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 23, 2025 ~ Folk, rock, jazz, blues, skiffle bassist, guitarist, mandolinist, trumpeter, trombonist Danny Thompson, full name Daniel Henry Edward Thompson, passed away in Hertfordshire, UK ~ Member of Blues Incorporated, Member of folk-jazz group Pentangle from 1967 through 1973, including on their most successful album Basket Of Light. In-demand session musician, appearing on albums by Donovan, Nick Drake, Marianne Faithfull, Davey Graham, Hunter Muskett, the Incredible String Band, Magna Carta, Rod Stewart (Every Picture Tells A Story), Bert Jansch, Ralph McTell, T.Rex, Loudon Wainwright III, Kate Bush (Hounds Of Love), Boo Hewerdine, David Sylvian, Talk Talk, Vivian Stanshall, and Peter Gabriel ~ Thompson was born in 1939
September 23, 2023 ~ Folk rock, sunshine pop percussionist, singer, songwriter Terry Kirkman, full name Terry Robert Kirkman, passed away in Montclair, California, USA ~ Co-founding member, percussionist, singer of the Association, with whom he recorded about half a dozen albums and performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival held in Monterey, California, in 1967. Kirkman wrote several of the band's best known including Enter The Young, Everything That Touches You, and perhaps their best known Cherish, all of which reached top 10 Billboard Hot 100. The latter would be covered by over 40 artists including the Lettermen, the Four Tops, Petula Clark, Nina Simone, and Jodeci. Kirkman departed the band in late 1972, and rejoined by the late 1970s. Growing tired of touring Kirkman retired from music by the mid-1980s to work as an addictions counselor ~ Kirkman was born in 1939September 23, 2021 ~ Alfred James Ellis, commonly known as saxophonist, songwriter Pee Wee Ellis, passed away in Dorset, UK ~ Key member of James Brown's backing band. Co-wrote several of Brown's classics including Cold Sweat, Licking Stick Licking Stick (Part 1), and Mother Popcorn (You Got To Have A Mother For Me) ~ Ellis was born in 1941
September 23, 2021 ~ Salsa percussionist, bandleader Roberto Roena, full name Roberto Roena Vázquez, passed away in Carolina, Puerto Rico ~ Original member of Cortijo & su Combo. Member of El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico. Formed and led El Apollo Sound since 1969, known for songs such as Y Tu Loco Loco, Traicion, Que Se Sepa and Herencia Rumbero and generally considered one of the premier salsa bands in Puerto Rico. Also known for his long-standing association with salsa supergroup the Fania All-Stars ~ Roena was born in 1940September 23, 2021 ~ Eva Sue McKee, commonly known as pop, country singer Sue Thompson, passed away in Pahrump, Nevada, USA ~ Best known for her 1960s hits Sad Movies Make Me Cry, Norman and Paper Tiger. Also known as duet partner of Don Gibson in the 1970s, notably on songs such as I Think They Call It Love and Good Old Fashioned Country Love ~ McKee was born in 1925
September 23, 2020 ~ Sidney Selby, commonly known as blues harpist, guitarist, singer Guitar Crusher, passed away ~ Recording since the 1960s. Relocated to Germany in the 1980s, finding popularity across Europe playing clubs and festival across Europe with his backing unit the Midnight Rockers. Has worked with artists such as Katie Webster, Detroit Gary Wiggins, Alvin Lee, Benny Bailey, and Thomm Jutz ~ Selby was born in 1931
September 23, 2020 ~ Singer, actress Juliette Gréco passed away in Ramatuelle, France ~ Darling of intellectual circles in post-war France. Romantically involved with both Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. Debuted as a cabaret singer in the 1949 production of Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit. The song Michelle by the Beatles is said to be inspired by Gréco ~ Gréco was born in 1927
September 23, 2020 ~ Drummer WS Holland passed away in Jackson, Tennessee, USA ~ Played with Carl Perkins, including on Blue Suede Shoes. Played with Johnny Cash as a member of Cash's backing bands the Tennessee Three, the Great Eighties Eight, and as a member of the Johnny Cash Show Band. Also drummed on the The Million Dollar Quartet sessions, backing Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Perkins and Cash ~ Holland was born in 1935
September 23, 2017 ~ Funk, soul, retro-soul singer Charles Bradley, full name Charles Edward Bradley, passed away in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Long remained in obscurity, mainly working as odd jobs while moonlighting as a James Brown-impersonator. Released his solo debut album No Time For Dreaming in 2011 to critical acclaim and recorded consistently until his death ~ Bradley was born in 1948September 23, 2007 ~ Blues harpist, guitarist, singer, songwriter Gary Primich, full name Gary Alan Primich, passed away in Austin, Texas, USA ~ As a solo artist best known for his 1995 Mr Freeze album. Member of the Mannish Boys alongside Jimmy Carl Black. Has also worked with Steve James, Omar & the Howlers, John Juke Logan, Marcia Ball, Ruthie Foster, Nick Curran, and Jimmie Vaughan ~ Primich was born in 1958
September 23, 2004 ~ Singer André Hazes, full name André Gerardus Hazes, passed away in Woerden, the Netherlands ~ Hugely popular since the 1980s, known for numerous hits that became part of the Dutch pop canon, including De Vlieger, Een Beetje Verliefd, Volare, Zij Gelooft In Mij (translated from Kenny Rogers' She Believes In Me), Eenzame Kerst, and Bloed Zweet & Tranen ~ Hazes was born in 1951
September 23, 1996 ~ Pop rock outfit the Beautiful South release Rotterdam (Or Anywhere), lead single off their multi-platinum Blue Is The Colour album ~ Written by Paul Heaton in a Rotterdam, the Netherlands, bar where he didn't feel welcome, entering the bar around 3 o'clock in the afternoon after an all-night drinking binge. As Heaton told the Guardian: “I probably smelled, and I'd walked into their bar and plonked my bag down. They probably thought ‘Oh God, we don't want this bloke to be our regular. Let's make sure he never comes back.’ So they were trying to think of different excuses to move me on, like ‘you can't sit there, there's a private party coming in.’ I got really pissed off, and I wrote a short story that became a very bitchy song, scribbling it down while sitting there”
September 23, 1995 ~ Lawrence Laury, commonly known as boogie-woogie, blues, gospel, jazz pianist, singer Booker T Laury, passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Influenced by Roosevelt Sykes, Sunnyland Slim, and Speckled Red. Although Laury performed for most of his adult life, playing clubs and coffeehouses in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri, often working with Mose Vinson and lifelong friend Memphis Slim, Laury did not release his Nothing But The Blues solo debut album until well into his sixties ~ Laury was born in 1914
September 23, 1994 ~ Disco, dance producer, DJ, remixer Walter Gibbons passed away in Long Island, New York, USA ~ One of the most important club DJs, remixers of the 1970s and early 1980s. Influential on Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan. Early pioneer of beat-mixing. Among the first to incorporate elements of dub reggae into dance music.. Regular DJ at Manhattan club Galaxy 21. Produced and remixed Double Exposure's 12" Ten Percent, the first commercially available 12" ~ Gibbons was born in 1954
September 23, 1991 ~ Acid jazz, funk, R&B outfit the Brand New Heavies release Never Stop, lifted off their eponymous debut album ~ Initially, the band's debut album featuring Jay Ella Ruth only made a minor impact on the British R&B scene. However, it was after they attracted American-born N'dea Davenport as their new lead singer and re-issued their debut album with tracks redone or added, now with their new lead singer, that they reached a wider audience. The mellow Never Stop featuring obvious Stevie Wonder-inspired keyboards was the added song and it became their first single to chart in the UK, where it reached No.43. In America the song also became a modest hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it reached No.54, and a top 10 hit on the Billboard R&B charts, where it reached No.3. Davenport would record two more albums with the band, which spawned several hits including the critically acclaimed Dream On Dreamer and the Maria Muldaur cover Midnight At The Oasis, both of which reached top 20 UK. The drum beat of Never Stop would later be sampled in George Michael's hit single Too FunkySeptember 23, 1988 ~ Gabriel Alberto Azucena, commonly known as Christian rap, hip-hop singer, producer, songwriter Gawvi, born in the Bronx, New York, USA ~ Active since the late 2000s. Staff producer with Reach Records. Regular collaborator of Lecrae and Trip Lee. As a recording artist best known for the singles In The Water, God Speed featuring Andy Mineo and KB, and Rock n Roll featuring ELHAE. Notably guested on the 116 Clique single Angels, released in 2016
September 23, 1984 ~ Alternative rock, post-grunge, country rock, folk jazz, blues rock guitarist, dobroist, banjoist, keyboardist, singer Will Knaak, full name William Carter Knaak, born in Austin, Texas, USA ~ Influenced by artists such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Chuck Berry, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson. As a solo artist debuted with the album The Only Open Road in 2016. Lead guitarist for alternative rock outfit Blue October since 2018. In-demand sideman, working with artists such as Jon Wolfe, the Royal Souhern Brotherhood, Kacy Crowley, Johnny Solinger, and Wade BowenSeptember 23, 1983 ~ Drummer, singer Ryan Seaman, full name Ryan Eric Seaman, born in Oxnard, California, USA ~ Best known as Falling In Reverse drummer. Half of I Don't Know How But They Found Me, the other half being Dallon Weekes. Has also worked with Icon For Hire, I Am Ghost, the Bigger Lights, the Brobecks, My Favorite Highway, and Aiden
September 23, 1982 ~ Actor, singer, songwriter Jimmy Wakely, full names James Clarence Wakely, passed away in Mission Hills, California, USA ~ One of the last singing cowboys. Appeared in over two dozen westerns, usually as a side act. Had his own comic book series. Known for songs such Lonesome Guitar, My Kind Of Country, Twilight On The Trail, I'm Sending You Red Roses, I Love You So Much It Hurts. Also known for a number of duets such ar Slippin' Around and Broken Down Merry-go-round with Margaret Whiting, and Beautiful Brown Eyes with Les Baxter ~ Wakely was born in 1914September 23, 1981 ~ Singer, TV personality Natalie Horler, full name Natalie Christine Horler, born in Bonn, West Germany ~ Co-founding member of Cascada alongside DJ Manian and Yanou, known for songs such as Bad Boy, Miracle, Evacuate The Dancefloor, and perhaps their best known Everytime We Touch, the latter also reaching the American top 10
September 23, 1981 ~ Singer, pianist, dancer Sam Costa, full name Samuel Gabriel Costa, passed away in London, UK ~ Popular singer, crooner during Britain's dance band era, comic actor on the 1940s, 1950s Much Binding In The Marsh radio show. Has worked with Bert Firman, Jack Jackson, Lew Stone, Harry Leader, Maurice Winnick, and Jay Wilbur. From the 1950 onwards, Costa has worked as a radio host and DJ ~ Costa was born in 1910
September 23, 1980 ~ Easy listening, pop singer Barbra Streisand releases Guilty, which would become her best-selling album ~ The album would sell over an estimated 15 million copies, and spawned three Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits. Its lead single Woman In Love would top the charts in well over a dozen countries including the Netherlands, the UK, and America. The follow-up singles Guilty and What Kind Of Fool, both duets with the Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb, who co-produced the album and co-wrote the majority of the album, also did well. Gibb had almost turned down the project because he was scared of working with Barbra Streisand. Later Gibb would reveal: “I didn't want to do it at first, but my wife told me to do it or she'd divorce me! I even called Neil Diamond to ask what it was like to work with her. He had nothing but glowing reports, so I felt a little less scared”
September 23, 1980 ~ Houston Goff, commonly known as blues, country blues guitarist, singer Houston Stackhouse, passed away in Helena, Arkansas, USA ~ Influenced by Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tommy Johnson, and Lonnie Johnson. Though not an exceptional singer or guitarist, Stackhouse is well known for mentoring slide virtuoso Robert Nighthawk, the pair working together through the late 1940s, and again on some 1960s cult recordings including on Sonny Boy Williamson II's King Biscuit Time album, reportedly the last recording featuring Nighthawk. Stackhouse has also taught guitar techniques to Jimmy Rogers and Sammy Lawhorn. Unlike his contemporaries, Stackhouse rarely toured outside the Mississippi Delta, where he is held in the highest regards by blues aficionados ~ Goff was born in 1910
September 23, 1978 ~ Rock guitarist Benjamin Curtis born in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA ~ Brother of bassist Brandon Curtis. Influenced by Michael Rother, Yoshimi P-We and U2's the Edge. Co-founding member of acts such as Secret Machines, the School of Seven Bells and UFOFU. Curtis was also briefly the drummer for Tripping Daisy from 1997 until their initial disbandement by the end of the decade, notably present on their most acclaimed Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb album. Curtis passed away at age 35 of a rare form of cancer ~ Curtis passed away in 2013
September 23, 1978 ~ New wave, pop rock outfit Blondie release Parallel Lines, the band's third studio album ~ Blondie had two albums under their belt working with producer Richard Gottehrer, which gave them some chart success, especially in the UK. However, it would be Parallel Lines, the first of four consecutive albums with producer Mike Chapman, that elevated them to international pop stars. Gravitating more towards a slicker, fine-tuned pop format, while still maintaining their new wave roots, Parallel Lines would be the band's first to reach top 10 Billboard Hot 200 and top the UK charts. Two of the album's singles, Heart Of Glass and Sunday Girl, reached the No.1 spot in the UK, while the former also topped the American Billboard Hot 100
September 23, 1978 ~ Dominick Antron Wickliffe, commonly known as rapper, songwriter Crooked I, born in Long Beach, California, USA ~ Best known as a member of hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, alongside Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". Debuted as a solo artist with the album Apex Predator in 2013. Wickliffe has also worked with Statik Selektah, Frost Gamble, Bronze Nazareth, Luniz, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Ja Rule, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Yukmouth, Chamillionaire, French Montana, Busta Rhymes, Termanology, and Cryptik Soul