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.
July 1, 1975 ~ Indie folk, baroque pop, indie rock singer, guitarist, banjoist, keyboardist, percussionist, songwriter Sufjan Stevens born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Released his A Sun Came solo debut album in 1999. Best known for his 2005 Illinnois album, which included the single Chicago. Has worked with Rosie Thomas, Denison Witmer, Half-handed Cloud, the Castanets, Will Stratton, Shannon Stephens, Bryce Dessner, and Timo Andres
July 1, 1972 ~ Jazz, jazz fusion, experimental guitarist Alex Machacek born in Tulin-an-der-Donay, Austria ~ Influenced by rock acts such as Iron Maiden, Kiss, Queen, by jazz artists such as Mike Stern, John Scofield, Allan Holdsworth, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin. Released his Featuring Ourselves debut album in 1999, merging avant-garde, jazz fusion and progressive rock drawing critical comparison to Frank Zappa. Has worked with BPM, Planet X, UKZ, CAB, Terry Bozzio, Jeff Sipe, Matt Garrison, Marco Minneman, and Gary Husband
July 1, 1972 ~ In its 9th week on the charts, Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100 ~ Initially, Neil Diamond didn't think the song had potential, yet label executive Russ Regan firmly believed it would be a hit. Inspired by the second movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21, Song Sung Blue would be Diamond second Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit, preceded by Cracklin' Rosie, and his final charttopper as a solo artist. Diamond would score one more Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit when You Don't Bring Me Flowers, a duet with Barbra Streisand, topped the charts for two non-consecutive weeks in 1978. Song Sung Blue would also be nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony, yet lost in both categories to Roberta Flack's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
July 1, 1971 ~ Eugene Charles Staples, commonly known as jazz singer, trombonist, bandleader Blue Steele, passed away ~ Enjoyed popularity through the 1930s, working with sidemen such as Pat Davis, Gene Gifford, and Kenny Sargent, and singers such as Kay Austin, Mabel Batson, and Bob Nolan. His popularity waned over the course of the 1930s, yet Staples would continue to work, conducting a radio orchestra in the 1940s, leading smaller ensembles, and notably leading the dixieland revival group the Rhythm Rebels in the 1950s, the latter including Elmer Schoebel ~ Staples was born in 1893
July 1, 1971 ~ Singer Jarobi White born in Queens, New York, USA ~ Best known as initial and co-founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, alongside Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, left after the band's People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm debut album. Formed Evitan with Dres
July 1, 1971 ~ Melissa Arnett Elliott, commonly known as singer, rapper, MC, producer, songwriter Missy Elliott born in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA ~ First gained attention as member of R&B group Sista. Member of Swing Mob collective alongside frequent collaborator Timbaland. Producer, songwriter, in-demand collaborator for artists such as Aaliyah, 702, Total, Tweet, SWV, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Mary J Blige, Angie Stone, Monica. As a solo artist active since the early 2000s, known for Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits such as Hot Boyz featuring Nas, Eve & Q-Tip, Get Ur Freak On, Work It, Gossip Folks featuring Ludacris, and Lose Control featuring Ciara & Fatman Scoop
July 1, 1969 ~ Guitarist, singer Séamus Egan born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Worked with Martin Donaghue, Mick Moloney, the Green Fields Of America, Susan McKeown, Eileen Ivers, Solas, Antje Duvekot, Liz Carroll, Karan Casey, Kyle Carey, and Sarah McLachlan
July 1, 1967 ~ Singer, guitarist, composer Marisa Monte, full name Marisa de Azevedo Monte, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Discovered by producer Nelson Motta. Released her MM Ai Vivo in 1989, which spawned the hit Bem Que Se Quis. Monte would go on to become one of Brazil's most popular singers, selling over 10 million records, and collaborate with Devendra Banhart, Rodrigo Amarante, Carlinhos Brown, and Arnaldo Antunes
July 1, 1967 ~ Tyrone Thompson, commonly known as reggae, dancehall, gospel singer Papa San, born in Kingston, Jamaica ~ One of the major dancehall artists of the 1980s and 1990s known for songs such as Animal Party, I Will Survive and Style & Fashion
July 1, 1966 ~ Francis Griffiths, commonly known as keyboardist, remixer Franny Griffiths, born in Liverpool, UK ~ Influenced by hip-hop, electro, Krautrock, and specifically Kraftwerk and Can. Key member of Space since 1994, noted for his unusual keyboard sounds often mistaken for a theremin. The band is best known for a string of UK top 20 hits of their first two albums, including Me And You Versus The World, Avenging Angels, and The Ballad Of Tom Jones. Sang lead on only one song, I Am Unlike Any Lifefrom You've Ever Met
July 1, 1966 ~ Winston Lee Moore, commonly known as country singer, songwriter Slim Willet, passed away ~ Best known for penning and first recording Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes. Willet's original single would reach top of the Billboard Country charts in 1952. Later the same year, Perry Como took the song to No.1 on the pop charts, selling over a million copies. Others who recorded the song included Skeets McDonald, Ray Price, Faron Young, George Jones, Conway Twitty, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Willet is also known for hits such as Tool Pusher From Snyder, Red Rose, and No Love Song To You ~ Moore was born in 1919
July 1, 1964 ~ Violinist, violist, conductor Pierre Monteux, full name Pierre Benjamin Monteux, passed away in Maine, USA ~ As a conductor perhaps best known for premiering Igor Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring and Petrusha, Maurice Ravel's Daphnis Et Chloé, and Claude Debussy's Jeux. Over the course of his career, Monteux has conducted numerous renowned orchestras, including notably the Metropolitan Opera, the Boston Symphony, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra ~ Monteux was born in 1875
July 1, 1964 ~ Drummer Pol Burton born ~ Member of pop-punk, post-punk outfit Transvision Vamp, with whom he recorded Pop Art, the band's debut album, and its follow-up Velveteen. Despite being dismissed by critics, the band briefly enjoyed success in the UK during the late 1980s, reaching the top 10 with I Want Your Love lifted off their debut album, and with Baby I Don't Care off their sophomore album. After Burton's departure, the band recorded one more album, Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble released in 1991, before disbanding
July 1, 1963 ~ British pop, rock group the Beatles record She Loves You at EMI Studios, London, UK ~ Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Produced by George Martin. Released the following month, b/w I'll Get You recorded on the same day, the single would surpass several sales records, eventually becoming the band's best-selling UK single and the top-selling single of the 1960s by any artist. The following year, at the height of Beatlemania in the USA, it would be one of five Beatles singles occupying all top 5 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, the others being Please Please Me, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Twist & Shout and Can't Buy Me Love
July 1, 1961 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Michelle Wright born in Chatham, Canada ~ Considered one of the finest female country singers to come out of Canada, enjoying popularity especially during the 1990s at home and a critics darling in America, where she charted only one Billboard Country top 10 hit with Take It Like A Man off her 1992 Now And Then album. Wright has recorded over half a dozen albums, is critically acclaimed especially for her 1996 album For Me It's You, and charted some twenty singles in the top 10 in her native Canada, of which half a dozen reached the No.1 spot. Well known songs include New Kind Of Love, He Would Be Sixteen, Guitar Talk, Nobody's Girl, and I Surrender
July 1, 1960 ~ Evelyn King, commonly known as R&B, pop, disco, post-disco singer, songwriter Evelyn Champagne King, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Best known for the disco classic Shame, a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit in 1977 taken of the singer's Smooth Talk debut album. King would continue to record and chart on the Billboard R&B charts well into the 1980s. Well known songs include I Don't Know If It's Right, I'm In Love, Love Come Down, Betcha She Don't Love You, Your Personal Touch, Flirt and Hold On To What You've Got
July 1, 1954 ~ Country singer, guitarist Keith Whitley, full name Jackie Keith Whitley, born in Ashland, Kentucky, USA ~ Recorded only two albums before his untimely death of alcohol poisoning at age 34 yet was held in the highest regard by peers, critics and a devoted fanbase. Master storyteller. Known for songs such as Miami My Amy, Ten Feet Away, Don't Close Your Eyes, When You Say Nothing At All, I'm No Stranger To The Rain, I Wonder Do You Think Of Me, It Ain't Nothin' and the Earl Thomas Conley-duet Brotherly Love. Artists who recorded songs written by Whitley included Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, John Conlee, Joe Nichols, Vern Gosdin (Would These Arms Be In The Way), Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss, Travis Tritt, Kenny Chesney, and Gene Watson ~ Whitley passed away in 1989
July 1, 1952 ~ Actor, singer Dan Akroyd, full name Daniel Edward Akroyd born in Ottawa, Canada ~ To music audiences best known as half of the Blues Brothers alongside close friend John Belushi. The duo first performed on Saturday Night Live, their success on the satirical TV show leading to an actual band, the duo backed by an all-star line-up which included Stax/Volt veterans Donald Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper. The band has released several albums, mostly live, starting with Briefcase Full Of Blues in 1978, their popularity culminating with the release of the 1980 feature film The Blues Brothers and accompanying album. A sequel to the highly popular film was made some two decades later, without Belushi who had died in 1982
July 1, 1952 ~ New age, film, TV composer, guitarist, keyboardist David Arkenstone born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Influenced by classical music and bands such as Emerson Lake & Palmer, Deep Purple, and Yes. Has recorded well over 50 albums starting the mid-1980s, including collaborations and soundtracks. Especially acclaimed for the albums The Celtic Book Of Days and Music Inspired By Middle Earth, released respectively in 1998 and 2001
July 1, 1952 ~ Leon Chancler, commonly known as drummer Leon Ndugu Chancler, born in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA ~ Best known for his association with Santana. Has sporadically recorded as a solo artist and formed the late 1970s funk outfit the Chocolate Jam Co, with whom he recorded the albums The Spread Of The Future and Do I Make You Feel Better. In-demand session drummer in jazz, pop, and funk. Present on albums by Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, George Duke (Faces In Reflection), Patrice Rushen, the Weather Report, Labelle, Gato Barbieri, Minnie Riperton (Minnie), Wilton Felder, Donna Summer, the Dazz Band, Michael Jackson (Thriller), James Ingram, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner (Private Dancer), Kenny Rogers, John Lee Hooker (The Healer), Robbie Robertson, George Benson, and Sheena Easton ~ Chancler passed away in 2018
July 1, 1951 ~ Folk, traditional pop, bluegrass singer, guitarist, songwriter, activist Anne Feeney born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Member of bluegrass outfit Cucumber Rapids. Best known as a lawyer and activist, focusing on social issues and especially women's rights. Debuted as a solo artist with the album Look To The Left in 1992 and has recorded as a solo artist consistently since ~ Feeney passed away in 2021
July 1, 1951 ~ Singer, keyboardist, percussionist, songwriter Fred Schneider, full name Frederick William Schneider, born in Newark, New Jersey, USA ~ Co-founder, frontman of the B52's, known for songs such as Rock Lobster, Love Shack, Roam, Good Stuff and Meet The Flintstones. Has also released a number of solo recordings, starting with Fred Schneider And The Shake Society in 1984, fronts the side project the Superions, and guested on records by Richard Barone, Captain Planet, the Foo Fighters, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor
July 1, 1951 ~ Singer, comedian, writer Harrie Jekkers born in The Hague, the Netherlands ~ As a solo artist known for O O Den Haag released in 1982 under the moniker Harry Klorkestein, the song quickly becoming the unofficial anthem of the city Den Haag. Best known for co-founding Klein Orkest with Koos Meinderts, known for songs such as Laat Mij Maar Alleen, Koos Werkeloos, Later Is Allang Begonnen and perhaps their best known Over De Muur. After the band disbanded Jekkers would venture into comedy and cabaret, including collaborating with Jeroen van Merwijk
July 1, 1951 ~ Glenn Michael Lockett, commonly known as producer, sound engineer SPOT, born in California, USA ~ In-house producer and engineer for influential punk label SST Records. Engineered, mixed, produced most of SST's pivotal acts from 1979 until leaving the label in 1986. Has worked with acts such as Black Flag, the Descendents, the Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Hüsker Dü (Everything Falls Apart), the Misfits, Saint Vitus, and the Crucifucks ~ Lockett passed away in 2023
July 1, 1949 ~ Danny Pollo, commonly known as jazz clarinetist Danny Polo, passed away in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Active since the early 1920s, working in Europe from the late 1920s through the mid 1930s. Worked with Claude Thornhill, Elmer Schoebel, Merritt Brunies, Arnold Johnson, Ben Bernie, Jean Goldkette, Paul Ash, Bert Firman, Lud Gluskin, Ben Berlin, Arthur Briggs, Bert Ambrose, Ray Ventura, Joe Sullivan, and Jack Teagarden, appearing with the latter in the 1942 Bing Crosby-film The Birth Of The Blues ~ Pollo was born in 1901
July 1, 1949 ~ Bassist, songwriter Gregg Sutton born ~ Member of Lone Justice. Probably best known for co-writing Stop, Sam Brown's breakthrough hit. Used as the title track and sophomore single of her 1988 debut album, the track would initially only have modest success. Its re-release the following year, however, reached top 10 in over a dozen countries, including her native UK, and catapulted the singer to fame. Others who recorded songs co-written by Sutton include Joe Cocker, Maria McKee (Breathe), Prairie Oyster, the Jeff Healey Band, Curtis Stigers, Charles & Eddie, Billy Ray Cyrus (How Much), and the Bonedaddys ~ Sutton passed away in 2023
July 1, 1949 ~ Singer John Farnham, full name John Peter Farnham, born in Dagenham, UK ~ First gained attention in the late 1960s, becoming a teen idol in Australia with covers such as Sadie The Cleaning Lady and One. Lead singer of the Little River Band from 1982 replacing Glenn Shorrock through 1985. Well known for his 1986 international solo hit You're The Voice, a radio staple to this day