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 25, 1925 ~ Radio DJ, TV personality, actor Pete Murray, full name Peter Murray James, born in London, UK ~ Radio DJ for the BBC, with shows on Radio 1, Radio 2, and Radio 4. One of Britain's first pop music TV presenters, known for hosting Six Five Special in the 1950s and regularly appearing on Juke Box Jury during the 1960s
September 25, 1923 ~ Saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, pianist Sam Rivers, full name Samuel Carthorne Rivers, born in El Reno, Oklahoma, USA ~ Well over two dozen albums as a leader, noted specifically for Contours, Streams, and Crystals, Rivers would remain underrated by the general public yet earn critical acclaim and prove influential particularly among avant-garde and free jazz peers. As a composer, Rivers is best known for the ballad Beatrice, recorded by over a hundred artists including Chet Baker, Doug Raney, and Joe Henderson. Rivers was briefly a member of Miles Davis mid 1960s ensemble, present on the Miles In Tokyo album, and over the course of his lengthy career has guested on albums by Tony Williams, Larry Young (Into Somethin'), Bobby Hutcherson (Dialogue), Andrew Hill, Dave Holland, Don Pullen, Barry Altschul (You Can't Name Your Own Tune), Cecil Taylor, Chet Baker, Stephen McCraven, Doug Raney, Hilton Ruiz, Reggie Workman (Summit Conference), the Music Revelation Ensemble, and Franklin Kiermeyer ~ Rivers passed away in 2011
September 25, 1921 ~ Jazz saxophonist George Barrow born in New York, New York, USA ~ Active since the 1950s, notably backing Charles Mingus on the quintessential albums The Moods Of Mingus, Mingus At The Bohemia, and Jazz Composers Workshop. An in-demand sideman, Barrow would go on to appear on albums by the likes of Kenny Clarke, Teddy Charles (The Teddy Charles Tentet), Mary Ann McCall, Big Maybelle, Eddie Lockjaw Davis (Trane Whistle), Oliver Nelson (The Blues And The Abstract Truth), Jimmy Forrest, Gene Ammons, Frank Wess, Clark Terry (Mellow Moods), Etta Jones, Sam Cooke (Sam Cooke At The Copa), Clifford Thornton, and David Amram ~ Barrow passed away in 2013September 25, 1919 ~ Rossiere Wilson, commonly known as jazz, swing drummer Shadow Wilson, born in Yonkers, New York, USA ~ Worked with Lucky Millinder, Benny Carter, Tiny Bradshaw, Lionel Hampton, Earl Hines, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Illinois Jacquet, Erroll Garner, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Newman, Lee Konitz, Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods, Gene Quill, Tadd Dameron, Gil Melle, Fats Navarro, and Tony Scott ~ Wilson passed away in 1959
September 25, 1899 ~ Jazz drummer Alex Bigard born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Brother of clarinetist Barney Bigard. Worked with the Excelsior Brass Band, the Maple Leaf Orchestra, Peter DuConge, Buddy Petit, Chris Kelly, Sidney Desvigne, Kid Shots Madison, John Robichaux, Kid Rena, the Mighty Four, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Harold Dejan, Kid Howard, Punch Miller, and De De Pierce ~ Bigard passed away in 1978
September 25, 1894 ~ Label executive, producer J Mayo Williams, full name Jay Mayo Williams, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA ~ Pioneering blues, gospel, jazz producer. Discovered Ma Rainey and Papa Charlie Jackson. Also worked with Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tampa Red, Reverend Thomas A Dorsey, Ida Cox, Jimmy Blythe, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Freddie Keppard, Tiny Parham, Mahalia Jackson, Alberta Hunter, Blind Boy Fuller, Roosevelt Sykes, Sleepy John Estes, Kokomo Arnold, Peetie Wheatstraw, Bill Gaither, Bumble Bee Slim, Georgia White, Trixie Smith, Monette Moore, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Marie Knight, Tab Smith, and the Harlem Hamfats ~ Williams passed away in 1980
September 25, 1872 ~ Charles Blake Cochran, commonly known as theatrical manager, impresario Charles B Cochran, born in Sussex, UK ~ Manager, agent, producer responsible for some of the most successful revues and musicals of the 1920s and 1930s, manager of the renowned the Royal Albert Hall. Introduced or promoted talents such as Beatrice Lillie, Gertrude Lawrence, Noël Coward, Jessie Matthews, Yvonne Printemps, Lizbeth Webb, Anna Neagle, Florence Desmond, and the Dolly Sisters ~ Cochran passed away in 1951September 25, 1683 ~ Composer, harpsichordist Jean-Philippe Rameau born in Dijon, France ~ Considered one of the most important French composers of the 18th century and leading composer of the harpsichord alongside François Couperin. Best known for his Hippolyte Et Aricie opera premiered in 1733 ~ Rameau passed away in 1764