 1960s recordings, notably Guns Of Navarone, and was an in-demand studio band for a wide array of Jamaican artists including Bob Marley. Following the band's disbandement Sterling has recorded as a solo artist, worked with Byron Lee's unit the Dragonaires, and with the Third World All-Stars ~ Sterling was born in 1936May 16, 2023 ~ Country engineer, producer Richard Landis passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Early on in his career, Landis recorded as a solo artist to limited success, known for his sole 1972 Natural Causes album, yet would grow to become one of the most respected producers in country music. Closely associated with Juice Newton, including producing her breakthrough 1981 album Juice which spawned the hits Angel Of The Morning, Queen Of Hearts, and the Billboard Country No.1 The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known). Other notable associations include Peter Allen, Red Rider, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Seldom Scene, Van Stephenson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbitt, Lorrie Morgan, Doug Supernaw, the Oak Ridge Boys, Neil Diamond, Vince Gill, and Tom Cochrane ~ Landis was born in 1946
May 16, 2016 ~ Candice Caleb, commonly known as blues, jazz singer, songwriter Candye Kane passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Adult film star turned eclectic blues, jazz singer emerging from the 1980s punk rock scene after dropping out of an opera conservatory program. Influenced by Big Maybelle, Ruth Brown, Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, Bessie Smith. Self-released her Burlesque Swing debut album in 1991 and has recorded to a devoted fanbase until the time of her death. Known for songs such as The Toughest Girl Alive, Who Do You Love, 200 Pounds Of Fun, For Your Love, Please Tell Me A Lie, You Need A Great Big Woman and The Lord Was A Woman ~ Caleb was born in 1961
May 16, 2015 ~ Free jazz drummer, percussionist Jerome Cooper passed away in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Active since the late 1960s. In addition to drums Cooper played balafon, chirimia and various electronic instruments referring to himself as a “multi-dimensional drummer.” Has worked with artists such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Steve Lacy, Lou Bennett, the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Alan Silva, Noah Howard, the Revolutionary Ensemble, Sam Rivers, George Adams, Karl Berger, Andrew Hill, Anthony Braxton, and Cecil Taylor ~ Cooper was born in 1946
May 16, 2012 ~ Bandleader, composer Chuck Brown, full name Charles Louis Brown, passed away in Baltimore, Maryland, USA ~ Known as “the Godfather of Go-Go”. Local celebrity in Washington DC. Elsewhere known for hits such as We Need Some Money and Bustin' Loose. Influential on the Soul Rebels Brass Band, Big G & the Backyard Band, the Junk Yard Band, Rare Essence, Experience Unlimited, Little Benny & the Master, and Trouble Funk ~ Brown was born in 1936
May 16, 2012 ~ Banjoist Doug Dillard passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Pioneering country-rock banjoist. Influenced by Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Don Reno. Founding member of the Ozark Mountain Boys. Member of the Dixie Ramblers, the Dillards, the Folkswingers. Toured Europe as member of the Byrds. Especially praised as a key member of Dillard & Clark, which played an important role in popularizing country rock, and included Gene Clark, Bernie Leadon, Mike Clark, and Byron Berline as band members ~ Dillard was born in 1927
May 16, 2010 ~ Jazz pianist, composer Hank Jones, full name Henry Jones Jr, passed away in the Bronx, New York, USA ~ Brother of trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Elvin Jones. Influenced by Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, and Art Tatum. Over 60 albums to his name as a leader, especially acclaimed for the mid 1950s albums Bluebird and Urbanity. Accompanied Marilyn Monroe on piano as she sang Happy Birthday Mr President to then President John F Kennedy. Frequent collaborator, sideman to Milt Jackson, JJ Johnson, Oliver Nelson, and Sonny Stitt ~ Jones was born in 1918
May 16, 2010 ~ Ronald James Padavona, commonly known as heavy metal, hard rock singer, songwriter Ronnie James Dio, passed away in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Founded Elf. Lead singer of Rainbow, with whom he recorded three albums. Replaced Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer in Black Sabbath, present on the albums Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules and Dehumanizer. Founder, frontman, eponym of Dio. Founded Heaven & Hell with Tony Iommi ~ Padavona was born in 1942
May 16, 2009 ~ Singer, songwriter Alexander Rybak wins the 54th edition of the Eurovision Songfestival held in Moscow, Russia ~ Representing Norway, Alexander Rybak wins with the song Fairytale, a self-penned composition. Runner-ups would be Turkey's Hadise with Dum Tek Tek in 2nd place, and Bosnia & Herzegovina's Grupa Regina with Bistra Voda in 3rdMay 16, 2005 ~ The 36th edition of Pinkpop takes place in Landgraaf, the Netherlands ~ Day 3 of 3. A sunny and warm weekend, this year's edition would draw a total of some 20,000 visitors. Included on today's, Monday the 16th's bill would be the Presidents of the United States, Beth Hart, Novastar, the Golden Earring, Kane, Faithless, Wir Sind Helden, Di-rect, Cake, Apocalyptica, Saybia, Triggerfinger, Thirteen Senses, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, and Gabriel Ríos
May 16, 2002 ~ Bassist, singer James Dewar passed away in Paisley, UK ~ Influenced by Ray Charles and Otis Redding. Best known as bassist for Stone The Crows and as lead singer and bassist for the Robin Trower Band. Has recorded one solo album, Stumbledown Romancer which notably featured organist Matthew Fisher, recorded in the 1970s but not released until 1998 ~ Dewar was born in 1942
May 16, 2000 ~ Boy band NSYNC release It's Gonna Be Me, lifted off their No Strings Attached album ~ In It's Gonna Be Me the singer appeals to a woman who has been hurt before and is reluctant to give her love to a new lover, however, he soothes her he is not like other men and is willing to wait for her. The song was produced by Rami Yacoub, who co-wrote it with fellow Swedes Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, the same team that also regularly worked with NSYNC rivals the Backstreet Boys. Although internationally It's Gonna Be Me did less than some of their other singles, in America it did reach top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it their sole American charttopper. Two more singles of the same album also reached top 10, as Bye Bye Bye and This I Promise You peaked respectively at No.4 and No.5. The parent album would be a smash hit, selling nearly 2.5 million copies in America in its first week, a record that remained unmatched for 15 years. In 2010, band member Justin Timberlake looked back at the success of the band that launched his career, as he told NPR: “Everything that we did was based around a cappella harmonies. That's what we wanted to be in the beginning - an a cappella group. So that is why we put five guys in the group. When we were forming the group, there wasn't a boy-band phenomenon. Nirvana and Pearl Jam were probably the top two acts in the world at the time, so we never knew at what capacity everything was going to work out for us. I don't think we thought it was going to be as big as it became”
May 16, 1995 ~ Maria Dolores Flores Ruiz, commonly known as copla, flamenco, pasodoble singer, actress Lola Flores, passed away in Madrid, Spain ~ Married to flameco guitarist El Pescaílla. The couple's children Lolita Flores, Rosario Flores and Antonio Flores have all achieved fame as singers. Over two dozen albums to her name as a singer, including a number with her husband. Appeared in some three dozen films as an actress ~ Flores was born in 1923
May 16, 1993 ~ Marvin Earl Johnson, commonly known as R&B singer, pianist, songwriter Marv Johnson, passed away in Columbia, South Carolina, USA ~ Notable for recording Come To Me, the very first release on Tamla in 1959, the label which later became Motown. Also known for You Got What It Takes and I Love The Way You Love, both reaching the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Johnson would remain with Motown well through the 1970s, working in sales and promotion, as well as write songs for Tyrone Davis, Johnnie Taylor and notably Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation, a 1973 R&B hit for the Dells ~ Johnson was born in 1938May 16, 1992 ~ Singer, songwriter Kirstin Maldonado, full name Kirstin Taylor Maldonado, born in Fort Worth, Texas, USA ~ Rose to fame as member of a capella pop group Pentatonix, known for songs such as 2013's Little Drummer Boy and 2014's Mary Did You Know. As a solo artist released her LOVE debut EP in 2017 under the moniker Kirstin ™, the ™ standing for “Taylor Maldonado”
May 16, 1990 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Eduardo Matteo passed away in Montevideo, Uruguay ~ Modernised Uruguyan music drawing from beat, jazz, bossa nova and local rhythms. Cited by Jorge Drexler as a major influence. Has his compositions recorded by Pedro Aznar, Hugo Fattoruso, Fernando Cabrera, Leon Gieco, Sandra Mihanovich, Milton Nascimento, and Jaime Roos ~ Mateo was born in 1940
May 16, 1990 ~ R&B singer Johnny Gill releases My My My, lifted off his second eponymous Johnny Gill album ~ Following the disbandement of New Edition, Johnny Gill issued his solo debut album the same year. My My My would be one of four singles off his eponymous album to reach top 10 Billboard R&B, and one of two to reach top 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. The song had originally been performed by Kenneth Babyface Edmonds, who wrote it with regular collaborator Daryl Simmons and produced it with LA Reid, but it was given to Gill. Edmonds would later tell Billboard: “I did an OK version of it, but Johnny turned it into his song.”
May 16, 1990 ~ Singer, pianist, percussionist, dancer, actor, comedian Sammy Davis Jr, full name Samuel George Davis Jr, passed away in Beverly Hills, California, USA ~ Active since age three, performing in vaudeville shows with his father Sammy Davis Sr and the Will Mastin Trio. Starred in the 1956 Broadway production Mr Wonderful. Member of the Rat Pack, known among others for the 1960 film Oceans 11. As a solo artist best known for songs such as Hey There, Something's Gotta Give, Love Me Or Leave Me, What Kind Of Fool Am I, Me And My Shadow with Frank Sinatra, I've Gotta Be Me, and perhaps his best known The Candy Man, the latter topping the American charts in 1972 ~ Davis was born in 1925May 16, 1989 ~ Singer, producer, songwriter Shakka, full name Shakka Philip, born in Notting Hill, UK ~ Broke through with his major label debut EP The Lost Boys, featuring the hit Say Nada, in 2015. Collaborated with artists such as Wretch 32, Frisco, Jme, Mr Vegas, Aluna George, Shown 'n Prove, Ghetts, and Wiley
May 16, 1988 ~ Singer Bobby Brown releases Don't Be Cruel, lead single off his sophomore album of the same name ~ Written by Daryl Simmons, LA Reid, and Kenneth Babyface Edmonds, the latter two also serving as the song's producers, the song tells of a man poorly treated by his girlfriend, warning her she better treat him right or some other girl will. Reid and Edmonds were pivotal to the development of new jack swing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, merging hip hop with smoother R&B, and Bobby Brown was a perfect fit for the team as he could both sing and rap. Simmons would later recall Brown thought the original rap Simmons had written for Don't Be Cruel was corny, so the songwriter agreed to let him rewrite it: “He made it ‘Bobby’, he brought attitude to it. We were so ecstatic.” For Brown the single would be an international breakthrough, reaching No.13 in the UK as well as No.8 on the American Billboard Hot 100 and No.1 Billboard R&B. All four subsequent singles off the same album would also reach top 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, with My Prerogative becoming the biggest hit of his career and his sole Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hitMay 16, 1981 ~ The Muppet Show episode featuring guest drummer Buddy Rich airs in the USA ~ Superstar drummer Buddy Rich would later look back: “The thing that's good about it is: I felt like a Muppet myself, I was like a kid, playing with those guys, because that's how they made me feel. Singing the song was a knockout to me: the silly karate thing with Miss Piggy was beautiful, I thought; the playing on the walls, chairs and everything was a great idea of theirs. Then, of course, the battle at the end with Animal, to play opposite Ronnie Verrell - one of my all-time favourite drummers, along with Kenny Clare - was a total gas to me. That one week will go down as one of the most positive weeks in my career. I loved it, and I thank them”
May 16, 1981 ~ Pianist, organist, bandleader, arranger Ernie Freeman, full name Ernest Aaron Freeman, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Active since the 1940s, initially in jazz and later branching out into R&B and pop. Session musician on numerous 1950s R&B and rock & roll records, including on the Platters's The Great Pretender. Member of the Ernie Fields Orchestra, which became the house band for Rendezvous Records in 1958. Musical director of Reprise Records. Arranged virtually every recording for Snuff Garrett at Liberty Records. Conducted string arrangements for Simon & Garfunkel's acclaimed Bridge Over Troubled Waters album. Over the course of his career has worked, in one capacity or another, with Woody Herman, Dinah Washington, Earl Bostic, Plas Johnson, Earl Palmer, Duane Eddy, Bobby Byrd, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Petula Clark, Julie London, Bobby Vee, Johnny Burnette, Gene McDaniels, Timi Yuro, Johnny Otis, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Charlie Barnet ~ Freeman was born in 1922May 16, 1979 ~ Raymond Eustis Montrell, commonly known as R&B guitarist Roy Montrell, passed away in Amsterdam, the Netherlands ~ In-demand session musician, perhaps most notably for Little Richard (Lucille) and for Fats Domino. First recorded and co-wrote Everytime I Hear That Mellow Saxophone, later covered by numerous artists including the Stray Cats ~ Montrell was born in 1928
May 16, 1978 ~ Hans Wilhelm Steinberg, commonly known as conductor, violinist, pianist William Steinberg, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Violinist with the Cologne Opera Orchestra fired for using his own bowings, but quickly rehired as an assistant. Music director for the Frankfurt Opera, notably conducting the world premiere of Arnold Schoenberg's Von Heute Auf Morgen in 1930. Of Jewish descent Steinberg would be relieved from his post in 1933, the Nazi brownshirts literally storming in and lifting the baton out of his hand. Relocated to British Mandate of Palestine, current day Israel, by 1936, and to America two years later, finding employ as Arturo Toscanini's assistant for the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Best known for his tenure with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, serving as its music director from 1952 through 1976. Has also guest conducted most major US orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as a wide array of foreign orchestras ~ Steinberg was born in 1899May 16, 1977 ~ Singer, songwriter Emiliana Torrini born in Reykjavik, Iceland ~ Best known for the single Jungle Drum and for Gollum's Song, the latter from the soundtrack to Lord Of The Rings (The Two Towers). Torrini was also a member of Gusgugs, and has notably collaborated with Spoon and with Kid Koala
May 16, 1977 ~ Disco group KC & the Sunshine Band release Keep It Comin' Love, lifted off their Part 3 album ~ The song has no lyrics other than the phrase “keep it coming, love, don't stop it now” repeated over and over again. The two songwriters. Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch who wrote all of the band's hits, had different explanations for this though. Lead singer Casey has stated they used repetition because they didn't want anyone not to know the name of the song once they heard it on the radio. Finch, however, has said the well was dry after writing three albums and they simply didn't know what else to write. Whatever the case, it worked and the infectuous Keep It Comin' Love would be another hit for the band, peaking at No.2 Billboard Hot 100