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 13, 1938 ~ Gospel singer, songwriter Shirley Caesar, full name Shirley Ann Caesar, born in Durham, North Carolina, USA ~ Dubbed “the First Lady of Gospel” with a career spanning seven decades, over forty albums and a dozen Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Played in the Gospel musicals Mama I Want To sing, Mama 2 and Born To Sing. As a recording artist best known for the Gospel hits Hold my Mule featuring Albertina Walker & Milton Brunson, I Know The Truth (Lies), God Will Make A Way and It's Alright It's OK featuring Anthony HamiltonOctober 13, 1937 ~ Regla Teresa Garcia Rodriguez, commonly known as singer, bandleader Teté Caturla, born in Remedios, Cuba ~ Daughter of renowned composer Alejandro García Caturla. Member of all-female orchestra the Orquesta Anacaona. Best known as member of all-female quartet the Cuarteto D'Aida, joining the group in 1963 and taking over as leader after the death of founding member Aida Diestro in 1973 ~ Garcia passed away in 2023
October 13, 1934 ~ Ionna Mouskouri, commonly known as singer Nana Mouskouri born in Chania, Greece ~ Recorded over 200 albums in 12 languages. Best known for the White Rose Of Athens, 1963 Luvembourg Eurovision Songfestival entry A Force De Prier reaching 8th place, Je Chante Avec Toi Liberté and Only Love. Member of European Parliament from 1994 to 1999 for the Greek liberal-conservative New Democracy party
October 13, 1929 ~ Songwriter Bernie Baum born ~ Best known for co-writing several songs for Elvis Presley, usually with Bill Giant and Florence Kaye. Well known songs include Roustabout, Paradise Hawaiian Style, Edge Of Reality and notably (You're The) Devil In Disguise. Others who recorded his songs include Mickey Denton, the Everly Brothers (That's Old Fashioned (That's The Way Love Should Be)), and Gene Chandler ~ Baum passed away in 1993
October 13, 1927 ~ Anita Jean Grilli, commonly known as singer, pianist, arranger Anita Kerr, born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Founded and fronted vocal harmony group the Anita Kerr Singers, known for recording some 50 albums in their own right. The group was also an in-demand backing choir, providing vocals for the likes of Rod McKuen, Red Foley, Eddy Arnold, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, Faron Young, Chet Atkins, and Webb Pierce ~ Grilli passed away in 2022October 13, 1927 ~ Bebop, cool jazz, avant-garde jazz alto saxophonist Lee Konitz born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Influenced Paul Desmond and Art Pepper. Worked with Teddy Powell, Lennie Tristano, Claude Thornhill, Gil Evans, Miles Davis (Birth Of The Cool), Stan Kenton, Elvin Jones, Sonny Dallas, Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Attila Zoller, Brad Mehldau, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian ~ Konitz passed away in 2020
October 13, 1926 ~ Jazz double bassist Ray Brown, full name Raymond Matthews Brown, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Influenced by Jimmy Blanton. Best known for his association with pianist Oscar Peterson, backing the pianist from the early 1950s through the mid 1960s. Also well known for his work with Ella Fitzgerald, with whom he was married from 1947 to 1953. In-demand sideman, present on albums by Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Billie Holiday (Solitude), Joe Venuti, Buddy DeFranco, Charlie Parker (Giants Of Modern Jazz), Ben Webster, Hank Jones (Urbanity), Anita O'Day (Anita Sings The Most), Sonny Stitt, Coleman Hawkins, Herb Ellis (Nothing But The Blues), Jimmy Witherspoon, the Modern Jazz Quartet, André Previn, and Benny Carter ~ Brown passed away in 2002
October 13, 1922 ~ Composer Gilberto Mendes born in Santos, Brazil ~ Pioneer of aleatoric and concrete music, using new musical notations and theatrical elements. Composed cantates, motets, orchestral music, chamber music and avant-garde works. Founded the Santos New Music Festival in the mid 1960s ~ Mendes passed away in 2016
October 13, 1920 ~ Albert Marcuse, commonly known as songwriter, actor Albert Hague, born in Berlin, Germany ~ Known for co-writing Broadway musicals such as Plain & Fancy, Redhead, Cafe Crown, and The Fig Leaves Are Falling. Hague also composed the music for the TV musical cartoon How The Grinch Stole Christmas. As an actor Hague is perhaps best known for portraying the role of Benjamin Shorofsky, the music teacher, in the TV series Fame and the film of the same name ~ Marcuse passed away in 2001
October 13, 1916 ~ Baritone singer David Hollestelle born in Den Helder, the Netherlands ~ Father of bassist Jan Hollestelle and guitarists Hans Hollestelle and David Hollestelle. Best known as a fine interpreter of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Felix Mendelssohn ~ Hollestelle passed away in 2001October 13, 1916 ~ Pianist, songwriter Howard Biggs, full name Howard Maceo Biggs, born in Seattle, Washington, USA ~ Influential in doo-wop and the first days of rock & roll. Perhaps best known for writing or co-writing Bye Bye Baby Blues and Write Me A Letter for the Ravens, and Got You On My Mind for Big John Greer. The latter would later be recorded by Big Joe Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Eric Clapton. Other songs written or co-written by Biggs include I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Roy Hamilton, Elvis Presley), Melancholy Me (Eddy Howard), and If I Could Have Your Love Again (Brook Benton) ~ Biggs passed away in 1999
October 13, 1915 ~ Jazz bassist Jack Fallon, full name Jack Patrick Fallon, born in London, Canada ~ Studied violin with the London Symphony Orchestra before switching to bass as his primary instrument. Worked with Ted Heath, Ronnie Scott, Tommy Whittle, Jack Jackson, George Shearing, Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, Count Basie, Malcolm Mitchell, Tony Crombie, Hoagy Carmichael, Maxine Sullivan, Stéphane Grappelli, Mary Lou Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Humphrey Lyttelton, Kenny Baker, Ralph Sharon, Big Bill Broonzy, Josh White, Johnny Duncan, and played the fiddle violin on Don't Pass Me By by the Beatles ~ Fallon passed away in 2006October 13, 1914 ~ Conductor, oboist Clyde Roller, full name Archibald Clyde Roller, born in Rogersville, Missouri, USA ~ Served as principal oboist with the Oklahoma City Symphony, the Birmingham Symphony, and the Tulsa Philharmonic, prior to finding employ as a conductor. Well known associations include the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Houston Symphony, and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra ~ Roller passed away in 2005
October 13, 1909 ~ Virtuoso pianist Art Tatum born in Toledo, Ohio, USA ~ Revered jazz pianist. Influenced by stride pianists such Fats Waller and James P Johnson. In turn Tatum would influence future pianists including Adam Makowicz, Simon Nabatov, Oscar Peterson, Martial Solal. First recorded in 1932 backing Adelaide Hall on I'll Never Be The Same and Strange As It Seems. Would go on to record on numerous quintessential jazz recordings, mostly as a leader in small settings such as trio or quartet. Especially acclaimed for The Genius Of Art Tatum album series released in 1953 and 1954, a few years before his death. Has worked with Tiny Grimes, Slam Stewart, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Ben Webster, and Buddy DeFranco ~ Tatum passed away in 1956