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.
January 20, 1888 ~ Huddie William Ledbetter, commonly known as guitarist, singer Lead Belly, born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, USA ~ One of the most important and influential pre-war blues, folk singers, guitarists known for songs such as Goodnight Irene, The Midnight Special, Cotton Fields and Boll Weevil. Ledbetter's songs have been covered by numerous artists including Moon Mullican, Frank Sinatra, Odetta, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Della Reese, Pete Seeger, the Staple Singers, Nina Simone, the Spencer Davis Group, Ry Cooder, and Taj Mahal. Singer Bob Dylan credits Ledbetter for getting him into folk music ~ Ledbetter passed away in 1949January 20, 1876 ~ Pianist, composer Josef Hofmann, full name Josef Casimir Hofmann, born in Kraków, Poland ~ Son of pianist, conductor, composer Kazimierz Hofmann and singer Matylda Pindelska. Child prodigy, his series of concerts in his early teens drawing critical comparison to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn. Would go on to compose well over a hundred works, many under the pseudonym Michel Dvorsky ~ Hofmann passed away in 1957
January 20, 1855 ~ Romantic composer Ernest Chausson, full name Amédée-Ernest Chausson, born in Paris, France ~ Died at age 44 in a biking accident, just as his career was about to take off. Influenced by Jules Massenet, with traces of Johannes Brahms. Known for orchestral works such as Viviane, Symphony In B Flat, and Poème for Violin & Orchestra, and his sole opera Le Roi Arthus ~ Chausson passed away in 1899