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.
September 12, 1982 ~ Composer, conductor, theatrical impresario Federico Moreno Torroba passed away in Madrid, Spain ~ Regarded as one of the leading 20th century composers for the classical guitar. Praised as composer of zarzuelas, a form of Spanish light opera, noted for his 1932 Luisa Fernanda. Has also composed ballets, symphonies, piano works and one full-length opera, El Poeta which premiered in 1980 featuring Plácido Domingo ~ Torroba was born in 1891
September 12, 1978 ~ Gospel singer, music director Kevin Lemons born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA ~ Best known for founding and leading the gospel choir Higher Calling, which eventually would grow to a 70+ member powerhouse choir. The group has been active since the mid 1990s and is best known for their The Declaration album released in 2013 ~ Lemons passed away in 2023
September 12, 1977 ~ Tauneed Epps, commonly known as rapper 2 Chainz, born in College Park, Georgia, USA ~ Initially gained attention as half of Playaz Circle, the other half being Earl Conyers. Epps debuted as a solo artist in 2012 with the album Based On A T-R-U Story and has been releasing records to commercial success since. Known for songs such as Mercy, We Own It (Fast & Furious), Feds Watching and Watch Out, as well as for collaborating with a host of rap and hip-hop artists including Gucci Mane, Twista, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Nipsey Hussle, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, French Montana, Travis Scott, BoB, Sean Paul, Tinie Tempah, Fabolous, R Kelly, Jason Derülo, and Bun B
September 12, 1976 ~ Bryon Anthony McCane II, commonly known as Bizzy Bone, born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA ~ Founding member of hip-hop group Bone Thugs 'n Harmony, which also included Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-n-Bone. The group would be discovered by NWA's Eazy E and release a debut EP in 1994 which spawned the hit Thuggish Ruggish Bone featuring Shatasha Williams. Subsequent hits included 1st Of Da Month, Tha Crossroads, Look Into My Eyes and I Tried featuring Akon. Bizzy would also record as a solo artist, team up with bandmate Layzie under the moniker the Bone Brothers, and collaborate with artists such as Adina Howard, Lil' Flip, Iyaz, and Ying Yang TwinsSeptember 12, 1975 ~ Post-grunge, heavy metal, hard rock singer, guitarist Nick Townsend, full name Nicholas John Townsend, born in Kidderminster, UK ~ Co-founder, guitarist, lead singer of Weak13, acclaimed for their 2015 They Live. Also known for founding the independent music magazine PMT, for his work as an illustrator for children's books and as a an actor for film and TV, notably in the BBC children's horror drama Young Dracula
September 12, 1974 ~ Country, country pop, pop singer Jennifer Nettles, full name Jennifer Odessa Nettles, born in Douglas, Georgia, USA ~ Forms the highly successful Sugarland duo with Kristian Bush, active since the mid 2000s. The singles Want To, Settlin', All I Want To Do, Already Gone and It Happens would all reach No.1 Billboard Country. Nettles also duetted with Jon Bon Jovi on the 2006 Bon Jovi hit single Who Says You Can't Go Home, which also topped the country charts
September 12, 1973 ~ Sibling outfit the Jackson 5 release their GIT (Get It Together) album ~ Though underrated at the time, GIT (Get It Together) over time has earned critical acclaim. It marked a stylistic change for the band, moving away from their bubblegum soul and experimenting with a funk-infected disco sound before disco was mainstream, serving as a predecessor to lead singer Michael Jackson's later solo career. The album only barely made the top half of the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, peaking at No.100, but did spawn the Billboard R&B No.2 hit Get It Together. The group would record three more albums for Motown, before the label's constraint on the band caused them to move to Epic Records, where they continued as the JacksonsSeptember 12, 1973 ~ Singer, drummer, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter Jon Sortland born in Vancouver, Washington, USA ~ Drummer for indie rock band the Shins, joining the band in 2016 and first appearing on the 2017 Heartworms album. Touring drummer, bassist, keyboardist and backing vocalist for Broken Bells. Previously formed late 1980s skate punk outfit the Circus Tents and 1990s punk rock band Cigar
September 12, 1973 ~ Drummer, percussionist, singer, songwriter Pedrito Martinez born in Havana, Cuba ~ Founding member of Yerba Buena. Worked with Paquito d'Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill, Brian Lynch, Bruce Springsteen, Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, Steve Gadd, Rubén Blades, Angélique Kidjo, Issac Delgado, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Sting, Steve Turre, Bill Summers, Cassandra Wilson, Joe Lovano, Stefon Harris, Jane Bunnett, Eliane Elias, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Conrad Herwig, Edie Brickell, Eddie Palmieri, Esperanza Spalding, and Alfredo Rodriguez
September 12, 1972 ~ Jazz trumpeter Gerard Presencer born in Watford, UK ~ Cited Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Wheeler, Woody Shaw, Clifford Brown as influences. Worked with artists such as Peter John King, Johnny Dankworth, John Taylor, Ronnie Scott, Norma Winstone, Mike Gibbs, Johnny Griffin, Chris Potter, Mark Turner, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Randy Brecker, Red Rodney, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, John Abercrombie, Bob Berg, Charlie Watts, Sting, Jamiroquai, Zero 7, James Brown, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, and Jonny Greenwood
September 12, 1971 ~ R&B, soul, blues singer Jesse Powell born in Gary, Indiana, USA ~ Brother of singers Trina Powell and Tamara Powell. Discovered by producer Louil Silas Jr. Best known for You co-written with producer Carl Roland, taken of his 1998 'Bout It sophomore album. The single would reach top 10 on both the Billboard R&B and the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 charts. Other charting singles included All I Need, I Wasn't With It and If I ~ Powell passed away in 2022
September 12, 1970 ~ In its 8th week on the charts, 25 Or 6 To 4 by Chicago peaks at No.4 Billboard Hot 100 ~ It has been speculated the title refers to drug use, yet according to keyboardist Robert Lamm, who wrote the song, the explanation is much simpler. The title and lyrics 25 Or 6 To 4 came about as he looked at the clock and the time just after half past four in the morning, so either 25 or 26 minutes to 4. He had meant to change the lyrics later, but decided to stick with 25 Or 6 To 4September 12, 1968 ~ Guitarist Larry Lalonde, full name Reid Laurence Lalonde, born in Oakland, California, USA ~ Best known as member of Primus. Also worked with Blind Illusion, No Forcefield, the Possessed, and with Frank Zappa tribute band Caca
September 12, 1967 ~ Luis Alberto Cuevas Olmedo, commonly known as pop rock, alternative rock singer, songwriter, actor, model Beto Cuevas, born in Santiago, Chile ~ Lead singer of La Ley, with whom he recorded about a dozen albums since the early 1990s. The band is best known for songs such as Mentira and El Duelo featuring Ely Guerra. Has also recorded as a solo artist, starting with Miedo Escenico released in 2008 which spawned the hits Vuelvo, Hablame, and Un Minuto De SilencioSeptember 12, 1967 ~ Bryan Cuevas, commonly known as country singer, guitarist Bryan Austin, born in Pass Christian, Mississippi, USA ~ Known for his eponymous 1994 Bryan Austin debut album produced by Keith Stegall. The album spawned the modest hit Radio Active. Guested on Steve Wariner's 1997 No More Mr Nice Guy album. Founded Phoenix in the late 1990s with Darin Anthony and Noah Gordon
September 12, 1966 ~ Singer, pianist, songwriter Ben Folds, full name Benjamin Scott Folds, born in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA ~ Rose to fame as frontman of alternative rock outfit Ben Folds Five, best known for their 1997 single Brick. Member of the Bens alongside Ben Kweller and Ben Lee. Produced Amanda Palmer's 2008 Who Killed Amanda Palmer solo debut album. Has recorded as a solo artist and contributed to several soundtracks, notably a cover of the Clash's Lost In The Supermarket for Over The Hedge, Red Is Blue for Hoodwinked and composed the entire soundtrack for Handsome. Has also worked with Regina Spektor, Majosha, and the SemanticsSeptember 12, 1966 ~ The TV show The Monkees, a sit-com portraying the adventures of the “fictional” band the Monkees, debuts on NBC ~ Marketed as America's answer to the Beatles, a group of actors, musicians is put together for the TV show. Initially a fictional band, with session musicians playing on the band's songs, the group consisting of Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones would become hugely popular and eventually play all music themselves. The show would win several Emmy Awards and air through 1968. The band's first four albums would all reach No.1 Billboard Hot 200. Three singles would reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, namely Last Train To Clarksville, I'm A Believer, and Daydream Believer. Although the band originated arguably “just as a novelty”, and their hit-making tenure lasted just a few years, retrospectively they have earned critical acclaim and are remembered as one of the finest cultural phenomena of their day
September 12, 1964 ~ Singer, songwriter Paola Turci born in Rome, Italy ~ Actively recording since the late 1980s. Broke through with her 1997 Oltre Le Nuvolo album, consisting of translations of English-language 1980s, 1990s pop songs originally by John Waite, Roxette, the Pretenders, and Jude Cole
September 12, 1961 ~ Mylene Jeannne Gautier, commonly known as singer, songwriter, actress Mylène Farmer born in Pierrefonds, Canada ~ Released her Cendres De Lune debut album in 1986. Dubbed “the Queen of French pop” and one of the all-time best-selling artists in France with over an estimated 30 million copies sold and over 20 No.1 hits including Libertine, Désenchantée, Slipping Away (Crier La Vie) featuring Moby, Blue Noir, Stolen Car featuring Sting, Désobéissance and L'Ame Dans L'Eau
September 12, 1957 ~ Composer Hans Zimmer born in Frankfurt, Germany ~ Film composer with over 150 soundtracks to his name. Known for integrating electronic music with orchestral arrangements. Won an Academy Award for his work on The Lion King. Other notable scores include Crimson Tide, Gladiator, The Pirates Of The Caribbean series, Interstellar and Dunkirk
September 12, 1956 ~ Jazz trumpeter Brian Lynch born in Urbana, Illinois, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Best known for his associations with Eddie Palmieri and Conrad Herwig. Has also worked with Barbarito Torres, Little Louie Vega, Yerba Buena, Mika Nakashima, Shinichi Osawa, Maxwell, Prince, Sheila, the Jazz Messengers, and the CTI All-StarsSeptember 12, 1956 ~ Classical pianist, conductor Jeffrey Kahane, full name Jeffrey Alan Kahane, born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Longest running music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, a position he held for about two decades starting in 1997. Regular accompaniest of Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Joshua Bell. Has also worked with the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the Saratosa Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic
September 12, 1956 ~ Singer, actor Leslie Cheung, full name Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing, born in Kowloon, Hong Kong ~ Over a career starting in the late 1970s until his death by suicide established himself as one of the most prominent singers to help develop Cantopop. Known for his flamboyant stage appearance. Has released over 40 albums, especially acclaimed for his 1987 Summer Romance album, and acted in over 50 movies ~ Cheung passed away in 2003
September 12, 1956 ~ Singer Screamin' Jay Hawkins records I Put A Spell On You ~ Penned by Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Herb Slotkin. Produced by Arnold Maxin. Originally intended as a ballad, it would however come out as what may arguably be called the first shock rock song laden with voodoo images. Hawkins, up until then a “regular” would rebuild his image and stage act to include theatrical elements influential on later acts from Alice Cooper to Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson. The song would be covered by numerous artists including Nina Simone, the Animals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nick Cave, and Pete Townshend
September 12, 1955 ~ Percussionist, composer Adam Rudolph born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Hailed as a pioneer in world music. Co-founded the Mandingo Griot Society with Foday Musa Suso and Hamid Drake, one of the first groups to blend African and American music. Has also worked with Don Cherry, Jon Hassell, Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock, Massimo Laguardia, Fred Anderson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Wadada Leo Smith, Omar Sosa, Yusef Lateef, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Gabrielle Roth, and ShadowfaxSeptember 12, 1955 ~ Guitarist, singer, songwriter Frank Stokes passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Generally considered to be the father of the Memphis blues guitar style. Influenced Memphis Minnie. Known for songs such as Chicken You Can't Roost Too High For Me, Mr Crump Don't Like It, You Shall Be Free, and Hey Mourner, often teaming up with either Dan Sane or Will Batts ~ Stokes was born in 1888