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 31, 2025 ~ Leandros Papathanasiou, commonly known as singer, songwriter Leo Leandros, born in Astakos, Greece ~ Father of singer Vicky Leandros, for who he co-wrote the 1972 Eurovision Songfestival winner Après Toi. Other artists who recorded his songs include Julio Iglesias, Demis Roussos, Nana Mouskouri, and Jairo ~ Papathanasiou was born in 1923
October 31, 2023 ~ Trumpeter, bandoneonist, conductor, composer Pierre Dutour passed away ~ Influenced by Louis Armstrong. Has served in orchestras led by Henri Lovel, Alix Combelle, Aimé Barelli, and Claude Bolling. Composed the soundtrack to the 1974 British drama film Feelings. Dutour has also guested on albums by Nino Ferrer, Claudio Baglioni, Michel Sardou, Anne Sylvestre, and Dalida ~ Dutour was born in 1931
October 31, 2023 ~ Singer Taylor Swift releases Is It Over Now, lifted off her 1989 (Taylor's Version) album ~ Initially intended for Taylor Swift's 1989 album, released back in 2014, Is It Over Now deals with feelings of heartbreak, wondering if it is really over now that memories of an old flame still haunt the singer even though both have moved on. The song has a similar theme to Out Of The Woods, Style, and All You Had To Do Was Stay, songs that unlike Is It Over Now were actually included on the original 2014 album, and all believed to be about Swift's then-recent brief romance with singer Harry Styles. In her native America, the single replaced Swift's own Cruel Summer as the No.1 Billboard Hot 100 single. Is It Over Now would also top the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK
October 31, 2022 ~ Guitarist, singer, songwriter Michal Ambroz passed away ~ Co-founded Jasná Páka in 1981 with Vladimir Albrecht. The band would be banned from performing in public in 1984 and instead of going underground Ambroz would form Hudba Praha with some of the original members while others pursued other intrests. In 2008 Ambroz would reinstate Jasná Páka with only drummer, singer David Koller as the only other original member. Six years later the band released their sole official studio album Cerna Deska ~ Ambroz was born ca.1954
October 31, 2022 ~ Country singer, songwriter Patrick Haggerty passed away ~ Lead singer, guitarist, sole constant member for country outfit Lavender Country throughout its existence from 1972 through 1976. The band is known for their eponymous 1973 Lavender Country album, the first gay-themed album in country music history. The album was funded and released by the Gay Community Social Services of Seattle, with just 1,000 copies pressed at the time of its original release. Haggerty has also worked with gay country music groups Doug Stevens & the Outband and Pearl River, ran two unsuccessful campaigns for political office in Washington, and would continue to work as a gay rights and anti-racism activist ~ Haggerty was born in 1944October 31, 2020 ~ Jazz guitarist Marc Fosset passed away in Verrières-le-Buisson, France ~ Influenced by Yves Montand, Didi Duprat, Django Reinhardt. Member of Magma. Also worked with Michel de Villers, René Urtreger, Claude Guilhot, Franco Manzecchi, Patrice Galas, Patrice Caratini, Stéphane Grappelli, Jean-Michel Cazorla, and Philippe Briand ~ Fosset was born in 1949
October 31, 2020 ~ Daniel Dumile, commonly known as rapper MF Doom, passed away in Leeds, UK ~ Major figure of underground and alternative hip-hop in the 2000s, known for his intricate wordplay and since the late 1990s his supervillain stage character. Doom never performed in public without his signature metal mask somewhat modeled after Marvel Comics character Dr Doom, and has on occasion angered fans by sending a masked substitute. Member of KMD, which also included his brother DJ Subroc. The group would disband after the latter's death in 1993, Doom himself retreating from music altogether for a number of years before reemerging as a solo artist. Has collaborated with artists such as Madlib, MF Grimm, Danger Mouse, Jneiro Jarel, Bishop Nehru, Czarface, and Thom Yorke ~ Dumile was born in 1971
October 31, 2013 ~ Robert Lee Parker, commonly known as guitarist, singer, songwriter Bobby Parker, passed away in Bowie, Maryland, USA ~ Member of Otis Williams & his Charms. Played lead guitar with Bo Diddley. Toured with Paul Williams, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Lavern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, and with the Everly Brothers. As a solo artist best known for his 1961 single Watch Your Step which peaked at No.51 Billboard Hot 100. The song would later be covered by artists such as the Spencer Davis Group, Dr Feelgood, Steve Marriott, Adam Faith, and by Carlos Santana ~ Parker was born in 1937
October 31, 2011 ~ Elizabeth Jane Haaby, commonly known as songwriter, singer Liz Anderson, passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Paved the way for women in country. Anderson has had some success as a singer, noted especially for late 1960s tracks such as Mama Spank and Game Of Triangles, yet she enjoyed her biggest success as a songwriter. Artists who recorded her songs include Merle Haggard (The Fugitive), Del Reeves, Roy Drusky (The Pick Of The Week), Conway Twitty (Guess My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Heart), Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette, Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Skeeter Davis, Waylon Jennings, Kitty Wells, Connie Smith, Faron Young, the Browns, Porter Wagoner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Anderson, Norma Jean (I Cried All The Way To The Bank), Brenda Lee, Tex Williams, Lorrie Morgan, and Mary Lou Turner. Anderson's daughter is country singer Lynn Anderson, who also recorded several songs written or co-written by her mother including Ride Ride Ride, If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away), and Big Girls Don't Cry ~ Haaby was born in 1930October 31, 2008 ~ Punk rock guitarist, songwriter Frank Navetta passed away ~ Co-founding member of the Descendents. Notably present on the band's debut single Ride The Wild which Navetta wrote, the 1981 EP Fat EP and their debut LP Milo Goes To College the next year, before departing the band to move to Oregon and become a fisherman. Navetta wrote or co-wrote some of the bands best known songs such as Mr Bass, Statue Of Liberty, My Dad Sucks, and Rockstar. Navetta rejoined the Descendents for their 1996 album Everything Sucks, and reportedly was working on new songs with his former bandmates at the time of his death ~ Navetta was born in 1962
October 31, 2006 ~ Singer Nelly Furtado releases Say It Right, lifted off her Loose album ~ The second single off of Nelly Furtado's critically and commercially highly successful Loose album to reach No.1 Billboard Hot 100, also her second overall, after Promiscuous featuring Timbaland. Furtado has stated the layered keyboard sound of Say It Right was inspired by Here Comes The Rain Again, a 1980s hit for Eurythmics. Say It Right would top the charts in over a dozen countries, and earned the Canadian singer a nomination for Best Female Pop Performance
October 31, 1999 ~ Jazz double bassist Wyatt Ruther, full name Wyatt Robert Ruther, passed away in San Pablo, California, USA ~ A working musician throughout his entire life, Ruther's career spanned wel over four decades from the early 1950s, backing the likes of Dave Brubeck and Lena Horne, until his death at age 76 of a heart attack. Although Ruther sporadically recorded as a leader, he is best known as a session and touring musician, noted among others for an early 1960s tour backing drummer Buddy Rich. He has appeared on key albums by the likes of Erroll Garner (Gems), Milt Hinton, Zoot Sims, Eric Dolphy, Chico Hamilton (Gong's East), Bennie Green, Count Basie, Mavis Rivers, Anita O'Day, and Fraser MacPherson. Ruther, known as “Bull” by family and friends, was a seasoned player, or as pianist Frank Jackson, who frequently shared a stage with Ruther, once remarked: “He could play a tune perfectly without even knowing the tune. He just needed to hear the first chorus, then he knew the whole tune” ~ Ruther was born in 1923
October 31, 1995 ~ Pianist, conductor, composer Alan Bush, full name Alan Dudley Bush, passed away in Watford, UK ~ Composed orchestral works, pageants, choruses, and operas. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs would hinder his career and have him largely ignored by the music establishment even resulting in a brief ban. Drawing strong protests and opposed by then-prime minister Winston Churchill the ban would be short-lived, annulled following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The composer's strong pro-Soviet stance during the Cold War would however leave him largely ignored in the West, his four operas premiered in East Germany ~ Bush was born in 1900
October 31, 1988 ~ Hard rock, metalcore, post-hardcore guitarist, singer, keyboardist Ben Bruce, full name Benjamin Paul Bruce, born in Wandsworth, UK ~ Influenced by Eric Clapton, BB King, Gary Moore, Blink-182, Green Day, Metallica, Iron Maiden. Co-founding and constant member, lead guitarist of Asking Alexandria, with whom he recorded over half a dozen albums starting with The Irony Of Your Perfection released in 2007. The band is best known for songs such as Break Down The Walls, Moving On, Alone In A Room, Vultures, Alone Again, and PsychoOctober 31, 1987 ~ Sirach Charles, commonly known as R&B, hip hop rapper, producer Angel, born ~ Active since the early-2010s, a number of mixtapes leading up to his full-length About Time debut album released in 2013. The album would contain his two best known, Go In Go Hard featuring Wretch 32 and Wonderful. The latter would reach top 10 on the UK singles charts
October 31, 1986 ~ Glam metal, pop metal outfit Bon Jovi release Livin' On A Prayer, lifted off their Slippery When Wet album ~ Telling of a young working-class couple, dock worker Tommy and waitress Gina, who persevere despite hardships, Livin' On A Prayer struck a chord with the band's blue collar audience. Bon Jovi embodied the archetype of working-class heroes, while the song spoke of the American way, as co-writer Desmond Child would later explain: “This whole aspiring thing. We're not going to give up. Even in the face of failure, we keep trying. And that's the American way.” Both the band's previous single, You Give Love A Bad Name lifted off the same album, and Livin' On A Prayer were written by Child with the band's two main songwriters, singer Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora. Both singles would reach No.1 Billboard Hot 100. The parent album would be the band's breakthrough, topping the charts in over half a dozen countriesOctober 31, 1986 ~ Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk, mononymously known as Afropop singer, songwriter Iyanya, born in Calabar, Nigeria ~ First gained attention winning the TV talent show Project Fame West Africa in 2008. Released his full-length debut album, My Story, the following year. Best known for his hit single Kukere of his sophomore Desire album, released in 2013
October 31, 1984 ~ Rock outfit Chicago release You're The Inspiration, lifted off their Chicago 17 album ~ Written by Peter Cetera and producer David Foster, initially intended for Kenny Rogers. When Rogers declined, they tweaked the song a bit and recorded it for Chicago 17, Chicago's final album to feature lead singer Cetera. Both the song and album marked a significant shift in style for the band, yet their updated sound went well with audiences and You're The Inspiration would peak at No.3 Billboard Hot 100. Bill Champlin, a band member since 1981, would later recall to Songfacts how the band's horn section felt left out: “They were unhappy with it because a lot of these tunes just didn't call for horns. So, they were very unhappy with it, because they always saw themselves as the star of Chicago. And, at one point, when they first came out, they probably were. But, suddenly, the listeners and the fans of Chicago all listened to the singers and the guitar playing.” In 1997, Cetera re-recorded the song as a collaboration with R&B vocal group AZ Yet, with whom he had previously worked on their Chicago cover Hard To Say I'm SorryOctober 31, 1983 ~ Aaron Marshal Davis, commonly known as indie pop, alternative rock singer, songwriter Aaron Pfenning, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA ~ Co-founding member of Chairlift, remaining with the band through 2010. Has also worked with We Are Scientists, Brandon Flowers, Tanlines and Warpaint
October 31, 1983 ~ Pop rock outfit Genesis release That's All, lifted off their eponymous Genesis album ~ The trio's first single to crack the American top 10, peaking at No.6 Billboard Hot 100, That's All was intended as an attempt at a simple pop song, with Phil Collins later admitting he tried to include a “Ringo Starr drum part”. The track is especially noted for being one of the first to use an Emulator, one of the first digital samplers introduced in 1981. Keyboardist Tony Banks would later comment to Songfacts: “We were just improvising in the studio and Mike Rutherford was playing a bit on guitar. With the Emulator, I was able to sample bits and pieces as we were going along. I sampled this bit of Mike's, which didn't sound very good, so I actually slowed it down to about half or quarter speed, and it sort of played a suggestion of the riff that became That's All. It wasn't quite the same, but it had a suggestion of it”
October 31, 1983 ~ British rockers the Rolling Stones release Undercover Of The Night, lead single off their Undercover album ~ One of the band's very few overtly political songs, Undercover Of The Night was heavily influenced by the William S Burroughs novel Cities Of The Red Night and references the then-ongoing political repression in Latin America, especially Argentina and Chile. Credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, as most of the band's originals, the song is primarily written by Jagger, with Richards later commenting: “Mick had this one all mapped out, I just played on it.” Undercover Of The Night would reach top 20 in over a dozen countries, including top 10 in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, and America
October 31, 1980 ~ Indie rock, indie pop keyboardist, singer Isabella Summers, full name Isabella Janet Florentina Summers, born in Hackney, UK ~ Co-founding and constant member of Florence + the Machine. The band rose to fame as critics darling, especially receiving attention from the BBC, and is praised for their dramatic, eccentric production and lead singer Florence Welch's powerful vocals. Well-known songs include Rabbit Heart, You've Got The Love, Shake It Out, and Spectrum (Say My Name). In addition to co-writing a vast amount of the band's numbers, Summers has also written, produced, or remixed for acts such as Beyoncé, Juliette Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, Rita Ora, and the Game
October 31, 1980 ~ Pop, blue-eyed soul singer Robert Palmer releases Looking For Clues, lifted off his Clues album ~ Its parent album, Clues, heavily influenced by new wave and synthpop, did well in Europe, but made little impact in America, where it failed to reach the top half of the Billboard Hot 200. On Looking For Clues, issued as the second single off the album, Robert Palmer shows himself confused by a girl, looking for clues but coming up empty. He would later remark: “I can never remember exactly what I was thinking about when I wrote Looking For Clues, but I'm still like the character in the song. Frightened by the sound of the telephone, which is a strange basis for a lyric.” Chris Frantz of Talking Heads guested on the track, playing the bass drumOctober 31, 1978 ~ Contemporary folk singer, guitarist, songwriter Kris Drever born in Orkney, UK ~ Member of Lau alongside Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke. Has also worked with Kate Rusby, John McCusker, Roddy Woomble, Ian Carr, Eddi Reader, Julie Fowlis, Fine Friday, Eamonn Coyne, Boo Hewerdine, Idlewild, Heidi Talbot, and Duncan Chisholm
October 31, 1977 ~ Irene Joy Gibbons, commonly known as blues singer, stage actress Eva Taylor, passed away in Mineola, New York, USA ~ Dubbed “the Dixie Nightingale”. Child performer active since age three. Married to pianist, Okeh-producer Clarence Williams. Worked with Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Sippie Wallace, Bessie Smith, the Charleston Chasers, and Paul Whiteman ~ Gibbons was born in 1895
October 31, 1977 ~ Actor, comedian, singer, banjoist Steve Martin guests on The Muppet Show ~ Steve Martin, best known as an actor yet also an accomplished bluegrass instrumentalist, plays Dueling Banjos opposite the Muppet jugband Lou & his Jughuggers. The song is best known for being used in the 1972 film Dueling Banjos. In 2013 Martin would again play the song, this time opposite Kermit the Frog, in a video for the website Funny or Die