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 28, 2023 ~ Country singer, songwriter Bill Rice, full name Wilburn Steven Rice, passed away in Merritt Island, Florida, USA ~ As a singer charted about half a dozen singles on the Billboard Country charts throughout the 1970s, most notably Travelin' Minstrel Man which reached top 40. Best known as a songwriter though, his songs recorded by the likes of Johnny Paycheck, Jeannie C Riley (Back Side Of Dallas), Reba McEntire (I'm Not That Lonely Yet), Mickey Gilley (Here Comes The Hurt Again), Charley Pride, Elvis Presley (The Girl Next Door Went A-Walking), Hank Williams Jr, Patty Loveless (Lonely Too Long), and Jerry Lee Lewis ~ Rice was born in 1939October 28, 2022 ~ Darren Henley, commonly known as punk rock drummer DH Peligro, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Joined the Dead Kennedys in 1981 as replacement for Bruce Seslinger, appearing on the albums Plastic Surgery Disasters, Frankenchrist and Bedtime For Democracy. Briefly played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1988. Frontman and eponym of Peligro, known for the albums Peligro, Welcome To America and Sum Of Our Surroundings ~ Henley was born in 1959
October 28, 2022 ~ Pianist, singer Jerry Lee Lewis passed away in DeSoto County, Mississippi, USA ~ Rock & roll, rockabilly pioneer. Dubbed “the Killer”. Rose to fame with his 1957 recording Whole Lot Of Shakin' Goin' On. Also known for songs such as Great Balls Of Fire, Breathless, and High School Confidential. His career waned in the 1960s following his marriage to his underage cousin but would be acclaimed for his 1964 live album Live At The Star Club, generally acnowledged as one of the greatest live albums in rock history. Would venture into country through much of the 1960s and 1970s, eventually overcoming scandals, regaining his stature as one of the founders of rock & roll ~ Lewis was born in 1935
October 28, 2021 ~ Electronic composer, flutist David C Johnson passed away in Basel, Switzerland ~ Closely associated with Karlheinz Stockhausen, starting as assistant producer for the 1967 Hymnen. In following years Johnson would also be involved in premieres of several of Stockhausen's or Stockhausen-directed works. Has collaborated with Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt, Michael Karoli and Jaki Liebezeit in what was to become Can, but departed the group in 1969 disappointed at their growing influences. Member of cooperative the Oeldorf Group ~ Johnson was born in 1940October 28, 2021 ~ Ratislav Delmas, commonly known as rock drummer, singer Rasa Delmas, passed away in Belgrade, Serbia ~ Joined YU Grupa in 1972, a band credited with pioneering the fusion of rock with elements of traditional Balkan music. Present on some of their best known including Trka, Cudna Suma, More and the cultballad Crni Leptir. Had previously worked with Mobi Dik, Pop Masina and Siluete. Following his departure from Grupa in 1976 Delmas would found and front rock band Zebra, known for the singles Moja Mala Zebra and Ma Ko Si Ti ~ Delmas was born in 1950
October 28, 2020 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Billy Joe Shaver passed away in Waco, Texas, USA ~ Revered working man's intellectual and storyteller. Had his songs recorded by Waylon Jennings (Honky Tonk Heroes), Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Bobby Bare (Ride Me Down Easy), Tom T Hall, JD Crowe (To Be Loved By A Woman), and Jerry Lee Lewis (Bottom Dollar). Known for songs such as I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train, Live Forever, You Asked Me To, I'm Just An Old Chunk Of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be A Diamond Someday), You Just Can't Beat Jesus Christ and Old Five And Dimers Like Me. Over the course of his career, Shaver has collaborated with numerous artists including Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Chuck Leavell, Dickey Betts, Charlie Daniels, Flaco Jiménez, and Al Kooper ~ Shaver was born in 1939
October 28, 2016 ~ Hip hop group Migos release Bad And Boujee featuring Lil' Uzi Vert, lead single off their Culture sophomore album ~ The song features band members Quavo and Offset rapping about smoking dope and hooking up with high class or “bourgeoise” women, the term “bourgeoise” simplified to “boujee”. The band's third member, Takeoff, was not present on the vocals, which was simply a matter of timing. After going viral, the song spawning many memes with the lyrics “rain drop, drop top”, and aided by Donald Glover's shoutout at the 2017 Golden Globes, Bad And Boujee would reach the No.1 position on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, a position it held for three non-consecutive weeks. It would be the biggest hit both for Migos and featured artist Lil' Uzi Vert, neither of which had previously reached the top spot
October 28, 2015 ~ Electronica, drum and bass, house, trance, trip hop, soul, funk singer Diane Charlemagne passed away ~ Lead singer for funk outfit 52nd Street, taking over for Beverley McDonald in 1984, and present on perhaps the band's best known Tell Me How It Feels. Lead singer for the Urban Cookie Collective, known for the 1990s hits The Key The Secret and Feels Like Heaven. Guest vocalist on Goldie's Inner City Life. Frequently backed Moby on tours. Charlemagne has also worked with Satoshi Tomiie, Calibre, Scape, Netsky, and the Memory Notes ~ Charlemagne was born in 1964
October 28, 2010 ~ Classical trumpeter, cornetist Maurice Murphy, full name Maurice Harrison Murphy, passed away in London, UK ~ Cornetist for brass ensemble the Black Dyke Band from 1956 through 1961. Would shift to orchestral work through stints with the Hallé, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Lemare Orchestra, Principal trumpeter with the London Symphony Orchestra for some three decades starting in 1977, including appearing with the latter on numerous soundtracks such as the first six Star Wars films, the Alien film series, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Johnny English ~ Murphy was born in 1935
October 28, 2007 ~ Singer Porter Wagoner passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Charted over eighty singles on the country charts. Known for songs such as Satisfied Mind, Misery Loves Company, I've Enjoyed This As Much As I Can, Sorrow On The Rocks, Green Green Grass Of Home, The Cold Hard Facts Of Life, and The Carroll County Incident. Discovered and introduced the world to Dolly Parton, with whom Porter sang several hit duets including Daddy Was A Old Time Preacher Man, Please Don't Stop Loving Me and Making Plans ~ Wagoner was born in 1927
October 28, 2004 ~ Film composer Gil Melle, full name Gilbert John Melle, passed away in Malibu, California, USA ~ Painter, sculptor. Created cover art for albums by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. Played baritone sax with George Wallington, Max Roach, Tal Farlow, Oscar Pettiford, Ed Thigpen, Kenny Dorham, and Zoot Sims, and led a number of sessions for Blue Note Records and Prestige Records through mid to late 1950s. Composed for over 100 films, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. Melle reportedly was the first to compose a main theme for a television series, namely Rod Serling's Night Gallery, arranged entirely for electronic instruments ~ Mellé was born in 1931
October 28, 2002 ~ Rapper Eminem releases Lose Yourself, issued as a single from the 8 Mile soundtrack ~ Written for the soundtrack of 8 Mile, a loosely autobiographical film featuring Eminem. At the time of its release, the song was warmly received with many critics calling it his best work yet. Retrospectively, several have ranked Lose Yourself among the all-time best hip hop songs. Its lyrics paint the background of B-Rabbit, Eminem's character in the film, with the first verse summing up much of the plot of the movie. The song would earn the rapper his first Grammy Award, as well an Academy Award for Best Song. The single reached No.1 Billboard Hot 100 in just six weeks, and held the top spot for twelve consecutive weeks, making the song the all-time commercially most successful Oscar-winner and Eminem the first artist since Prince in 1984 to simultaneously have both the No.1 movie and the No.1 songOctober 28, 1999 ~ Bouzouki player, songwriter Antonios Katinaris passed away in Athens, Greece ~ Best known for his 1960s breakout song What Can You Do With Only One Heart, co-written with Eftichia Papagianopoulou. Married to singer Maria Rippi. The couple's daughter Maria Katinari is also a singer ~ Katinaris was born in 1931
October 28, 1988 ~ Sterling Leroy Pennix Jr, commonly known as rapper, songwriter Hoodrich Pablo Juan, born in Newark, New Jersey, USA ~ Has been releasing mixtapes since the mid-2010s. Perhaps best known for We Don't Luv 'Em taken of his full-length Designer Drugz 3 debut album released in 2017. Has collaborated with Gucci Mane, Migos, Gunna, and Lil' Baby
October 28, 1987 ~ R&B, pop, avant-garde singer, keyboardist, guitarist, producer Frank Ocean born in Long Beach, California, USA ~ Draws from electro-funk, pop-soul, jazz-funk and psychedelia. Member of Odd Future. Released his critically acclaimed full-length solo debut album, Channel Orange, in 2012. Best known for songs such as Novocane and Thinkin' About You. Ocean has also collaborated with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Calvin Harris, and A$AP Mob
October 28, 1985 ~ Synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys release West End Girls, lead single off their Please debut album ~ When released as a stand-alone single in 1984, it became a club hit in America and some European countries, yet did not break through to the pop charts. After signing to EMI, the duo would re-record the track, this time with a new producer, and issue it as the lead single off their Please debut album. This time around the single hit top 10 in several countries, including No.1 spots in America and their native UK. West End Girls, partly inspired by the TS Elliot poem The Waste Land, deals with class differences and the pressures of inner-city life. Neil Tennant would later explain that some listeneres had assumed the song referred to prositutes, but was actually “about rough boys getting a bit of posh”
October 28, 1983 ~ Actor, singer, trumpeter Johnnie Davis, full name John Gustave Davis, passed away in Pecos, Texas, USA ~ Scat singer. Worked with Leo Baxter and Fred Waring before finding employ in Hollywood in the late 1930s, notaby in the 1937 film Hollywood Hotel introducing the Johnny Mercer-penned Hooray For Hollywood. Davis would star in over a dozen films ~ Davis was born in 1910
October 28, 1980 ~ Singer, songwriter, actress Natina Reed, full name Natina Tiawana Reed, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Discovered by Lisa Left-Eye Lopes, who employed her as a writer for TLC. Under the guidance of Lopes, Reed formed the R&B trio Blaque with Brandi Williams and Shamari Fears. The group is known for a handful of late 1990s singles, 808 and Bring It All To Me both peaking in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10. Reed was the girlfriend of rapper Kurupt and mother to their son. Reed died after being hit by a car just shy of her 32nd birthday ~ Reed passed away in 2012
October 28, 1975 ~ Rock, dub, funk, folk-rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Aaron Tokona, full name Aaron Arana Tokona, born in Tauranga, New Zealand ~ Of Maori descent and influenced by artists such as Billy T James and Prince Tui Teka. Member of acts such as Weta, Cairo Knife Fight, Bongmaster, Fly My Pretties, and the Superjesus ~ Tokona passed away in 2020
October 28, 1975 ~ Bebop, hard bop, post-bop, jazz fusion saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer Oliver Nelson, full name Oliver Edward Nelson, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Recorded over two dozen albums as a leader or co-leader. Best known for his 1961 The Blues And The Abstract Truth album, which featured backing from Eric Dolphy, Roy Haynes and Freddie Hubbard. As a songwriter, composer Nelson had his songs recorded by Benny Bailey, Frank Wess, and Jimmy Smith. Nelson's best known composition, Stolen Moments, would first be recorded by Eddie Lockjaw Davis in 1960, and has been covered by well over a 100 artists including Booker Ervin, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Frank Zappa. As a sideman and collaborator, Nelson has worked with Eddie Kirkland, Jimmy Forrest, Lem Winchester, Etta Jones, Shirley Scott, Cannonball Adderley, Manny Albam, Ben Webster, Stanley Turrentine, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, and Thelonious Monk ~ Nelson was born in 1932
October 28, 1974 ~ Rock guitarist, keyboardist, singer Wesley Geer, full name Wesley Harmon Geer Jr, born in Fullerton, California, USA ~ Co-founding member of Hed PE, with whom he recorded the albums Church Of Realities, Hed PE, Broke, and Blackout. Following his departure from the band in 2003 Geer has taught music to children, toured with Korn, and founded the Rock To Recovery non-profit, providing therapeutic songwriting sessions with the latter for recovering addicts, abuse victims and troubled teensOctober 28, 1973 ~ Adelaida Diestro Rega, commonly known as filin, bolero, canción, guaracha, mambo singer, bandleader Aida Diestro, passed away in Havana, Cuba ~ Best known as musical director of close-harmony all-female quartet the Cuarteto D'Aida, active since the early 1950s and known for blending the traditional harmonies and lyrics of Cuba drawing from jazz and bolero. After Diestro's death singer Teté Caturla would become leader of the group ~ Diestro was born in 1924
October 28, 1972 ~ Singer, guitarist Brad Paisley, full name Brad Douglas Paisley, born in Glen Dale, West Virginia, USA ~ Debuted in 1999 with the Who Needs Pictures album and has recorded steadily to critical acclaim and commercial succes since. Known for songs such as We Danced, I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song), Little Moments, the Alison Krauss-duet Whiskey Lullabye, Mud On The Tires, Ticks, I'm Still A Guy, American Saturday Night, the Carrie Underwood-duet Remind Me, and Perfect Storm. Has also collaborated with Chely Wright, Bill Anderson, Asleep At The Wheel, Pat Green, Darius Rucker, Robbie Williams, LL Cool J, and John Fogerty
October 28, 1970 ~ Keyboardist, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Influenced by John Coltrane, Pat Metheny, Allan Holdsworth, Tal Farlow, George van Eps, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, and Alex Lifeson. Worked with Human Feel, Paul Motian, Joe Henderson, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, Brad Mehldau, Joel Frahm, Q-Tip, Ben Street, Jeff Ballard, Aaron Goldberg, Joe Martin, Eric Harland, Eric Revis, the Metta Quintet, Scott Kinsey, Seamus Blake, Gary Burton, Once Blue, Perico Sambeat, Larry Goldings, Chris Cheek, Chris Potter, Marcy Playground, Jill Seigers, Tim Hagans, Noah Becker, Wax Poetic, Danilo Pérez, Toku, Barney McAll, the Jorg Kaalj Quintet, Eli Degibri, Jonathan Townes, Charlie Peacock, Joshua Redman, Tom Cogen, Phil Grenadier, Joel Miller, Roman Ott, Julian Shore, Donald Fagen, Kyra Garey, Jo Yu Chen, Kyle Crane, and Tobias Meinhart
October 28, 1969 ~ Singer, songwriter Ben Harper, full name Benjamin Chase Harper, born in Pomona, California, USA ~ Revered alternative musician drawing from blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock. Multiple Grammy Award-winner. Influenced by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Robert Johnson. Worked with Taj Mahal, Tom Freund (Pleasure & Pain), the Innocent Criminals, Charlie Musselwhite, and Natalie Maines. Debuted in 1994 with the acclaimed Welcome To The Cruel World album and has recorded steadily since to critical acclaim aqnd a devoted following