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.
October 11, 1943 ~ Singer, songwriter Gene Watson, full name Gary Gene Watson, born in Palestine, Texas, USA ~ Best known for his 1975 hit Love In The Hot Afternoon, his 1979 signature song Farewell Party and his 1981 hit Fourteen Carat Mind. At times Watson's backing band included noted musicians such as Larry Booth, Chris Tiny Owen, Doug Boggs, Joe Eddie Gough, Daniel Plainwater, Norm Castner, and Tony Booth
October 11, 1941 ~ Trumpeter, hornist, percussionist Lester Bowie born in Frederick, Maryland, USA ~ Married to singer Fontella Bass, for whom he also served as musical director. Co-founded the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. Cosely associated with the Association For The Advancement Of Creative Musicians and the Leaders. Early on in his career backed blues artists such as Little Milton, Melvin Jackson and Albert King and R&B artists such as Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, Rufus Thomas. In jazz has collaborated with the likes of Jack DeJohnette, Roscoe Mitchell, Sunny Murray, Archie Shepp, and Wadada Leo Smith. To pop rock audiences, Bowie is perhaps best known for guesting on David Bowie's, no relation, 1993 Black Tie White Noise album, of which the song Looking For Lester named for him ~ Bowie passed away in 1999
October 11, 1936 ~ Free jazz, hard bop drummer Billy Higgins born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ A first-call sideman throughout his career and longtime in-house drummer for Blue Note, present on over an estimated 700 albums including over half a dozen critically acclaimed albums as a leader later on in his career. Yet, Higgins never became a household name. Closely associated with Ornette Coleman, appearing on several of Coleman's earliest albums including The Shape Of Jazz To Come. Other notable credits include albums such as At The Blackhawk (Thelonious Monk), Cell Walk For Celeste (Cecil Taylor), My Favorite Things (John Coltrane), Go (Dexter Gordon), Action (Jackie McLean), The Turnaround (Hank Mobley). In the late 1980s, Higgins cofounded The World Stage, a cultural center in Los Angeles, California, aiming to encourage and promote younger jazz musicians providing workshops in performance and writing as well as concerts and recordings. Higgins has also taught jazz studies at University of California, Los Angeles, and has appeared as a jazz drummer in the 2001 Southlander film ~ Higgins passed away in 2001
October 11, 1932 ~ Dorothy Marie Marsh, commonly known as singer Dottie West, born in Smithville, Tennessee, USA ~ Along with contemporaries Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn regarded as one of the genre's most influential female artists. Known for songs such as Would You Hold It Against Me, Country Sunshine, A Lesson In Love, Are You Happy Baby and Here Comes My Baby Back Again. Also known for a number of 1970s duets with Kenny Rogers, notably Every Time Two Fools Collide, All I Ever Need Is You and What Are We Doin' In Love. Duetted with Jim Reeves (Love Is No Excuse), Don Gibson (Rings Of Gold), and Jimmy Dean (Slowly) ~ Marsh passed away in 1991October 11, 1929 ~ Jazz bassist, double bassist Ludek Hulan born in Prague, Czechoslovakia ~ Pivotal figure in post-war Czech jazz. Founder or co-founder of several influential jazz ensembles including the Hootie Club, Studio 5 and the Jazz Studio. Has also worked with Gustav Brom, Milan Ulrich, Richard Kubernat, and Albert Nicholas. Initially emigrated after the 1968 Soviet invasion but quickly returned, making him “politically undesirable” which hindered his career ~ Hulan passed away in 1979
October 11, 1927 ~ Jazz drummer, composer Tony Kinsey, full name Cyril Anthony Kinsey, born in Sutton Coldfield, UK ~ Worked with Ronnie Ball, Tubby Hayes, Bill Le Sage, Ronnie Scott, Johnny Dankworth, Tommy Whittle, Joe Harriott, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Webster, Clark Terry, Harry Sweets Edison, Buddy DeFranco, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, Eddie Calvert, Cliff Richard, and Ronnie Aldrich
October 11, 1919 ~ Arthur Blakey, commonly known as drummer, bandleader Art Blakey, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Worked with Fletcher Henderson, Billy Eckstine, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and with Dizzy Gillespie before co-founding the Jazz Messengers with Horace Silver in the mid 1950s. The Messengers would become known as the quintessential hard bop group of the late 1950s and serve as an incubator for young talent including Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, and Wynton Marsalis. Blakey would lead the band for some 35 years until his death in 1990 ~ Blakey passed away in 1990October 11, 1919 ~ Trumpeter, singer George Rock born in Farmer City, Illinois, USA ~ Joined Spike Jones backing unit the City Slickers in 1944. Especially noted for his ability to imitate children in a remarkably childlike voice. Present on some of the band's best known, notably singing lead vocals on the classic All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. Other songs featuring Rock include I'm The Captain Of The Space Ship and You Wanna Buy A Bunny ~ Rock passed away in 1988
October 11, 1908 ~ Angenor de Oliveira, commonly known as songwriter, poet, singer Cartola, born in Catete, Brazil ~ Major figure in the development of samba music. Although he had been active since the 1920s, writing or co-writing over an estimated 500 songs, it would not be until into his sixties he would record his debut album as a singer. As a songwriter known for often recorded songs such as O Sol Nascerá (Isaura Garcia, Maria Toledo, Beth Carvalho), Tive Sim (Cyro Monteiro, Dora Vergueiro), Acontece (Paulinho da Viola, Gal Costa, Leny Andrade), As Rosas Não Falam (Freddy Cole, Nelson Gonçalves, the Trio Irakitan), O Mundo É Um Moinho (Carmen Costa, Ney Matogrosso), and Basta De Clamares Inocência (Elis Regina, Claudia Telles) ~ De Oliveira passed away in 1980
October 11, 1897 ~ Bandleader, violinist Leo Reisman born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Bandleader from the the 1920s and 1930s with some 80 hits to his name. Reisman had a habit of featuring composers and Broadway performers as band vocalists, including Harold Arlen, Fred Astaire, Clifton Webb, Arthur Schwartz, and Lee Wiley. Usually though Reisman used vocalists such as Frank Luther, Dick Robertson and later Sally Singer and George Buller. Notably musicians employed by Reisman included trumpeter Bubber Miley, pianist Eddy Duchin, and Mitch Miller ~ Reisman passed away in 1961October 11, 1896 ~ Composer, organist Anton Bruckner, full name Josef Anton Bruckner, passed away in Vienna, Austria ~ Late-era Romantic composer admired by peers, most notably Gustav Mahler ~ Bruckner was born in 1824
October 11, 1896 ~ Composer, songwriter Cesare Andrea Bixio born in Naples, Italy ~ One of the most popular Italian songwriter of the 1930s through the 1950s. Artists who recorded his songs include Tito Schipa, Beniamino Gigli (Mamma), Carlo Buti, Oscar Carboni (La Mia Canzone Al Vento), Giuseppe di Stefano, Luciano Pavarotti, and Vittorio de Sica (Parlami D'Amore Mariu) ~ Bixio passed away in 1978
October 11, 1888 ~ Violinist, conductor, composer Emil Bohnke born in Zdunska Wola, Poland ~ Composed orchestral music, concertos and works for piano. Worked with the Bandler Quartet, the Busch String Quartet, the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Best known for his composition Symphony Op.16 premiered by the Staatskapelle Berlin shortly after his death ~ Bohnke passed away in 1928