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 13, 1990 ~ Jovan Campbell, commonly known as rapper Jibbs, born in St Louis, Missouri, USA ~ Known for his 2006 debut single Chain Hang Low and its follow-up King Kong featuring Chamillionaire, both taken of Jibbs' debut album Jibbs Featuring Jibbs. Other singles such as Go Too Far featuing Melody Thornton, Smile featuring Fabo, and later singles would fail to chart
November 13, 1990 ~ Thomas Thomas, commonly known as operatic tenor Richard Lewis, passed away in Eastbourne, UK ~ Well known for his leading tenor roles in several late 1950s, early 1960s recordings of WS Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan comic operas. Has also recorded works composed by George Frideric Handel, Claudio Monteverdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, and Edward Elgar ~ Thomas was born in 1914
November 13, 1988 ~ Conductor, composer Antal Doráti passed away in Gerzensee, Switzerland ~ Worked with the Budapest Royal Opera, the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ~ Doráti was born in 1906
November 13, 1987 ~ Hard bop, soul jazz saxophonist, flutist Harold Vick passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Blues-infused saxophonist on par with Booker Ervin, David Fathead Newman, and Wilton Felder. Over half a dozen albums as a leader, noted especially for his 1963 Steppin' Out debut. As a sideman Vick has appeared on albums by Jack McDuff, Gene Ammons, Big John Patton (Oh Baby), Blue Mitchell, Houston Person (Houston Express), Labelle, Bernard Pretty Purdie (Soul Is Pretty Purdie), Jackie DeShannon, Randy Crawford, Ashford & Simpson, Angela Bofill (Angel Of The Night), Richard Groove Holmes, and Abbey Lincoln ~ Vick was born in 1936November 13, 1985 ~ Edward Maxwell Miller, commonly known as pianist, vibraphonist, composer Max Miller, passed away in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA ~ Influenced by Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Paul Hindemith. Perhaps best remembered for being the first to employ singer Anita O'Day, then aged 19, who sang lead with Miller's band in the late 1930s performing in Chicago venues such as the Three Deuces and the Off-Beat ~ Miller was born in 1911
November 13, 1984 ~ Singer Diana Ross releases Missing You, lifted off her Swept Away album ~ A tribute to Marvin Gaye, shot and killed earlier the same year, Missing You was written by Lionel Richie, who co-produced the song with James Anthony Carmichael. Diana Ross would later recall: “Missing You came out of a conversation that Smokey Robinson and I had one evening about how we were missing Marvin and what he meant to us, as well as to music. Then Lionel and I got to talking about how we need to tell people that we love them while they're still alive. Lionel used all this to write that beautiful and special song.” Missing You would become the singer's fourth solo single to top the Billboard R&B and her last to break the top 40 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No.10
November 13, 1984 ~ Pop singer, songwriter Don Addrisi passed away in California, USA ~ Formed the sibling duo the Addrisi Brothers with Dick Addrisi. Both brothers auditioned for Mickey Mouse Club, but were rejected. As a duo the brothers scored hits with songs such as Cherrystone, We've Got To Get It On Again and Slow Dancin' Don't Turn Me On. The pair also wrote Never My Love, a 1967 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit for the Association ~ Addrisi was born in 1938
November 13, 1982 ~ Blakely Judd, commonly known as black metal singer, guitarist, bassist Blake Judd, born in Illinois, USA ~ Lead singer, frontman of Nachtmystium, with whom he recorded over half a dozen albums starting in the early 2000s. The band is best known for their 2008 Assasins (Black Meddle Part I) album and its follow-up Addicts (Black Meddle Part II) released two years later. The band had at one time been associated with the national-socialist movement due to a white power record label redistributing their music with different cover art, without the band's approval or knowledge. The band demanded the label stopped selling their records and were adamant, they'd sue anyone who would slander them as a racist or “nazi band”
November 13, 1982 ~ In its 10th week on the charts, Heartlight by Neil Diamond peaks at No.5 Billboard Hot 100 ~ The song was inspired by the 1982 Steven Spielberg movie ET (The Extra-Terrestrial) in which an alien is stranded on Earth and tries to return home, the title derived from how the endearing alien's heart can literally light up. The song was written by Neil Diamond with the then-recently married couple of Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach, after the three attended a screening of the film. Afterwards, the three went to the couple's apartment and wrote the song. Diamond has said they “wanted to express how all of us felt about the little alien who appears in a strange world,”. As the sentiment could easily translate to other contexts, Heartlight struck a chord with listeners and would become the final Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit for Diamond, who had scored a dozen others starting in the mid 1960s including the No.1 solo hits Cracklin' Rosie and Song Sung Blue, and duetting with Barbra Streisand You Don't Bring Me FlowersNovember 13, 1981 ~ Steve Edward Nelson, commonly known as songwriter Steve Nelson, passed away in Armonk, New York, USA ~ Best known for co-writing Frosty The Snowman with Jack Rollins. First recorded by Gene Autry in 1950, it would become a Holiday classic recorded by over 400 artists including Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, the Ronettes, Brenda Lee, George Strait, and Leon Redbone. Other songs written or co-written by Nelson have been recorded by Eddy Arnold (Bouquet Of Roses), Hank Snow, Art Mooney, Samantha Sang, and Barbra Streisand (Songbird) ~ Nelson was born in 1907
November 13, 1978 ~ Electropop singer Martina Sorbara born in Vaughan, Canada ~ Released two solo albums, 1998's Unplaceables and 2000's Cure For Bad Deeds, before meeting Dan Kurtz with whom she would form Dragonette in 2005. Sorbara also co-wrote and sang on the 2006 Basement Jaxx single Take Me Back To Your House. Has also worked with the Henrys, Martin Solveig, and Kaskade
November 13, 1977 ~ Guitarist, keyboardist, singer Cass McCombs born in Concord, California, USA ~ Over half a dozen albums to his name starting with A released in 2003, blending rock, folk, psychedelia, punk, and alt-country. Member of the Skiffle Players, known for their 2016 Skifflin' debut album. McCombs has also collaborated with Foreign Born, Luke Top, the Soldiers Of Fortune, Kurt Vile, Haim, and Tomberlin
November 13, 1976 ~ In its 7th week on the charts, Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) by Rod Stewart hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100, making it the singer's second American charttopper ~ Rod Stewart's second American No.1, preceded by the double A-side single Maggie May/Reason To Believe in 1971. Issued as a single off Stewart's A Night On The Town album, Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) would become one of his biggest hits, spending 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 including 8 weeks at No.1. The song has also gone on to become a concert favorite, topped only by Maggie May. Stewart's then-girlfriend model Britt Ekland can be heard on the original recording, singing the French lines at the end of the song. Other credits for Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright) are a bit unclear, but it is possible guitarist Steve Cropper is present on the recording as Stewart has told of arranging the song with him. According to America's Dan Peek, Stewart was inspired by their 1975 single Today's The Day, a Billboard Hot 100 top 30 hit for AmericaNovember 13, 1973 ~ Jazz drummer Ari Hoenig born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ About a dozen albums to his name as a leader since the late 1990s, especially noted for Inversations released in 2006. Regularly collaborated with Richard Bona, Kenny Werner, and Jean-Michel Pilc. Other notable associations include Lou Lanza, the Jazz Mandolin Project, Jonathan Kreisberg, Gilad Hekselman, Dick Sudhalter, and Macy Gray, appearing on the latter's Stripped album released in 2016
November 13, 1971 ~ Yolk, contemporary folk singer Ulla Pirttijärvi-Länsman born in Angeli, Finland ~ Prime promoter of Sami culture, merging traditional jolk music with Western, pop arrangements. Member of Angelin Tytöt. Half a dozen albums to her own name, starting with Honkon Dóhkká released in 1996
November 13, 1969 ~ Pop, surf outfit the Beach Boys record This Whole World ~ Written by Brian Wilson. Carl Wilson on lead vocals. Included on the 1970 Sunflower album. Used as the B-side of Slip On Through issued in June 1970. Daryl Dragon of future Captain & Tennille-fame was one of the session musicians, playing harpsichord, chimes and bellsNovember 13, 1968 ~ Bubblegum pop singer Tommy Roe releases Dizzy, lifted off the album of the same name ~ The singer tells of a girl who has him “running in circles” and “spinning around” to the point of making him dizzy, a simple image yet paired with a catchy melody very effective as it gave Tommy Roe his second and final Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit, holding the top spot for four consecutive weeks. Instrumentation was provided by top-notch studio musicians from the Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine on drums. The song is noted for its lush strings, although at the time rare for a pop record strings would later become much more common through the influence of countrypolitan, R&B, and especially disco. Tommy Roe co-wrote Dizzy with Freddy Weller, best known as a member of Paul Revere & the Raiders and for several Billboard Country top 10 hits as a solo artist through the mid 1970s
November 13, 1967 ~ Pianist Harriet Cohen, full name Harriet Pearl Alice Cohen, passed away in London, UK ~ Sister of singer Myra Verney. Best known for premiering Ralph Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto. Had compositions written especially for her by renowned composers such as John Ireland, Béla Bartók, Ernest Bloch and extensively by Arnold Bax, being romantically involved with the latter ~ Cohen was born in 1895
November 13, 1964 ~ Pop rock outfit the Moody Blues release Go Now, lifted off their The Magnificent Moodies debut album ~ Originally an overlooked R&B single by Bessie Banks, released early 1964. The song, however, would become best known as covered by the Moody Blues by the end of year featuring Denny Laine on lead vocals. Issued as the band's sophomore single, the single would reach top of the UK charts and remain their highest charting of their lengthy career. The next few singles would do considerably less and Laine departed the band which would be reformed with Justin Hayward and John Lodge signing on as new members. Go Now would also reach No.12 in Australia, and No.10 in the Netherlands as well as on the American Billboard Hot 100
November 13, 1963 ~ Pop, rock & roll singer Billy Fury records Do You Really Love Me Too at Decca Studios, London, UK ~ Written by Mark Markan and Ben Raleigh. Originally recorded by Barbara Chandler, featured as the B-side of her I Live To Love released in the UK just a month earlier. Billy Fury's version would be produced by Mike Leander. The single, What Am I Gonna Do as the flip side, reached top 20 in Fury's native UKNovember 13, 1963 ~ Country producer Frank Liddell born in Houston, Texas, USA ~ A&R director at Decca Records. Founded the Carnival Music label in the late 1990s. Best known for producing artists such as the Eli Young Band, Miranda Lambert including on the Academy of Country Music Album of the Year award-winning albums Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Revolution and Four The Record, and with Lee Ann Womack, marrying the latter in 1999
November 13, 1961 ~ Candice Caleb, commonly known as blues, jazz singer, songwriter Candye Kane born in Ventura, 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 passed away in 2016
November 13, 1959 ~ Guitarist, keyboardist, producer, songwriter Simon Hinkler, full name Simon Thomas Hinkler, born ~ Member of Artery during the early 1980s, present on the 1982 Oceans album. Mentored a young Jarvis Cocker, whom he joined for Pulp's 1983 It debut album. Perhaps best known as co-founding member of the Mission, present on the albums God's Own Medicine, Children, and Carved In Sand. Well-known singles from this period include Wasteland, Tower Of Strength, and Butterfly On A Wheel, all of which reached top 20 in the band's native UK
November 13, 1958 ~ Antal Lakatos, commonly known as jazz saxophonist Tony Lakatos, born in Budapest, Hungary ~ Active as a bandleader since the late 1980s, with well over half a dozen albums to his name including the acclaimed Different Moods released in 1998. As a sideman, Lakatos can be heard on recordings by the likes of Dagobert Böhm, Dusko Gojkovic (Balkan Connection), the European Jazz Ensemble, the Acoustic Unit, Dave Douglas (A Single Sky), Billy Cobham, Django Bates, and PhronesisNovember 13, 1957 ~ Jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger Mark Masters, full name Mark Alton Masters, born in Gary, Indiana, USA ~ Important latter-day big band trumpeter. Recorded about a dozen albums since the early 1980s. Known best for assembling line-ups comprised of jazz alumni and local talentfor tribute albums to jazz greats. Critically acclaimed albums include 1986's Silver Threads Among The Blues, 1993's Jimmy Knepper Songbook, and 2006's Wish Me Well