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.
November 10, 1946 ~ Engineer, producer, arranger, songwriter Roy Thomas Baker born in Hampstead, UK ~ Began his career at age 14 at Decca Records, to quickly become second engineer aiding producers, engineers Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti on recordings by the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, the Who, and Nazareth. By the turn of the 1970s, Baker had become chief engineer working on hits such as Free's All Right Now and T.Rex's Bang-a-gong (Get It On). Baker would become especially known for producing the first five albums by Queen, including the classic anthem Bohemian Rhapsody, and the first four albums by the Cars, which spawned hits such as Just What I Needed, My Best Friend's Girl, and Shake It Up. Following his hit success with Queen, Baker signed with CBS Music and relocated to America. Over the course of his career, Baker has produced albums by Hawkwind, Journey (Infinity), Foreigner, Ronnie Wood, Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe (Too Fast For Love), Cheap Trick, Devo, Dokken, Joe Lynn Turner, Jon Anderson, Slade, Ozzy Osbourne (No Rest For The Wicked), Dusty Springfield, the Stranglers, and the Smashing Pumpkins. In 2016, the Cars frontman Ric Ocasek has said of Baker: “He was an electronics whiz, a sound guy with a classical background for mic-ing the room's sound. He got harmony. And he took things in stride. A very upbeat, elegant man. Spontaneous, too” ~ Baker passed away in 2025November 10, 1940 ~ David Edward Sutch, commonly known as rock singer Screaming Lord Sutch, born in Hampstead, 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 passed away in 1999
November 10, 1939 ~ Jazz, avant-garde jazz drummer Andrew Cyrille, full name Andrew Charles Cyrille, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Closely associated with Cecil Taylor. Has also worked with David Murray, Irène Schweizer, Marilyn Crispell, Carla Bley, Butch Morris, Reggie Workman, Trio 3, Milford Graves, Ted Daniel, David S Ware, Mal Waldron, and Charlie Haden
November 10, 1939 ~ Jazz, classical, pop flutist Hubert Laws born in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Brother of saxophonist Ronnie Laws and singers Eloise Laws and Debra Laws. Early member of the Jazz Crusaders from 1954 through 1960. Played with Mongo Santamaria from 1963 through 1967. Member of the New York Jazz Quartet. In the classical world known for his associations with the New York Metropolitan Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and noted for his renditions of works by Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky and Claude Debussy. Played flute on Gil Scott-Heron's acclaimed 1971 Pieces Of A Man album. As a session musician has also worked with Airto Moreira, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Quincy Jones, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Jaco Pastorius, Carly Simon, George Benson, and Stevie Wonder
November 10, 1939 ~ Singer, guitarist Tommy Facenda, full name Eugene Thomas Facenda, born in Norfolk, Virginia, USA ~ Briefly a member of Gene Vincent's backing unit the Blue Caps. As a solo artist known for the novelty hit High School USA which cracked the Billboard Hot 100 top 30 in 1959. In the original version Facenda listed the names of high schools in his home state of Virginia. It would be picked up by Atlantic Records who asked him to record 28 different versions of the song using regional school names across the country. A follow-up, 1960's Bubba Ditty, failed to chart and Facenda would retire from music, serving in the military through 1962 and subsequently work as a firefighter ~ Facenda passed away in 2022
November 10, 1934 ~ Hard bop, swing, soul jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader, producer Houston Person born in Florence, South Carolina, USA ~ Started on piano before switching to sax. Played with Don Ellis, Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton, and Leo Wright while enlisted in US Air Force. Went on to record over 75 albums as a bandleader. Worked with artists such as Charles Brown, Ron Carter, Bill Charlap, Lena Horne, Etta Jones, Lou Rawls, Janis Siegel, Horace Silver, Dakota Staton, Billy Butler, Don Patterson, Grant Green, Sonny Phillips, Johnny Hammond Smith, Richard Groove Holmes, Gene Ammons, Joey DeFrancesco, Tiny Grimes, Charles Kynard, Jimmy Ponder, Melvin Sparks, and Warren Vaché Jr
November 10, 1933 ~ Emmett Ellis Jr, commonly known as blues, R&B, soul, funk singer, guitarist, songwriter Bobby Rush, born in Homer, Louisiana, USA ~ Active since his teens. Formed the Four Jivers, which included Boyd Gilmore, Johnny Big Moose Walker, Pinetop Perkins and Robert Plunkett. Befriended Ike Turner, Little Walter, Muddy Waters. Broke through in the early 1970s with his single Chicken Heads reaching Gold status and has recorded to critical acclaim since with well over two albums to his name. Especially acclaimed for his 2017 Grammy Award-winning Porcupine Meat album
November 10, 1932 ~ Pianist Paul Bley born in Montreal, Canada ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Charlie Parker, Al Levitt, Peter Ind, Ben Webster, Art Blakey, Hal Gaylor, Lenny McBrowne, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Jimmy Giuffre 3, Steve Swallow, Sonny Rollins, his wife Carla Bley, Bill Dixon, Roswell Rudd, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Michael Mantler, Sun Ra, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Bruce Ditmas, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Marion Brown, Gunter Hampel, Lester Bowie, Steve Lacy, Ran Blake, Perry Robinson, Naná Vasconcelos, John Gilmore, Chet Baker, Satoko Fujii, and Yitzhak Yedid ~ Bley passed away in 2016November 10, 1931 ~ Trumpeter, bandoneonist, conductor, composer Pierre Dutour born in Boulogne-sur-Gesse, France ~ Influenced by Louis Armstrong. Has served in orchestras led by Henri Lovel, Alix Combelle, Aimé Barelli, and Claude Bolling. Composed the soundtrack to the 1974 British drama film Feelings. Dutour has also guested on albums by Nino Ferrer, Claudio Baglioni, Michel Sardou, Anne Sylvestre, and Dalida ~ Dutour passed away in 2023
November 10, 1928 ~ Marilyn Katz, commonly known as songwriter Marilyn Bergman, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Married to Alan Bergman since 1958. Together the Bergmans wrote lyrics to some of the best known songs of American pop, stage, film and musicals, including Dean Martin's Sleep Warm, Frank Sinatra's Nice And Easy, Ray Charles's In The Heat Of The Night, and Noel Harrison's The Windmills Of Your Mind as featured in The Thomas Crown Affair, the latter earning the pair an Academy Award for Best Song ~ Bergman passed away in 2022November 10, 1923 ~ Patricia Jacqueline Sibley, commonly known as singer Anne Shelton, born in Dulwich, UK ~ Perhaps best known as an inspirational singer for the British troops during World War II. Original singer of the English version of the Lale Andersen-penned Lili Marlene ~ Sibley passed away in 1994
November 10, 1922 ~ Music publicist, talent manager Kenneth Cooper Pitt born in Uxbridge, UK ~ During the 1950's British publicist working with American artists including Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Ventured into talent management managing and representing Danny Purches, Manfred Mann, Crispian St Peters, Goldie & the Gingerbreads, and David Bowie ~ Pitt passed away in 2019
November 10, 1916 ~ Bandleader, conductor Billy May, full name Edward William May Jr, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Arranger for the likes of Frank Sinatra (including on the albums Come Fly With Me and Come Swing With Me), Nat King Cole, Anita O'Day, Peggy Lee, Vic Damone (The Lively One), Bobby Darin, Johnny Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Nancy Wilson, Rosemary Clooney, the Andrews Sisters, and for Ella Mae Morse, Composed for film and TV including The Green Hornet, Batman and The Naked City. As a composer best known for works such as Glenn Miller's Long Tall Mama, Charlie Barnet's The Wrong Idea and Mel Blanc's chidren's song I Tawt A Taw A Puddy Tat. Notable recordings with his own orchestra include 1952's Charmaine and 1956's Main Title From The Man With The Golden Arm ~ May passed away in 2004
November 10, 1909 ~ Songwriter Johnny Marks, full name John David Marks, born in Mount Vernon, New York, USA ~ Best known for writing a number of holiday classics including Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry), Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee), A Holly Jolly Christmas (the Quinto Sisters), I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day (Bing Crosby) and Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry) ~ Marks passed away in 1985November 10, 1907 ~ Singer, actress Jane Froman, full name Ellen Jane Froman, passed away in Columbia, Missouri, USA ~ Classically trained. Known though as one of her era's finest interpreters of compositions by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, enjoying popularity from the early 1930s onwards performing on radio, screen and stage notably including a stint with Ziegfeld Follies revue ~ Froman passed away in 1980
November 10, 1887 ~ William Henry Jackson, commonly known as blues guitarist, banjoist, singer Papa Charlie Jackson, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Perhaps best known for accompanying some of the most famous classic blues singers including Ida Cox, Hattie McDaniel and notably Ma Rainey. Has also recoirded with Big Bill Broonzy and Blind Blake, the latter a longtime idol of his. As a solo artist known for a number of 1920s recordings, notably Airy Man Blues, Papa's Lawdy Lawdy Blues, Shave 'Em Dry and Salty Dog Blues ~ Jackson passed away in 1938November 10, 1668 ~ Baroque composer, organist, harpsichordist François Couperin born in Paris, France ~ Dubbed “Couperin the Great” to distinguish him from his father organist Charles Couperin and uncle keyboard virtuoso and composer Louis Couperin. Influenced by Arcangelo Corelli. Admired by Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel. Best known for a number of volumes for harpsichord music published between 1713 and 1730 and for his the Concerts Royaux ~ Couperin passed away in 1733