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 17, 1937 ~ Singer, keyboardist, songwriter Art Neville, full name Arthur Lanon Neville, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Influenced by James Booker, Bill Doggett, Booker T Jones, Lloyd Glenn. Member of the Neville Brothers, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Meters. As a solo artist known for recordings such as Cha Dooky Doo, Too Much, You Won't Do Right, and Hook Line & Sinker. Also worked with the Hawketts, Labelle (Lady Marmalade), Paul McCartney, Lee Dorsey, Dr John, Professor Longhair, Betty Harris, the Pointer Sisters, and the Rolling Stones ~ Neville passed away in 2019
December 17, 1936 ~ Pianist, conductor, composer, TV personality, politician Tommy Banks, full name Thomas Benjamin Banks, born in Calgary, Canada ~ TV personality known for a variety of TV shows, perhaps most notably the Tommy Banks Show which aired from 1968 through 1983. Musical director, conductor at several prestigous events including the EXPO '86 and the 1988 Olympic Winter Games held in Calgary. Guest conductor for renowned orchestras including the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Served as Senator for the Liberal party for over a decade starting in 2000, representing Alberta ~ Banks passed away in 2018
December 17, 1936 ~ Thomas Hicks, commonly known as skiffle, rock & roll singer, guitarist, actor Tommy Steele, born in Bermondsey, UK ~ Generally regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock & roll star, known for a string of hits from the mid- to late 1950s including Rock With The Caveman, Singing The Blues, Butterfingers, Water Water, Nairobi, Little White Bull, and What A Mouth (What A North And South). By the start of the 1960s Steele shifted away from rock & roll to become an all-round entertainer, starring in musicals performing both in London's West End and on New York's Broadway, and venturing into acting for film and TV
December 17, 1935 ~ Jazz bassist Ronnie Boykins born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Best known for his association with pianist Sun Ra. Also worked with Muddy Waters, Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bill Barron, Elmo Hope, Archie Shepp, the Free Jazz Society, John Hicks, the Melodic Art-Tet, Roger Blank, Charles Bracken, Ahmed Abdullah, Steve Lacy, Denis Charles, Mary Lou Williams, Marion Brown, Sarah Vaughan, Hajj Daoud Haroon, George Benson, Bill Dixon, Eric Kloss, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Sam Rivers, Arthur Blythe, and John Ore ~ Boykins passed away in 1980
December 17, 1934 ~ Worship, contemporary Christian music pianist, arranger, composer Kurt Kaiser, full name Kurt Frederic Kaiser, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ For over five decades, Kaiser influenced modern day church music and helped usher in a new era in American Christian music. Has recorded well over a dozen albums since the late 1950s, noted especially for Psalms Hymns & Spirituals released in 1994, has led numerous workshops, served as A&R director, and has arranged and produced for the likes of George Beverly Shea, Jerome Hines, Burl Ives, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Ethel Waters, Ken Medema, and Kathleen Battle ~ Kaiser passed away in 2018December 17, 1933 ~ Jazz bassist John Ore born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Worked with Tiny Grimes, George Wallington, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Elmo Hope, Bud Powell, Freddie Redd, Thelonious Monk, Double Six, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, Sun Ra, Hank Mobley, Cecil Payne, Charles Tyler, Eric Alexander, Billy Bang, Andrew Cyrille, Marva Josie, Steve Lacy, and Hampton Hawes ~ Ore passed away in 2014
December 17, 1933 ~ Jazz bassist Walter Booker born in Prairie View, Texas, USA ~ Played clarinet and saxophone in college. Took up the bass while serving in the same US Army unit as Elvis Presley. Married to pianist Bertha Hope, with whom he formed a trio which also included drummer Jimmy Cobb. Closely associated with both Cannonball Adderley and Nat Adderley, appearing on over half a dozen albums of each of the brothers' individual albums. Underrated stylist, reliable sideman present on albums by Sonny Rollins (On Impulse), Andrew Hill, Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan (The Procrastinator), Art Farmer, Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter, Archie Shepp, Joe Zawinul, Betty Carter, Maria Muldaur (Sweet And Slow), A Tribe Called Quest (People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm), and Roy Hargrove ~ Booker passed away in 2006December 17, 1932 ~ Jazz saxophonist, composer Sonny Red born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, Blue Mitchell, Wynton Kelly, Billy Higgins, Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, Yusef Lateef, Pony Poindexter, Paul Quinichette, and Frank Wess ~ Red passed away in 1981
December 17, 1930 ~ Blues singer Lucille Bogan records Black Angel Blues ~ Lucille Bogan is credited as the first who recorded the song, a mid-tempo twelve-bar blues accompanied by piano. Tampa Red would do a cover in 1934, slowing down the pace and adding prominent slide-guitar. Red's version inspired Robert Nighthawk's 1949 version with bass from Willie Dixon and Ernest Lane tingling the ivories. Nighthawk's version in turn inspired BB King to write and record Sweet Little Angel in 1956 only to find out later the song originated from Bogan's 1930 singleDecember 17, 1928 ~ Leo Edward Donald Jr, commonly known as R&B, rock & roll singer Larry Darnell, born in Columbus, Ohio, USA ~ Dubbed “Mr Heart & Soul”, known for a string of late 1940s, early 1950s hits including I'll Get Along Somehow, For You My Love, I Love My Baby, and Oh Babe ~ Donald passed away in 1983
December 17, 1923 ~ Jean Marcopoulos, commonly known as singer, composer Jean Marco, born in Constantinopel, Turkey ~ Best known as lead singer for Jacques Hélian's orchestra from 1947 to Hélian passing in 1953. One of the first to perform C'Est Si Bon, as early as 1948, a song later made famous by Eartha Kitt, also recorded either in French or English by Yves Montand, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Barbra Streisand, Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, and Abbey Lincoln ~ Marcopoulos passed away in 1953
December 17, 1911 ~ Singer André Claveau born in Paris, France ~ Popular in his native France from the 1940s forward. Internationally best known for winning the 1958 Eurovision Songfestival with Dors Mon Amour written by Pierre Delanoë and Hubert Giraud ~ Claveau passed away in 2003December 17, 1910 ~ Donnell Clyde Cooley, commonly known as Western swing bandleader, actor, TV personality Spade Cooley, born in Grand, Oklahoma, USA ~ Dubbed “the King of Western Swing”. Known for songs such as Shame On You, A Pair Of Broken Hearts, Detour, and You Can't Break My Heart. Convicted in 1961 and sentenced to a life sentence for the murder of his second wife ~ Cooley passed away in 1969
December 17, 1910 ~ Melvin James Oliver, commonly known as jazz trumpeter, singer, bandleader, arranger, composer Sy Oliver born in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA ~ Closely associated with Ella Fitzgerald, conducting and arranging on many of her records during the Decca Records years. Also worked with Zack Whyte, the Chocolate Beau Brummels, Alphonso Trent, Jimmie Lunceford, Tommy Dorsey, Jo Stafford, the Sentimentalists, Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Caterina Valente ~ Oliver passed away in 1988
December 17, 1903 ~ Raymond Stanley Noble, commonly known as bandleader, composer, arranger, actor Ray Noble, born in Brighton, UK ~ English bandleader and composer who authored or co-authored and first recorded many jazz standards including Love Is The Sweetest Thing, Cherokee, The Touch Of Your Lips, I Hadn't Anyone Till You, and The Very Thought Of You ~ Noble passed away in 1978December 17, 1899 ~ Jazz pianist, bandleader Joe Steele, full name Joseph Alexander Ellis Steele, born in Savannah, Georgia, USA ~ Worked with the Savoy Bearcats, Henri Saparo, Ward Pinkett, Langston Curl, Bubber Miley, Harry Carney, Wendell Culley, Johnny Hodges, Joe Garland, Jimmy Archey, Charlie Holmes, Manzie Johnson, Pike Davis, and Chick Webb. Also served as an arranger for artists such as Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman and for Cab Calloway ~ Steele passed away in 1964