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 2, 2024 ~ James Williams Ercolani, commonly known as actor, singer James Darren, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Helped usher in the California surf culture, specifically portraying the co-lead role in the 1959 film Gidget opposite Sandra Dee. The film was a hit, as was the soundtrack with several songs including the main theme performed by Darren. Darren would enjoy a brief spell as teen idol through the early 1960s, notably scoring the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits Goodbye Cruel World and Her Royal Majesty. Darren would go on to focus on his acting career, star in two Gidget sequels, and land roles in several TV series before venturing into directing ~ Ercolani was born in 1936
September 2, 2024 ~ Patsy Lewis, commonly known as soul, R&B, gospel singer Pat Lewis, passed away in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Got her start in music in the early 1960s, forming the Adorables which also included her sister Dianne Lewis. Released her Can't Shake It Loose solo debut single in 1966. Over the next few years Lewis recorded several more singles, some of which later became popular among Northern soul aficionados, and worked as a backing singer for Motown. From the early 1970s onward, Lewis became a regular backing singer for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Tommy Smiley, David Ruffin, and George Clinton. In the late 1980s, Lewis was signed to the UK-based Motorcity Records label for whom she sang with the reformed girl group the Andantes, as a solo artist, and worked as arranger on numerous of the label's recordings ~ Lewis was born in 1947
September 2, 2023 ~ Walter Aptowitz, commonly known as composer, music critic, teacher Walter Arlen, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Prolific composer specializing in voice and piano scores, with some 65 works to his name. Best known for tracking down other artists whose works were lost or forgotten due to the Nazi regime. Aptowitzer himself fled Europe, relocating to Chicago, after his parents department store was expropriated by the Nazis in the 1938 Kristallnacht. His father would die in a concentration camp, his mother committed suicide after a breakdown. Aptowitzer would form longtime friendships with other German and Austrian emigrées, including Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, and Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Aptowitzer was born in 1920September 2, 2022 ~ Angus Gaye, commonly known as reggae singer, drummer Drummie Zeb, passed away in London, UK ~ Lead singer, co-founding, sole constant member of Aswad, with whom he recorded over a dozen albums. The band is best known for their 1988 single Don't Turn Around, originally written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren and first recorded by Tina Turner. The Aswad cover would reach top 10 across Europe including Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the UK, where it became their sole No.1 hit. Two subsequent singles, Give A Little Love and Shine, would also reach top 20 in the band's native UK. Gaye has also served as producer for the likes of Sweetie Irie, Joe, Vanessa-Mae, Janet Kay, and Carroll Thompson ~ Gaye was born in 1959
September 2, 2021 ~ Singer Alemayehu Eshete passed away in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ~ Dubbed “the Ethiopian Elvis Presley” active since the early 1960s. Best known for his hit single Seul. Founded the Alem-Girma Band with Girma Bèyènè. Would gain international exposure after appearing on Buda Musique's Ethiopiques set of compilations, leading to a 2008 tour of the United States with the Either/Orchestra ~ Eshete was born ca.1941
September 2, 2021 ~ Michail Theodorakis, commonly known as composer, activist Mikis Theodorakis, passed away in Athens, Greece ~ One of Greece's most acclaimed composers, having scored over 1,000 works. Has scored music for films such as Zorba The Greek which included Sirtaki, Z and Serpico. Wrote The Mauthausen Trilogy, one of the most revered musical pieces written about the Holocaust. Also active as a politician, known for his leftist ideas, and having served in several positions including MP and minister ~ Theodorakis was born in 1925
September 2, 2018 ~ Pianist Conway Savage passed away in Melbourne, Australia ~ Best known as keyboardist, organist, backing singer of Nick Cave's backing unit the Bad Seeds from 1990 onwards including on the quintessential Cave albums Murder Ballads, The Boatman's Call and on No More Shall We Part. Previously a member of the Happy Ophans, the Scrap Museum, and of country band the Feral Dinosaurs. Also worked with Kim Salmon, Dave Graney, David McComb, Spencer P Jones, Robert Forster, Martyn P Casey, Mick Harvey, Suzy Higgi, and Charlie Owen ~ Savage was born in 1960
September 2, 2018 ~ Guitarist, songwriter Frank Lee Sprague passed away ~ Wrote both songs and concert pieces, totalling over a 1,000 works including string quartet, symphonies, chamber music and opera. To pop audiences best known for his 2004 Merseybeat album, an album of rock & roll songs featuring guest appearances from Big Jay McNeely and the Knack's Doug Fieger. Also formed the rock & roll duo the Sprague Brothers with his brother Chris Sprague ~ Sprague was born in 1958September 2, 2017 ~ Composer, electronic pioneer Halim El-Dabh, full name Halim Abdul Messieh El-Dabh, passed away in Kent, Ohio, USA ~ Early pioneer of electronic music, experimenting with sound manipulation, or musique concrete, as early as the 1940s incorporating everyday sounds, reverberation, echo chambers and voltage controls in works such as The Expression Of Zaar ~ El-Dabh was born in 1921
September 2, 2015 ~ Indie folk singer, guitarist Brianna Lea Pruett passed away in Sacramento, California, USA ~ As a teenager, Pruett busked on street corners and performed in clubs, cafes, and art galleries, usually accompanying herself on guitar, occassionally backed by a full band. Has recorded about half a dozen albums, and is especially acclaimed for 2013's Gypsy Bells, the singer's final studio album. Pruett has at times drawn critical comparison to the likes of Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris, while the singer herself also lists artists as diverse as Tom Waits, Doc Watson, Woody Guthrie, Pavement, and Charles Mingus as influences. Besides singing and songwriting, Pruett has worked as a painter from the age of 16, wrote poetry, and was a filmmaker known for her short movies, several of which were collected on the DVD Roses For Maya Deren. Pruett has been praised for her versatility in many disciplines, to which she has replied: “I've been able to do all my things that I love pretty easily, I got behind myself and pushed.” Pruett has struggled with bouts of depression throughout her life, and died of suicide at age 32 ~ Pruett was born in 1983
September 2, 2013 ~ Jaroslaw Smietana, commonly known as jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader Jarek Smietana, passed away in Kraków, Poland ~ One of the most renowned jazz musicians in Polish jazz with well over two dozen albums to his name, from the 1970s onward Smietana has captivated audiences with his remarkable technique and forward thinking attitude. Founded and led several noted ensembles, most notably Hall, jazz-rock outfit Extra Ball, the Sounds Big Band Symphonic Orchestra, and the Polish Jazz Stars Band. Smietana has been praised for his inventiness and individual sound, a style once described as “always personal yet constantly communicative.” Over the course of his career, Smietana has performed and recorded with just about every Polish jazz musician of note including Vladislav Sendecki, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, and his icon Zbigniew Seifert, as well as with a host of international players including Art Farmer, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Zawinul, Hamiet Bluiett, and John Abercrombie. Smietana's daughter Alicja Smietana would follow in her father's footsteps and became a professional classical and jazz violist, violinist and composer ~ Smietana was born in 1951
September 2, 2012 ~ Jazz, ethno jazz, fusion, avant-garde drummer, bandleader Branislav Lala Kovacev passed away in Hvar, Croatia ~ Learned the trumpet before taking up drums. Key figure in Balkan Ethno jazz, merging traditional Balkan folk with jazz. Co-founded and led the European Jazz Consensus, which also included Alan Skidmore, Gerd Dudek and Adelhard Rodinger, its follow-up the International Jazz Consensus, and the Lala Kovacev Group. An in-demand collaborator, Kovacev has also performed and recorded with the likes of Chick Corea, Horst Jankowski, Mladen Gutesa, Wolfgang Dauner (Et Cetera Live), Zbigniew Seifert, Dusko Gojkovic, Albert Mangelsdorff, Art van Damme, Ack van Rooyen, Michal Urbaniak (Paratyphus B), Chris Hinze, Charlie Mariano, Benny Bailey (Islands), and Chuck Israels ~ Kovacev was born in 1939
September 2, 2008 ~ Jazz saxophonist, clarinetist Arne Domnérus passed away in Stockholm, Sweden ~ Fixture on the European jazz scene during the 1950s and 1960s, and considered one of the prime Swedish bop saxophonists. As a leader especially acclaimed for albums such as 1950's Arne Domnérus And His Favourite Groups, and Fragment released some three decades later. Closely associated with Rune Gustafsson, Bengt Hallberg, Harry Arnold, and Alice Babs. Domnérus has also guested on albums by Charlie Parker, Quincy Jones, Lars Gullin, James Moody, Ake Persson, Clifford Brown, Roy Haynes, Harry Arnold, Ernestine Anderson, Benny Golson, Jimmy Witherspoon, George Russell (New York Big Band), and Putte Wickman ~ Domnérus was born in 1924September 2, 2006 ~ Free jazz, avant-garde jazz saxophonist, bandleader Dewey Redman, full name Walter Dewey Redman, passed away in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Took up the clarinet while still in high school, and played in the marching band of the IM Terrell High School in his native Fort Worth, Texas, which also included Ornette Coleman, Prince Lasha, and Charles Moffett. Redman would become closely associated with Coleman from the late 1960s through the early 1970s, including on the albums Crisis and Science Fiction, collaborate with Keith Jarrett through the mid 1970s including on the highly acclaimed The Survivors Suite, and formed the Old And New Dreams quartet with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell. Redman has recorded about a dozen albums as a leader or co-leader, notably the early 1980s albums Musics and The Struggle Continues, and guested on albums by the likes of Randy Weston, Clifford Thornton, Leroy Jenkins, Billy Hart (Enchance), Pat Metheny (80-81), Paul Motian, and Michel Benita, Although consistently praised by critics and peers as one the great avant-garde tenors, Redman never achieved the same level of fame as his son saxophonist Joshua Redman later would ~ Redman was born in 1931
September 2, 2004 ~ Country rock, soft rock keyboardist Michael Connor passed away in Saratosa, Florida, USA ~ Member of Pure Prairie League from 1972 until the band's initial disbandement in 1988, with whom he recorded well over half a dozen albums including their most acclaimed Pure Prairie League and Bustin' Out. The band is best known for Amie, the 1980 Billboard Hot 100 No.10 hit Let Me Love You Tonight, and I'm Almost Ready, as well as for once including a young Vince Gill in its line-up. Connor rejoined a reunited Pure Prairie League in 1998 and remained with the band until his death at age 54 ~ Connor was born in 1949
September 2, 2003 ~ Rock guitarist, bassist, singer Bruce Waibel, full name Bruce Kenneth Waibel, passed away in Florida, USA ~ Started as a roadie for Gregg Allman before becoming a full band member, first on guitar, later bass guitar. Has also worked with the Marshall Tucker Band, Captain Beyond, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Derringer, and was a member of rock band Firehouse from 2000 to 2003, present on the album O2 ~ Waibel was born in 1958
September 2, 2001 ~ Saxophonist Jay Migliori passed away in Mission Viejo, California, USA ~ Best known as co-founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker. In-demand sideman and session musician, active since the early 1950s. Present on albums by Woody Herman, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lou Rawls (Black And Blue), the Righteous Brothers, the Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), Richard Groove Holmes, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Everly Brothers, Nat Adderley, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III (Unrequited), Leonard Cohen, the Manhattan Transfer, and Frank Zappa ~ Migliori was born in 1930
September 2, 1991 ~ Singer Bryan Adams releases Can't Stop This Thing We Started, lifted off his Waking Up The Neighbours album ~ Issued on the heels of his massive hit (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, lifted off the same album, Can't Stop This Thing We Started would be his second consecutive No.1 hit in Canada, and second overall, and reach No.2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also earned Bryan Adams Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance, yet won neither. In 2009, the song served as a campaign song for the British Columbia Liberal Party, who would win the elections
September 2, 1989 ~ Antoni Zaslavski, commonly known as producer Zedd born in Kaiserlautern, Germany ~ First gained attention with the single Clarity, a Billboard top 10 single in 2012. Would release his debut album of the same, Clarity, later the same year. Would go on to score numerous hits working with artists such as Hayley Williams, Alessia Cara, Selena Gomez, Maren Morris, Grey, and Ariana GrandeSeptember 2, 1988 ~ Twin sisters pianists Christina Naughton and Michelle Naughton born in Princeton, New Jersey, USA ~ Mentored by Joseph Kalichstein who once commented when the siblings play together they seem to have one mind and one body. As a duo the sisters have worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Flemish Orchestra. The siblings are also especially acclaimed for their 2012 Piano Duets album
September 2, 1986 ~ Jazz bassist Billy Taylor, full name William Taylor Sr, passed away in Fairfax, Virginia, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Elmer Snowden, Willie Gant, Arthur Gibbs, Charlie Johnson, Duke Ellington, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Jelly Roll Morton, Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Sullivan, Raymond Scott, Barney Bigard, Benny Morton, Cozy Cole, and Al Hibbler ~ Taylor was born in 1906September 2, 1983 ~ Marece Benjamin Richards, commonly known as rapper Rich Boy, born in Mobile, Alabama, USA ~ Best known for his 2006 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 single Throw Some D's, which would be included on his eponymous Rich Boy debut album released the following year. Richards continued to record well into the 2010s yet despite warm reception would be unable to repeat the success of his debut single
September 2, 1981 ~ Contemporary classical composer Tadeusz Baird passed away in Warsaw, Poland ~ Critically regarded as successor to Alban Berg, Gustav Mahler, and Karol Szymanowski. Deported to Germany as a forced laborer at age 16, imprisoned in a concentration camp by the Nazi regime after a failed escape. After returning to his native Poland would found Group 49 with Kazimierz Serocki and Jan Krenz, a trio known for their socialist realism. Would turn to serialism in the 1950s. Composed symphonies, chamber music, for film and theatre, yet best known known for his numerous vocal cycles inspired by poetry ~ Baird was born in 1928September 2, 1980 ~ Drummer, songwriter Mark Giuliana born in Florham Park, New Jersey, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Leader of Beat Music, leader of Heernt. Also worked with Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, David Bowie (Blackstar), Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Lindner, Lionel Loueke, Dhafer Youssef, Tigran Hamasyan, Matisyahu, Phronesis, Matt Cameron, Tony Grey, Dave Douglas, Aaron Dugan, Janek Gwizdala, Dumpster Hunter, Donny McCaslin, Chris Morrissey, Brad Shepik, Daniel Zamir, and the Young Astronauts Club
September 2, 1978 ~ Jazz saxophonist, composer Jonas Kullhammar born in Nacka, Sweden ~ Regarded as one of Sweden's most foremost jazz musicians. Debuted as a solo artist with the Salut album in 2000. Credited as a sideman on reportedly over 150 records. Has worked with Carlos Garnett, Nicolai Dunger, the Fredrik Norén Band, the Tjorbörn Zetterberg Hot Five, Sonic Mechatronik Arkestra, Peanuts Hucko, Nino Ramsby, Goran Kajfes, Marcus Strickland, Eldkvarn, the Jupiter Trio, Mulatu Astatke, the Hives, Ted Curson, Chick Corea, Jason Moran, Rickie Lee Jones, and Hegge