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.
December 10, 1936 ~ Jazz, soul, R&B drummer John Boudreaux, full name John Mortimer Boudreaux Jr, born in New Roads, Louisiana, USA ~ House drummer at the Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans, and a prolific studio drummer, helpful in the development of the city's vibrant music scene. Notable tracks featuring Boudreaux include Irma Thomas' Don't Mess With My Man, Professor Longhair's Go To The Mardi Gras, Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-law, Chris Kenner's I Like It Like That, and Lee Dorsey's Ya-Ya. Later on in his career, Boudreaux, like many New Orleans artists, has also worked on the California music scene, sessioning for a host of artists including Sam Cooke, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Dexter Gordon, Richard Groove Holmes, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, and Sonny & Cher. Mac Rebennack, better known as Dr John, on whose quintessential Gris Gris album Boudreaux drummed, has stated: “What Boudreaux was doing on drums deserves a special look. Instead of playing the backbeat on the snare drum, he played all four beats on the snare, a little New Orleans funk cha-cha” ~ Boudreaux passed away in 2017December 10, 1933 ~ Walter Stanley Scuffham, commonly known as pop balladeer, producer Don Charles, born in Kingston-upon-Hull, UK ~ As a singer best known for Walk With Me My Angel and Bring Your Love To Me. Also noted for his work with the Tornados, producing songs such as Space Walk and Goodbye Joe ~ Scuffham passed away in 2005
December 10, 1928 ~ Chanson singer, songwriter Hélène Martin born in Paris, France ~ Started singing in cabarets in the 1950s. Known for setting poems by various renowned poets, notably René Char and Louis Aragon, to music. Well known songs include Chanson A Tuer Le Temps, Le Feu, Le Plaisir Dieu, Chanson Noire and Oh La Guitare ~ Martin passed away in 2021
December 10, 1927 ~ Jazz double bassist George Tucker, full name George Andrew Tucker, born in Palatka, Florida, USA ~ Sideman. Worked with Earl Bostic, John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Horace Parlan, Booker Ervin, Jerome Richardson, Junior Mance, Melba Liston, Stanley Turrentine, Dexter Gordon, Shirley Scott, Dave Lambert, John Hendricks, Yolande Bavan, Coleman Hawkins, Jaki Byard, Kenny Burrell, Ted Curson, Lou Donaldson, Curtis Fuller, Bennie Green, Slide Hampton, John Handy, Etta Jones, Gildo Mahones, Pony Poindexter, and Jimmy Witherspoon ~ Tucker passed away in 1965
December 10, 1926 ~ Eddie Jones, commonly known as singer, guitarist Guitar Slim, born in Greenwood, Mississippi, USA ~ One of the first to experiment with distortion effects on the electric guitar. Cited as an influence by later guitarists including Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. Best known for The Things That I Used To Do, a million-seller in 1954 ~ Jones passed away in 1959December 10, 1924 ~ John Kenneth Albers, commonly known as jazz, traditional pop, close harmony singer, trumpeter, hornist Ken Albers, born in Woodbury, New Jersey, USA ~ Best known as member of the Four Freshmen from 1956, replacing Ken Errair, hrough 1986. The band is said to have pivotal to the development of close harmony quartets, moving away from the barbershop style to include elements of jazz and in so a major influence on numerous artists. Cited by Brian Wilson as one of his major inspirations, the Beach Boys-song A Young Man Is Gone actually based on the Freshmen's 1960 recording Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring ~ Albers passed away in 2007
December 10, 1919 ~ Country songwriter Eddie Miller, full name Edward Monroe Miller, born in Camargo, Oklahoma, USA ~ Perhaps best remembered for co-writing and first recording Release Me (And Let Me Love Again) in 1950. At first the song would be unsuccessful, yet over time it would become a country classic recorded by over 250 artists including Ray Price, Kitty Wells, Patti Page, Dolly Parton, and Ernest Tubb. Other songs written by Miller include Patsy Cline's In Care Of The Blues, Wynn Stewart's Playboy, and Faron Young's Wonderful World Of Women ~ Miller passed away in 1977
December 10, 1914 ~ Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton, commonly known as actress, singer Dorothy Lamour, born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Best known as an actress, notably in the Road To…-series alongside Bob Hope and Bing Crosby starting with The Road To Singapore released in 1940. Active as a big band singer since the early 1930s, noted for introducing standards such as Moon Of Manakoora, I Remember You, It Could Happen To You and But Beautiful ~ Slaton passed away in 1996
December 10, 1913 ~ Pianist, composer, conductor Morton Gould born in Richmond Hill, Kentucky, USA ~ Child prodigy. Has composed Broadway musicals such as Billion Dollar Baby and The Arms And The Girl, for films such as Delightfully Dangerous and Windjammer, for TV series such as World War One, written ballet scores such as All River Legend and I'm Old Fashioned, conducted all of the major American orchestras and received a Pullitzer Award for Stringmusic, an orchestral composition for string commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra ~ Gould passed away in 1996
December 10, 1913 ~ Jazz trumpeter, violinist, singer Ray Nance, full name Ray Willis Nance, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Best known for his longtime association with Duke Ellington, hired in 1940 as replacement for Cootie Williams and remaining with the orchestra through 1963. Sang lead on recordings such as Jump For Joy, Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' and Just Squeeze Me But Please Don't Tease Me. Has also worked with Earl Hines, Horace Henderson, Rosemary Clooney, Jaki Byard, Chico Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Budd Johnson, Joya Sherrill, and recorded a number of albums as a leader ~ Nance passed away in 1976December 10, 1912 ~ Jazz clarinetist Irving Fazola born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Influenced by Leon Roppolo and Jimmie Noone. Topped the 1940 and 1941 Down Beat polls for clarinettists, beating Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Edmond Hall. Worked with Louis Prima, Candy Candido, Sharkey Bonano, Armand Hug, Ellis Stratakos, Ben Pollack, Gus Arnheim, Glenn Miller (including on Doing The Jive), Bob Crosby, George Brunies, and Tony Almerico ~ Fazola passed away in 1949
December 10, 1906 ~ Songwriter, lyricist Harold Adamson, full name Harold Campbell Adamson, born in Greenville, New Jersey, USA ~ Popular songwriter of the 1930s and 1940s. Co-wrote songs such as Too Young To Go Steady (Nat King Cole, Patti Page, Connie Stevens), You're A Sweetheart (Tommy Dorsey, Alice Faye, Carroll Gibbons), Don't Believe Everything You Dream (the Ink Spots), Here Comes Heaven Again (Perry Como, Georgie Auld, the Platters), Little Things That Mean So Much (Teddy Wilson, Carmen McRae), A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening (Frank Sinatra, June Christy, Eddy Arnold), You're A Sweetheart (Hoagy Carmichael, Woody Herman, Harry James) ~ Adamson passed away in 1980
December 10, 1822 ~ Romantic composer, pianist, organist, teacher César Franck, full name César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck, born in Liege, Kingdom of the Netherlands ~ Earned a reputation as a formidable improviser. Organist of the the Basilica Of St Clotilde, Paris, a position he held from 1858 until his death. Joined the the Paris Conservatoire as a professor, where his pupils included Ernest Chausson, Vincent d'Indy, Henri Duparc, Albert Renaud, and Louis Vierne. Prolific composer, and while many of his works were met with resistance, Franck is widely remembered for a number of works composed later in life including Symphony In D Minor, Sonata For Violin And Piano In A Major, Piano Quintet In F Minor, and the symphonic poem Le Chasseur Maudit ~ Franck passed away in 1890