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 24, 1970 ~ Julieta Venegas Percevault, commonly known as indie pop, folk rock, pop rock singer, accordionist, guitarist, songwriter Julieta Venegas, born in Long Beach, California, USA ~ Debuted in 1997 with the Aqui album and has recorded to critical acclaim and commercial succes since. Known for songs such as Andar Conmigo, Algo Esta Cambiando, and perhaps her best known Me Voy
November 24, 1969 ~ Pop rock singer, actor Tim Howar born in Spirit River, Canada ~ Best known as musical singer and actor, appearing in numerous West End and Broadway productions, ranging from rock musicals such as Rent and Rock Of Ages to classical ones such as Les Miserables. To pop rock audiences best known for serving as co-lead singer, alongside Andrew Roachford, for Mike Rutherford's side project Mike + the Mechanics since 2010
November 24, 1966 ~ Abner Silberman, commonly known as songwriter Abner Silver, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Co-wrote Young And Beautiful, Lover Doll, and What's She Really Like, all recorded by Elvis Presley at the tail end of the 1950s. Active since the late-1910s, Silver has also co-written songs recorded by Al Jolson (I'm Goin' South), Eddie Cantor, Marion Harris, Blossom Seeley (I Found A Roundabout Way To Heaven), Helen Kane, Isham Jones (There Goes My Heart), Kay Kyser (For Sentimental Reasons), Lionel Hampton, Fats Waller (My Window Faces The South), the Mills Brothers, Tony Bennett, Mahalia Jackson, and the Five Keys ~ Silberman was born in 1899
November 24, 1966 ~ Classical crossover tenor singer Russell Watson born in Irlam, UK ~ Released his The Voice debut album in 2001, a mixture of operatic arias and covers of pop songs. The album would top the UK Classical charts and eventually reach top 10 of the pop charts. The album is best known among pop audiences for its two duets. Shaun Ryder, frontman for the Happy Mondays, duetted on a remake of the Freddie Mercury- Montserrat Caballé hit Barcelona, while pop group Cleopatra's Cleo Higgins appeared alongside Watson on Someone Like You
November 24, 1965 ~ Mandolinist Adam Steffey born in Norfolk, Virginia, USA ~ Won the the International Bluegrass Music Association's Mandolin Player of the Year eleven times, more than any other player. Present on albums by Tony Trischka, Alison Krauss (Every Time You Say Goodbye), Jerry Douglas, Dolly Parton, the Cox Family, David Grier (Lone Soldier), Bill Frisell (Nashville), Clint Black (Nothin' But The Taillights), Dan Tyminski, the Dixie Chicks (Home), Jeannie Kendall, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Alecia Nugent, Rhonda Vincent, Jim Lauderdale (Could We Get Any Closer), Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and Dwight YoakamNovember 24, 1964 ~ Rock group the Who begin their Tuesday night residency at the Marquee Club, London, UK ~ The band begin their residency at the famed London club. The following sixteen weeks, they broke attendance records, and were booked for another seven weeks. Following the chart success of their I Can't Explain debut single released in December, which would eventually reach top 10 in the band's native UK, they began to tour nationally. By September the band would play their first concerts outside the UK, playing gigs in the Netherlands and Scandinavia
November 24, 1960 ~ Bassist, composer Edgar Meyer born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA ~ Virtuoso double bassist equally at home in classical music, bluegrass, newgrass, jazz, and world music. Member of the house band at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, an annual event held in the town of Tellurides, Colorado, since 1973. Well over a dozen albums to his name, especially acclaimed for the 1996 collaborative album Appalachia Waltz with Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O'Connor. Meyer's compositions have been premiered and recorded by the likes of Joshua Bell, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Emerson String Quartet. An in-demand sideman, Meyer has appeared on albums by Chet Atkins, Vince Gill, Béla Fleck, the New Grass Revival, Lyle Lovett (Pontiac), Jerry Douglas, Leo Kottke, Sandi Patty, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks (No Fences), Alison Krauss, and Beth Nielsen Chapman
November 24, 1957 ~ Pop, rock guitarist, singer Chris Hayes born in Lake County, Illinois, USA ~ Lead guitarist for Huey Lewis & the News, with whom he recorded about half a dozen albums through 2001. The band is best known for their 1985 The Power Of Love Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit single, first used for the soundtrack of the hugely successful Back To The Future film. Their Fore album released the following year would spawn five more top 10 hits, Stuck With You, Hip To Be Square, Jacob's Ladder, I Know What I Like, and Doing It All For My Baby
November 24, 1954 ~ Clement Anthony Bozewski, commonly known as drummer Clem Burke, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Influenced by Earl Palmer, Hal Blaine, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon. Best known as longtime member of Blondie, scoring hits such as Denis, I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear, Heart Of Glass, One Way Or Another, The Tide Is High, Atomic, and Rapture. An in-demand collaborator, Burke is present on albums by Joan Jett, Chequered Past, Eurythmics (Revenge), Bob Dylan, Dramarama, Thom MacFarlane (Longtime), Gilby Clarke, John Easdale (Bright Side), Nancy Sinatra, Wayne Kramer, Iggy Pop, and Carla Olson. Going by the moniker Elvis Ramone, Burke has also on occasion gigged with the Ramones ~ Bozewski passed away in 2025
November 24, 1950 ~ Drummer Bob Burns, full name Robert Lewis Burns Jr, born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA ~ Co-founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Present on the band's first two albums, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd and it's follow-up Second Helping. Well known songs from this era include Simple Man, Free Bird, and Sweet Home Alabama. Between his departure in 1974, after reportedly suffering a mental breakdown on the band's UK tour, and his one-off reunion performance at the band's 1996 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Burns disappeared from public view ~ Burns passed away in 2015November 24, 1950 ~ Singer Vivian Blaine introduces the song A Bushel And A Peck in the musical Guys And Dolls ~ Written by Frank Loesser. Although Vivian Blaine later reprised her role in the 1955 film version of the play, the song would be omitted in the film. A number of artists also recorded the song in 1950, some even while the show was still in rehearsal, the most popular version recorded by Perry Como and Betty Hutton with backing from Mitchell Ayres orchestra, which would reach top 5 on the pop charts. Other early versions would be recorded by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely, Doris Day, Johnny Desmond, the Andrews Sisters, and Richard Hayes with Kitty Kallen. Blaine would release her studio version the next year
November 24, 1947 ~ Gospel singers Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight record Up Above My Head (I Hear Music In The Sky) in New York, New York ~ Written by Tharpe, drawing in part on the traditional spiritual Over My Head. Recorded as a duet, Tharpe and Knight engaging in call and response vocals. Tharpe on guitar, Sammy Price piano, Pops Foster bass, Wallace Bishop drums
November 24, 1946 ~ Guitarist, songwriter Tony Clarkin, full name Anthony Michael Clarkin, born in Birmingham, UK ~ Guitarist, sole songwriter for Magnum, known best for their 1988 Wings Of Heaven album and its 1990 follow-up Goodnight LA. Well known songs include Days Of No Trust, Start Talking Love, It Must Have Been Love and Rockin' Chair, all of which reached top 40 in the band's native UK. The band folded in 1995, yet Clarkin and the band's lead singer Bob Catley would record two more albums through the end of the decade going by the moniker Hard Rain ~ Clarkin passed away in 2024November 24, 1943 ~ Manuel Muñoz Alcón, commonly known as flamenco guitarist, composer Manolo Sanlúcar, born in Sanlúcar De Barrameda, Spain ~ Alongside Paco de Lucia, Tomatito and Vicente Amigo considered one of the key figures in the evolution of the flamenco guitar. Actively recording since the late 1960s. Especially acclaimed for the albums Tauromagia and Locura De Brisa Y Trino ~ Muñoz passed away in 2022
November 24, 1943 ~ Folk singer, multi-instrumentalist Robin Williamson, full name Robin Duncan Harry Williamson, born in Edinburgh, UK ~ Worked with Clive Palmer, Mike Heron, the Incredible String Band, Licorice McKechnie, the Merry Band, Sylvia Woods, Jerry Macmillan, Chris Caswell, John Renbourn, Mat Maneri, Barre Phillips, Ale Möller, Ches Smith, and Paul Dunmall
November 24, 1942 ~ Singer, actor, comedian Billy Connolly born in Glasgow, UK ~ Member of folk rock outfit the Humblebums alongside Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey, known for the singles Saturday Round About Sunday and Shoeshine Boy. Has recorded as a solo artist since the early 1970s, over time gravitating more towards comedy rock eventually focusing on his stand-up comedy and acting careerNovember 24, 1942 ~ Producer, songwriter, music manager Jack Rieley, full name John Frank Rieley III, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA ~ Managed the Beach Boys from 1970 through 1973, guiding them back to popular acclaim. Co-wrote a number of the band's best known songs from this period, including Sail On Sailor. Subsequently worked with artists such as Kool & the Gang, Ride, and Jaye Muller ~ Rieley passed away in 2015
November 24, 1941 ~ Donald Dunn, commonly known as bassist Donald Duck Dunn, born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Member of the Mar-keys, known for their 1961 Last Night hit single. Would go on to become a member of noted Stax/Volt house band Booker T & the MG's, appearing on hundreds of fondly remembered tracks by Otis Redding (Respect), Rufus Thomas, William Bell, Sam & Dave (Hold On I'm Coming), Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, Albert King (Born Under A Bad Sign), Johnnie Taylor, and Bill Withers. After his tenure with Stax/Volt Dunn has worked with Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Stevie Nicks (Stop Draggin' My Heart Around), Eric Clapton, Levon Helm, and the Blues Brothers ~ Dunn passed away in 2012
November 24, 1941 ~ Randolph Peter Scanland, commonly known as drummer, singer, songwriter Pete Best, born in Madras, India ~ Member of the Quarrymen which morphed into the Beatles. Soon after the band's first recording session, having played live sets with the band for nearly two years, Best would be fired by manager Brian Epstein at the request of the other band members to be replaced by Ringo Starr. In the 1990s, after the release of their Anthology Vol.1 album consisting of early recordings, Best received a major monetary payout for his early work with the band
November 24, 1941 ~ R&B, soul trumpeter Wayne Jackson, full name Wayne Lamar Jackson, born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Member of the Mar-keys, singing lead on the 1961 hit single Last Night. Studio musician for Stax/Volt, appearing on numerous records by Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave. Formed the Memphis Horns with Andrew Love, the duo employed by artists such as Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Al Green, Dusty Springfield, the Doobie Brothers, and the Robert Cray Band ~ Jackson passed away in 2016
November 24, 1936 ~ Music manager Ken Kragen, full name Kenneth Allan Kragen, born in Alameda, California, USA ~ Personal manager to artists such as Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt, Dottie West, Kenny Rogers. To pop audiences perhaps best known for his pivotal role in the mid-1980s charity project, album and single We Are The World, bringing together a group of pop musicians under the moniker USA For Africa ~ Kragen passed away in 2021
November 24, 1934 ~ Lyricist, theater director, actor Martin Charnin born in New York, New York, USA ~ Got his start in entertainment performing as one of the Jets in the original production of West Side Story, playing the role for an estimated 1,000 performances both on Broadway and on the road. Would go on to write music and lyrics for numerous revues, direct and produce nightclubs acts for Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson, and Mary Travers, and conceive, produce and direct several TV specials. Wrote The Best Thing You've Ever Done, recorded by Barbra Streisand for her 1974 multi-platinum The Way We Were album. Charnin is also well known for co-writing the musical Annie, which opened on Broadway in 1977 and was later adapted into a film ~ Charnin passed away in 2019November 24, 1934 ~ Singer, guitarist, actor Sven-Bertil Taube, full name Sven-Bertil Gunnar Evert Taue, born in Stockholm, Sweden ~ Son of songwriter Evert Taube, whose songs he frequently recorded. Well over thirty albums to his name starting with 1954's Swedish Folk Songs And Ballads. Especially known for his interpretations of 18th-century songwriter Carl Michael Bellman, collected on two albums released in the early 1960s ~ Taube passed away in 2022
November 24, 1932 ~ Composer, pianist, trombonist, conductor Andrzej Kurylewicz, full name Andrzej Roma Kurylewicz, born in Lwów, Poland ~ Composed chamber music, orchestral music, and music for stage, ballet, and films. Pioneered Polish jazz. Well known for writing the score for the Polish TV series Polskie Drogi. Has collaborated with Tomasz Stańko, Pat Metheny, Kasia Nosowska, and Magda Umer ~ Kurylewicz passed away in 2007
November 24, 1931 ~ Thomas Douglas Allsup, commonly known as singer, guitarist, producer Tommy Allsup, born in Owasso, Oklahoma, USA ~ Played with Buddy Holly, including lead guitar on It's So Easy and on Lonesome Tears. Member of Bob Wills's backing unit the Texas Playboys. Lost a toin coss and his seat on the plane that killed Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP Richardson. Produced the one-hit-wonder In The Year 2525 for Zager & Evans as well as several albums for Asleep At The Wheel ~ Allsup passed away in 2017