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, 1975 ~ Glam rock, hard rock, pop rock outfit Queen release Bohemian Rhapsody, widely considered the band's masterpiece and one of the all-time greatest rock songs ~ Issued as the lead single off their A Night At The Opera album, the single would spent nine weeks atop the UK charts. Though initially met with mixed reviews, over time the song has earned wide critical acclaim, acknowledging it as one of the all-time greatest rock songs. A six-minute suite, as a rock song it is noted for its unusual structure, lacking a refrain and consisting of several separate parts; an intro, a ballad segment, an operatic passage, a hard rock part, and a reflective coda. Of the recording process, producer Roy Thomas Baker would later recall: “We had to record it in three separate units. We did the whole beginning bit, then the whole middle bit and then the end. It was complete madness. The middle part started off being just a couple of seconds, but Freddie Mercury kept coming in with more ‘Galileos’ and we kept on adding to the opera section, and it just got bigger and bigger.”
October 31, 1975 ~ Willie Ray Norful Jr, commonly known as gospel singer, pianist Smokie Norful, born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA ~ Over half a dozen albums to his name, especially acclaimed for his first two, I Need You Now released in 2002 and its follow-up Nothing Without You released two years later, the latter winning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. About a decade later, Norful would win his second Grammy Award, the track No Greater Love of his 2014 Forever Yours album winning the award for Best Gospel PerformanceOctober 31, 1973 ~ Lucilla J Sarsines, commonly known as singer Lucha Reyes, passed away in Lima, Peru ~ One of Peru's most respected singers. Leading interpreter of vals criollo and marinera genres. Formed the duo Lucha & Juan with Pitito Perez. Member of Peña Ferrando. Also worked with Los Morochucos. As a solo artist best known for Regressa, an international hit in 1970 ~ Reyes was born in 1936
October 31, 1973 ~ Rogério Lima Manganelli, commonly known as ska-punk, punk rock bassist, guitarist, drummer, singer, songwriter Roger Lima, born in Porto Alegre, Brazil ~ Joined ska and power pop-inspired punk rock, punk outfit Less Than Jake in 1993, shortly after its inception and prior to its debut album. Lima has recorded over half a dozen albums with the band since. The band is especially known for their acclaimed first three albums, Pezcore, Losers Kings And Things We Don't Understand, and Losing Streak. Lima also fronts his own bands Rehasher and Greenhorn
October 31, 1972 ~ Swing, big band violinist, bandleader Johnny Long passed away in Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA ~ Known for a number of 1940s hits such as My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time, Poor Butterfly and the million-seller In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town. Also accompanied Ella Fitzgerald on Confessin' That I Love You ~ Long was born in 1914October 31, 1972 ~ Troy Donald Jamerson, commonly known as rapper Pharoahe Monch, born in Queens, New York, USA ~ Half of Organized Konfusion, the other half being Prince Poetry, known for a number of 1990s albums. Debuted as a solo artist in 1999 with the album Internal Affairs
October 31, 1970 ~ Singer Malin Linn Berggren born in Gothenburg, Sweden ~ Singer of Ace Of Base, co-founded with sister Jenny Berggren, brother Jonas Berggren and Ulf Ekberg, known for 1990s hits such as The Sign, Waiting For Magic and All That She Wants. Songs co-written by Linn include Hear Me Calling, Whispers In Blindness, Love In December, and Moment Of Magic
October 31, 1968 ~ Fiddler, songwriter Duncan Chisholm born in Inverness, UK ~ Released a number of solo albums, starting with Redpoint in 1997. Founding member of folk-rock group Wolfstone. Has also worked with Julie Fowlis, Donnie Munroe, Runrig, and Beth Nielsen Chapman
October 31, 1967 ~ Singer, guitarist, producer, songwriter Adam Schlesinger, full name Adam Lyons Schlesinger, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Co-founding member of Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows. Key songwriter and producer for synth-pop duo Fever High. In-demand songwriter for film and TV, nominated for an Academy Award for writing the title track of the 1997 film That Thing You Do. Served as producer for acts such as Dashboard Confessional, Tahiti 80, Verve Pipe, Robert Plant, They Might Be Giants, and Fastball ~ Schlesinger passed away in 2020
October 31, 1967 ~ Robert Matthew Van Winkle, commonly known as pop-rapper Vanilla Ice, born in South Dallas, Texas, USA ~ Released his Hooked debut album in 1989. Signing to a subsidiary of EMI Records shortly thereafter the album would be repackaged the followig year as 1990 and propel him to fame on the strength of the album's single Ice Ice Baby and Play That Funky Music, the latter a cover of the Wild Cherry dance classic
October 31, 1966 ~ Rapper, guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, percussionist Adam Horovitz, full name Adam Keefe Horovitz, born in South Orange, New Jersey, USA ~ Briefly member of punk rock outfit the Young & the Useless before joining the Beastie Boys in 1982, replacing John Berry. The band would release their debut album, Licensed To Ill, in 1986. It spawned the hit (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party), which would reach the Billboard top 10. Other well known Beastie songs would include No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Hey Ladies, Sure Shot, and Pass The MicOctober 31, 1966 ~ Singer, beatboxer, keyboardist, trombonist, guitarist, bassist, trumpeter Mal Webb born in Melbourne, Australia ~ Co-founding member of the Oxo Cubans, Sock, Totally Gourdgeous and Formidable Vegetable. Has also recorded as a solo artist and composed for TV, including the soundtracks for the TV series The Adventures Of Lano And Woodley
October 31, 1965 ~ Singer, songwriter Annabella Lwin born in Burma ~ Lead singer of Bow Wow Wow, best known for the 1982 singles Go Wild In The Country and I Want Candy, both of which reached the UK top 10
October 31, 1963 ~ John Martin Maher, commonly known as alternative rock, indie rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Johnny Marr, born in Manchester, UK ~ Rose to fame as guitarist, co-founding member of the Smiths from 1982 through 1987, known for songs such as Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, Panic, Sheila Take A Bow and This Charming Man. Has also worked with the Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse and the Cribs. Guested on recordings by the Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads, Bryan Ferry and Hans Zimmer. Has recorded about half a dozen albums as a solo artist, starting with Boomslang released in 2003
October 31, 1962 ~ Virtuoso guitarist, composer Raphael Rabello, full name Rafael Baptist Rabello born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Considered one of the best acoustic guitar players. Founded Os Carioquinhas. Worked with Camerate Carioca, Radamés Gnattali, Elizete Cardoso, Jaques Morelenbaum, Laurindo Almeida, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Ney Matogrosso, Paulo Moura, Paco de Lucia, Armandinho, Romero Lubambo, and Déo Rian ~ Rabello passed away in 1995
October 31, 1961 ~ Drummer Larry Mullen Jr, full name Lawrence Joseph Mullen Jr, born in Dublin, Ireland ~ Best known as co-founding member, drummer of U2. Co-wrote and recorded Theme From Mission Impossible with bandmate Adam Clayton for the Mission Impossible soundtrack. Has also worked with Maria McKee, Daniel Lanois, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Emmylou Harris, and Underworld
October 31, 1957 ~ Indie rock, indie pop singer, guitarist, songwriter Robert Pollard, full name Robert Ellsworth Pollard Jr, born in Dayton, Ohio, USA ~ Frontman, primary songwriter, sole constant member of pivotal indie rock band Guided By Voices, especially acclaimed for the albums Bee Thousand and Earthquake Glue. Prolific solo artist with close to two dozen albums to his name, starting with Not In My Airforce released in 1996. Has also worked with Doug Gillard, Boston Spaceships, Airport 5, the Circus Devils, Go Back Snowball, the Hazzard Hotrods, Cosmos, Keene Brothers, Lexo & the Leapers, the Lifeguards, Phantom Tollbooth, and Psycho & the Birds
October 31, 1956 ~ James Robert Belden, commonly known as bandleader, conductor, arranger, saxophonist Bob Belden, born in Charleston, South Carolina, USA ~ Known for arranging the music of Giacomo Puccini, Prince, the Beatles, and Sting, turning the works into jazz. Also acclaimed for his 2011 Grammy Award-winning Black Dahlia album consisting of original music. Has also served as conductor for the likes of McCoy Tyner (The Turning Point), and Paquito d'Rivera ~ Belden passed away in 2015
October 31, 1955 ~ Folk, blues, roots singer, guitarist, songwriter Ruby Hunter, full name Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter, born in Goat Island, Australia ~ Musical and life partner of Archie Roach, with whom she had two sons and three foster children. As a solo artist became the first Aboriginal female artist to release a full-length album, namely Thought Within. Also noted for writing and performing the autobiographical Ruby's Story with Roach, Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra, which premiered in 2004 at the Sydney Opera House to critical acclaim ~ Hunter passed away in 2010
October 31, 1953 ~ Rock, Christian rock keyboardist, guitarist, singer Rob Frazier, full name Robert Aimes Frazier, born ~ Has collaborated with numerous artists in and outside the contemporary Christian music scene. Well-known for his brief stint with Petra, appearing on the 1979 Washes Whiter Than album. Co-wrote the Kansas Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit, a single taken of the band's 1982 Vinyl Confessions album. Has recorded about half a dozen albums as a solo artist, starting with Cut It Away released in 1984, and has frequently collaborated with Steve Camp
October 31, 1952 ~ R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, rock bassist, producer Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, USA ~ Rose to fame with the disco outfit Chic, which he co-founded with guitarist Nile Rodgers. From 1976 through 1983 the band would create genre- and era-defining classics including Le Freak, Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah), Everybody Dance, I Want Your Love, and Good Times. Edwards & Rodger would also work as a production and songwriting team with a host of artists, parralel to their time with the band as well as far beyond the disco years. As a duo they worked with Norma Jean Wright, Sister Sledge, Sheila & B Devotion, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry, and Fonzi Thornton. Edwards released a solo album, Glad To Be Here, in 1983 and was instrumental in the formation of supergroup Power Station. Edwards passed away while on tour in Japan ~ Edwards passed away in 1996October 31, 1949 ~ Composer, conductor Odaline de la Martinez born in Matanzas, Cuba ~ Artistic director of Lontano, a contemporary music ensemble co-founded with flutist Ingrid Culliford. In 1984 became the first woman to conduct the BBC Promenade Concerts, commonly known as the Proms. Has also worked with the Ensemble 2e2m, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra
October 31, 1947 ~ Experimental composer, pianist, accordionist Howard Skempton, full name Howard While Skempton, born in Chester, UK ~ Closely associated with the Scratch Orchestra, an ensemble with an open membership dedicate to performing experimental contemporary music by composers such as La Monte Young, John Cage and Terry Riley. As a composer best known for his orchestral work Howard Skempton Lento, published in 1991
October 31, 1946 ~ Jacobus Johannes Eggermont, commonly known as drummer, producer Jaap Eggermont, born in The Hague, the Netherlands ~ Early member, drummer of the Golden Earring, staying with the band from 1965 to 1969. Best known as a producer, notably as the thriving force behind the Stars On 45. Has also produced records for Sandy Coast, the Living Blues, and Earth & Fire
October 31, 1945 ~ John David Martin, commonly known as singer, guitarist, songwriter Moon Martin, born in Altus, Oklahoma, USA ~ Recorded over half a dozen albums, starting with Shots From A Cold Nightmare released in 1978. Scored a number of modest solo hits, notably Rolene, No Chance, and X-Ray Vision. Best known however for penning Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor Doctor), a hit for Robert Palmer, and Cadillac Walk, made famous by Willy DeVille ~ Moon passed away in 2020October 31, 1945 ~ Bassist Rik Kenton born in London, UK ~ Briefly a member of Roxy Music, replacing Graham Simpson in 1972 after the recording of the band's eponymous Roxy Music debut album. Departed the band before recording the next album, Music For Your Pleasure. Present on the single Virginia Plain, a landmark recording setting the trend for UK's 1970s glam rock
October 31, 1945 ~ Rock, pop rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Russ Ballard, full name Russel Glyn Ballard, born in Waltham Cross, UK ~ Rose to fame as lead singer, guitarist for Argent from 1969 through 1974, present on most of the band's best known including Hold Your Head Up and God Gave Rock & Roll To You. Following his departure from the band, Ballard has recorded several albums as a solo artist, starting with the eponymous Russ Ballard, and has written for other artists including notably So You Win Again for Hot Chocolate