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 19, 1946 ~ Producer Trevor Veitch born in Vancouver, Canada ~ First gained attention as co-founding member of 1960s outfit 3's A Crowd, helpful in introducing jazz and eastern music influences in folk rock. Assisted on several early Rush albums, notably the band's 1970 eponymous Rush debut and 1972's Merrimack County playing guitar, mandocello and mandolin. Veitch has also worked with Laura Branigan, Donna Summer, Toni Basil, and Patty Brard
May 19, 1945 ~ Guitarist, singer, songwriter Pete Townshend, full name Peter Dennis Townshend, born in Chiswick, UK ~ Co-founding member, guitarist, co-lead singer for the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s with record sales exceeding 100 million copies. Well known songs include My Generation, Substitute, Pictures Of Lily, Pinball Wizard, and Won't Get Fooled Again. The band is especially acclaimed for their 1969 rock opera Tommy, and for the albums Who's Next and Quadrophenia. Townshend has also released about half a dozen albums as a solo artist, starting with Who Came First released in 1972, and collaborated with the likes ofd Ronnie Lane, David Gilmour, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, and Mick Jagger
May 19, 1940 ~ Milton Sims Newbury Jr, commonly known as country, folk, folk-rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Mickey Newbury, born in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Revered by peers. Acclaimed for a number of late 1960s, early 1970s albums especially 1972's Frisco Mabel Joy which included An American Trilogy, a song later popularized by Elvis Presley. Though Newbury never became a household name, several songs of his have become well known as recorded by others including Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings (Don Gibson, Tom Jones), San Francisco Mabel Joy (the Box Tops, Waylon Jennings), Here Comes The Rain Baby (Roy Orbison, Eddy Arnold), Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In (Jerry Lee Lewis, Kenny Rogers, Bettye LaVette), and Sweet Memories (Andy Williams, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles) ~ Newbury passed away in 2002
May 19, 1939 ~ Composer, keyboardist Richard Teitelbaum, full name Richard Lowe Teitelbaum, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Pioneered brain-wave music. Known for his live electronic performances. Draws from worlds music using a variety of instruments. Especially acclaimed for Time Zones, a collaborative album with Anthony Braxton. Formed Musica Elettronica Viva with Alvin Curran and Frederic Rzewski, known best for their 1977 Unified Patchwork Theory exploring electro-acoustic and free improvisation jazz. Teitelbaum has also notably guested on recordings by Leroy Jenkins, Andrew Cyrille, Luc Houtkamp, Steve Lacy, and Alvin Lucier ~ Teitelbaum passed away in 2020
May 19, 1939 ~ Cornelius Fortune, commonly known as saxophonist, flutist Sonny Fortune, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Influenced by Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. Rose to prominence backing Miles Davis in the mid 1970s, including on the albums Agharta and Pangaea. As a leader, Fortune has recorded over a dozen albums, notably It Ain't What It Was released in 1991. Fortune has also appeared on albums by George Benson, Mongo Santamaria, Pharoah Sanders, Roy Ayers, McCoy Tyner (Sahara), Leon Spencer, the Average White Band (AWB), Charles Mingus, Dom Um Romão, Kenny Barron, Herbie Mann, Nat Adderley, Mtume (You Me And He), Buddy Rich, Cindy Blackman, Mal Waldron, and Elvin Jones ~ Fortune passed away in 2018
May 19, 1938 ~ Jerry Marvin Stembridge, commonly known as guitarist, producer Chip Young, born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ In-demand Nashville-based session guitarist turned producer. As a guitarist, Young has sessioned on tracks by Nancy Sinatra, Dolly Parton (Just Because I'm A Woman), Neon Philharmonic, Tony Joe White (Black And White), Bobby Bare, Elvis Presley (That's The Way It Is), Roger Miller, Tom T Hall, Charley Pride, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Willie Nelson (Yesterday's Wine), Gordon Lightfoot, the Statler Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, Charlie McCoy, Carl Perkins, Waylon Jennings (Lonesome On'ry & Mean), Leon Russell, Guy Clark, the Oak Ridge Boys, Tanya Tucker, and the Allman Brothers Band. As a producer, Young has worked on albums by Billy Swan, Mickey Newbury, Joe Ely (Honky Tonk Masquerade), Gene Summers, and Michael Martin Murphey ~ Young passed away in 2014May 19, 1938 ~ Country, bluegrass bassist, songwriter Rex Gosdin born in Randolph County, Alabama, USA ~ Member of the Hillmen, which also included Chris Hillman and his brother Vern Gosdin. The group played Southern California during the early 1960s but would fail to land a record deal. Rex would subsequently form the Gosdin Brothers with Vernon, the duo having some success with the songs Hangin' On and Till The End. They were also featured on Gene Clark's well-received Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers album released in 1967. Rex would go on to write songs for others, including co-writing If I Can't Have All Of You (Just Give Me What You Think Is Fair) for Ferlin Husky and Someday My Day Will Come for George Jones ~ Gosdin passed away in 1983
May 19, 1935 ~ Jazz bassist, double bassist Cecil McBee born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA ~ First gained attention in the late 1950s backing Dinah Washington. McBee has recorded sporadically as a leader, notably 1977's From The Source and 1982's Flying Out, but is best known as a sideman, praised for his versatility, appearing on hundreds of albums. Notable credits include albums by George Bohanon, Denny Zeitlin (Cathexis), Jackie McLean (Action), Wayne Shorter (Et Cetera), Dannie Richmond, Andrew Hill, Charles Lloyd, Yusef Lateef, (The Blue Yusef Lateef), Sunny Murray, Leon Thomas, Roy Brooks, Sonny Simmons, Pharoah Sanders (Black Unity), Alice Coltrane, Joe Chambers, Sam Rivers (Streams), Woody Shaw, Lester Bowie, Charles Tolliver (Impact), Ted Curson, John Stubblefield, Chico Freeman, 360 Degree Music Experience, Charles McPherson, Archie Shepp, Stanley Cowell, Art Pepper (Winter Moon), Mal Waldron, Kip Hanrahan (Coup De Tête), Charlie Rouse, and Didier LockwoodMay 19, 1933 ~ Classical, film composer Antón García Abril born in Teruel, Spain ~ Composed chamber music, orchestral and vocal works. Also a prolific film composer with films such as Texas Adios, Awkward Hands and the Blind Dead series of films to his credit ~ Abril passed away in 2021
May 19, 1932 ~ Alma Angela Cohen, commonly known as traditional pop singer Alma Cogan, born in London, UK ~ Dubbed “the Girl with the Giggle in her Voice”, Cogan was the highest paid British female singer of her day. Known best for covers of popular American hits, especially those recorded by Rosemary Clooney, Teresa Brewer, Joni James and Dinah Shore. Would fall out of fashion by the 1960s, considered too square for the era. Well known songs include Bell Bottom Blues, Little Things Mean A Lot, I Can't Tell A Waltz From A Tango, and perhaps her best known Dreamboat, the latter topping the UK charts in in 1955 ~ Cohen passed away in 1966May 19, 1786 ~ Composer, organist, violinist John Stanley, full name Charles John Stanley, passed away in London, UK ~ Organist with the Society Of The Inner Temple, a post he held from 1734 until his death over 50 years later. Succeeded William Boyce as Master Of The King's Band in 1779. As a composer wrote operas, cantatas, oratorios and instrumental music. Admired by composer George Frideric Handel who would regularly attend his performances ~ Stanley was born in 1712