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 18, 2025 ~ Gary Mounfield, commonly known as rock, alternative rock, indie rock bassist Gary Mani Mounfield, passed away ~ Member of the Stone Roses, joining the band in 1987 and remaining until its initial disbandement in 1996. The band is best known for the UK top 10 hits Fools Gold, One Love, Love Spreads. Member of Primal Scream from 1996 until 2011, departing the band to rejoin a reunited Roses. Mounfield also played with Freebass, which also included the Smiths' Andy Rourke and Joy Division's Peter Hook ~ Mounfield was born in 1962
November 18, 2024 ~ Drummer Colin Petersen, full name Frederick Colin Petersen, passed away ~ Best known for his association with the Bee Gees, backing the siblings on nearly half a dozen of their early albums including Idea and Odessa before departing the band by the late 1960s to be succeeded by Terry Cox, the latter formerly of Pentangle. Petersen was the first non-Gibb to join the band, and is present on hits such as To Love Somebody, Massachusetts, Words, and I Started A Joke. Petersen is also known as an actor, landing his first role in Smiley at only nine years old. Petersen has also drummed with Steve & the Board and Humpy Bong, served as artist manager for among others Jonathan Kelly, and dabbled in painting. When looking back on his days as a drummer, Petersen commented in 2022: “I wasn't the most technically skilled drummer, but I think that sometimes less is more. When you're limited, you have to get creative, just like Chuck Berry, who made magic with just a few chords. For me, it was always about serving the song” ~ Petersen was born in 1946
November 18, 2022 ~ Singer, guitarist Tommy Facenda, full name Eugene Thomas Facenda, passed away in Portsmouth, 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 was born in 1939
November 18, 2021 ~ Jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist Ack van Rooyen passed away in The Hague, the Netherlands ~ Brother of trumpeter Jerry van Rooyen, with whom he also worked. Has also played with Ernst van 't Hoff, Aimé Barelli, Kenny Clarke, Lucky Thompson, the United Jazz+Rock Ensemble, Hans Koller, Bert Kaempfert, Ake Persson, Volker Kriegel, Charly Antolini, Friedrich Gulda, Slide Hampton, and Eberhard Weber ~ Van Rooyen was born in 1930
November 18, 2021 ~ Michael Edward Smith, commonly known as rock photographer Mick Rock, passed away in Staten Island, New York, USA ~ Often referred to as “the Man Who Shot the Seventies” and best known as David Bowie's official photographer. Artists who have used his photos for album cover art include the Stooges (Raw Power), Lou Reed (Transformer, Coney Island Baby), Waylon Jennings (Lonesome On'ry & Mean), Cat Stevens (Foreigner), Queen (Sheer Heart Attack), Cockney Rebel (The Psychomodo), the Ramones (End Of The Century), Joan Jett (I Love Rock 'n Roll), Third Eye Blind (Out Of The Vein), and Miley Cyrus (Plastic Hearts) ~ Smith was born in 1948
November 18, 2021 ~ Lockley Wellington Hampton commonly known as jazz trombonist Slide Hampton, passed away in City of Orange, New Jersey, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Played with Lionel Hampton, Buddy Johnson, Maynard Ferguson, Melba Liston, Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Barry Harris, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, George Coleman, Woody Herman, Jimmy Heath, Maynard Ferguson, Dexter Gordon, JJ Johnson, Nat Adderley, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Philly Joe Jones, Hank Mobley, Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, and Randy Weston ~ Hampton was born in 1932
November 18, 2017 ~ Jazz drummer Ben Riley, full name Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr, passed away in West Islip, New York, USA ~ Best known for his association with Thelonious Monk, even though he only played briefly with the pianist. Member of Sphere. Member of the New York Jazz Quintet. Later on in his career, Riley recorded a handful of albums as a leader including the acclaimed 1996 Weaver Of Dreams album. An excellent bop, hard bop drummer, Riley has guested on recordings by Gene Rodgers, Johnny Griffin (Tough Tenors), Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Dick Morgan (Settlin' In), Junior Mance (At The Village Vanguards), Ken McIntyre, Sonny Rollins (The Bridge), Sam Jones (Down Home), Andrew Hill, Alice Coltrane (World Galaxy), Hugh Lawson, Charlie Rouse, Hank Jones, and Roland Hanna ~ Riley was born in 1933
November 18, 2017 ~ Hard rock guitarist Malcolm Young, full name Malcolm Mitchell Young, passed away in Elizabeth Bay, Australia ~ Leading hard rock rhythm guitarist. Co-founded AC/DC in 1973 with his older brother lead guitarist Angus Young. Young co-wrote a vast amount of the band's material including High Voltage, TNT, It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n Roll, Dirty Deeds Done Cheap, Whole Lotta Rosie, Highway To Hell, You Shook Me Whole Night Long, and Thunderstruck. Diagnosed with dementia, Young retired from the band in 2014. His brother Angus would reflect on Malcolm's contributions: “Mal kept doing what he could until he couldn't do it anymore, but I have all the material he was working on. There were a lot of riffs, ideas, and bits of choruses. I'd fill things in to see if we had a song. Every album we've ever done has been that way.” ~ Young was born in 1953November 18, 2016 ~ Singer, guitarist, songwriter Hugh Macdonald passed away ~ Not to be confused with American bassist Hugh MacDonald. Best known as guitarist for Redgum from 1981 through 1990. He also took the role of lead singer after John Schumann in 1986. McDonald also played with the Bushwhackers, the Sundowners, Banshee, Des Animal McKenna, Moving Clouds, and with the Colonials ~ McDonald was born in 1954
November 18, 2016 ~ Soul, retro-soul, R&B, funk singer Sharon Jones, full name Sharon Lafaye Jones, passed away in Cooperstown, New York, USA ~ Influenced by Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Ike & Tina Turner, Marva Whitney, Michael Jackson, Erykah Badu and Beyoncé. Sang in church choirs and as a session backing singer, working with the likes of Norma Jean Bell, They Might Be Giants, Lucky Peterson, Booker T Jones, Steve Cropper, and Rufus Wainwright. As a solo artist broke through relatively late in life fronting the acclaimed retro-soul, funk outfit Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings known for backing Amy Winehouse. The band has recorded over half a dozen critically acclaimed albums with the band, starting with Dap Dippin' With Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings released in 2002 ~ Jones was born in 1956November 18, 2015 ~ Robert McCormick, commonly known as musicologist, folklorist, music journalist Mack McCormick, passed away in Houston, Texas, USA ~ Correspondent for famed Down Beat magazine. Helpful in bringing artists such as Mance Lipscomb, Robert Shaw and Lightnin' Hopkins to the forefront in the late 1950s. Also a valued researcher on Robert Johnson, closely associated with the Smithsonian Institute ~ McCormick was born in 1930
November 18, 2014 ~ Bandleader, guitarist, producer, songwriter, arranger Dave Appell passed away in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA ~ Arranged for Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Carter, Earl Hines. Led the house band for Cameo/Parkway, backing artists such as Charlie Gracie, John Zacherle, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, the Dovells, Dee Dee Sharp, the Orlons, also serving as producer on a number of these recordings such as Checker's Let's Twist Again. Enjoyed succes in the early 1970s co-producing several hits for Tony Orlando & Dawn including Knock Three Times and Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree ~ Appell was born in 1922November 18, 2012 ~ Pianist, drummer, bandleader Stan Greig, full name Stanley Mackay Greig, passed away in London, UK ~ Founded and fronted the London Jazz Big Band and the Stan Greig Trio. Also worked with Sandy Brown, Ken Colyer, Humphrey Lyttelton, Bruce Turner, Al Fairweather, Dave Shepherd, Johnny Hawksworth, George Melly, Wally Fawkes, and Charlie Watts ~ Greig was born in 1930
November 18, 2009 ~ Saxophonist Johnny Almond passed away in Hayward, California, USA ~ Worked with the Alan Price Set, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Mark Almond, Zoot Money, Chicken Shack, Geoff Condon, Alan White, Curtis Amy, Hadley Caliman, Joe Harris, Charles Kynard, Joe Pass, and Martha Veléz ~ Almond was born in 1946
November 18, 2007 ~ Guitarist, pedal steel guitarist John Hughey passed away in Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA ~ Influenced by Eddy Arnold's longtime steel guitarist Little Roy Wiggins. Best known for his decade-plus stint with Slim Rhodes and subsequently Conway Twitty for most of the 1970s and 1980s. Member of Nashville supergroup the Time Jumpers. As an in-demand session musician, Hughey has appeared on albums by Elvis Presley (From Elvis In Memphis), Tony Joe White, Alex Taylor (Dinnertime), Don McLean, Willie Nelson (Phases And Stages), Dickey Betts (Highway Call), Gary Stewart, Ronnie Milsap, Steve Wariner, Dolly Parton (White Limozeen), Vince Gill, and Marty Stuart ~ Hughey was born in 1933
November 18, 2002 ~ Singer Avril Lavigne releases I'm With You, lifted off her Let Go debut album ~ Preceded by Complicated at No.2 and Sk8ter Boi at No.10, I'm With You would be the then-teen singer's third and final Billboard Hot 100 top 10 single lifted off her massively successful debut album. All three songs were co-written by Avril Lavigne, and produced by the Matrix, a team consisting of Graham Edwards, Lauren Christy and Scott Spock. In 2010, singer Rihanna would sample I'm With You for her Cheers (Drink To That) hit, which prompted Lavigne to comment: “It was really exciting because I'm With You is one of my favorite songs that I've done, I always love performing it. And I think Rihanna's awesome, she has great songs, she's a really great singer, so yeah I was excited. I think it's really cool”
November 18, 1999 ~ Rock, country, blues, tejano singer, guitarist, mandolinist, dobroist, keyboardist, percussionist Doug Sahm, full name Douglas Wayne Sahm, passed away in Taos, New Mexico, USA ~ Leading figure in Tex-mex music. Fronted the critically acclaimed the Sir Douglas Quintet, known for the 1965 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit She's About A Mover. The band would open for the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Sahm would record throughout the 1970s to mixed reviews and commercial disappointment yet remain popular in the Texas scene. Co-founded the Texas Tornados in the late 1980s with Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez ~ Sahm was born in 1941November 18, 1995 ~ In its 6th week on the charts, Who Can I Run To by Xscape peaks at No.8 Billboard Hot 100 ~ Originally recorded by the Jones Girls in 1979 for their eponymous The Jones Girls album. R&B group Xscape would issue their rendition as the second single off their Off The Hook sophomore album, making it their third Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit after Just Kickin' It and Understanding off their previous album. Both Anderson Paak and rapper Joyner Lucas would later sample the Xscape version, respectively on the tracks Might Be and When I Need Love
November 18, 1994 ~ Bandleader Cab Calloway, full name Cabel Calloway III, passed away in Hockesinn, Delaware, USA ~ Master of scat singing. Led one the most popular big bands of the 1930s and 1940s. Employed later famed sidemen such as Dizzy Gillespie, Doc Cheatham, Danny Barker, Ben Webster, Chu Berry, and Milt Hinton. Best known for Minnie The Moocher. Calloway remained popular until his death in the 1990s, and proved to be an influence on singers such as Michael Jackson and a wide array of hip-hop artists ~ Calloway was born in 1907
November 18, 1991 ~ Heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne releases Mama I'm Coming Home, lifted off his No More Tears album ~ Ozzy Osbourne's only solo single to reach top 40 on the American Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No.28. Written by Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister and Zakk Wylde, the song is about Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne, who he would regularly call Mama. The singer had given up drugs and alcohol prior to recording Mama I'm Coming Home, and credits his wife for the lifestyle change and admits he would be dead if he had not turned sober. Later Osbourne would comment on the origins of the song: “I had been walking around with the melody in my head for a couple of years but never got a chance to finish it until I was working with Zakk on the No More Tears album. At that time Zakk and I were doing a lot of writing on the piano. ‘Mama, I'm coming home’ was always something I'd say on the phone to my wife near the end of a tour”November 18, 1989 ~ Hard bop, post-bop drummer Freddie Waits, full name Frederick Douglas Waits, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Although he majored in flute in college, Waits would rise to fame as a in-demand drummer. Early on in his career Waits worked with blues acts, including Memphis Slim and John Lee Hooker, yet he turned to jazz by the early 1960s. Waits is perhaps best known for his association with Max Roach, including as a founding member of Roach's M'Boom percussion ensemble acclaimed especially for their 1979 eponymous M'Boom album. Over the course of his lengthy career, Waits has also appeared on albums by Willis Gator Jackson, Denny Zeitlin, Richard Groove Holmes (Soul Mist), Joe Zawinul, McCoy Tyner (Time For Tyner), Andrew Hill, Willie Bobo (A New Dimension), James Moody, Pharoah Sanders (Karma), Lee Morgan, Hubert Laws (Afro-Classic), Don Patterson (The Genius Of The B-3), Bennie Maupin, René McLean, Charles McPherson (New Horizons), Curtis Fuller, Bunky Green (Places We've Never Been), Clifford Jordan, Ray Bryant, Jay Hoggard, and Buck Hill. Waits' son Nasheet Waits followed in his father's footsteps and also became a professional drummer ~ Waits was born in 1940
November 18, 1985 ~ Singer Paul McCartney releases Spies Like Us, recorded for the spy comedy film of the same name ~ Written and performed by Paul McCartney as the theme song to the spy comedy featuring Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, and Donna Dixon. The single would reach No.13 in the UK, and No.7 on the American Billboard Hot 100. Although critics were receptive to the song, Cashbox praising its “innate tunefulness”, director John Landis was not. Landis has stated it was a terrible song, but felt he could not say no to McCartney and Warner Bros. It wasn't the first time McCartney had written a song for a spy movie, having penned and performed Live And Let Die with his pop rock outfit Wings for the 1973 James Bond film of the same name
November 18, 1982 ~ Singer, songwriter Aoife O'Donovan born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Best known as lead singer of progresive bluegrass band Crooked Still. Also worked with Ollabelle, Karan Casey, Sarah Jarosz, Séamus Egan, Jerry Douglas, Jim Lauderdale, Darol Anger, Sara Watkins, Christina Courtin, Chris Thile, Noam Pikelny, Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan, Yo-Yo Ma, Sometimes Why, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, Dave Douglas, Garrison Keillor, the Wayfaring Strangers, the Wild Band Of Snee, Kate Rusby, the Infamous Stringdusters, Jesper Harper, John Morris Russell, and Alastair Mook
November 18, 1982 ~ Jamila Akiko Aba Chilombo, commonly known as singer, rapper, songwriter Mila J, born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Sister of R&B singer Jhené Aiko. Influenced by Janet Jackson. Dancer in Prince's Diamonds And Pearls-video clip. Backing singer for RaRa, Immature, Trey Songz, Omarion. Released a number of singles in 2006, notably Good Lookin' Out featuring Marques Houston, of a planned but indefinitely shelved debut album. Would continue to release singles, EP's, mixtapes throughout the 2010, leading up to her full-length Dopamine debut album released in 2017 and its Holiday two years laterNovember 18, 1980 ~ Post-harcore, emo, alternative rock, CCM, folk singer, guitarist, songwriter Dustin Kensrue, full name Dustin Michael Kensrue, born in Orange County, California, USA ~ Co-founding member of Thrice, known for songs such as All That's Left, Image Of The Invisible, Black Honey and Hold Up A Light. As a solo artist best known for his 2013 The Water & The Blood sophomore album
November 18, 1980 ~ Jazz trumpeter, singer, songwriter, producer Keyon Harrold born in Ferguson, Missouri, USA ~ Cites Miles Davis, Prince, Common, Dr Dre, J Dilla as influences. Worked with Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Anthony Hamilton, Gregory Porter, Mac Miller, Mary J Blige, Maxwell, Rihanna, Eminem, D'Angelo, Charles Tolliver, Beyoncé, John Legend, Mobb Deep, David Sanborn, Billy Harper, Joss Stone, John Stoddart, Maya Hatch, Andráe Crouch, Derrick Hodge, Dr Lonnie Smith, Greg Dean, Will Calhoun, Jason McGuiness, and PJ Morton