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 16, 1974 ~ Singer, guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, percussionist, songwriter Jeremy Enigk born in Seattle, Washington, USA ~ Lead singer of Sunny Day Real Estate and of Fire Theft. Has also worked as a solo artist, composed for films, and guested on recordings by Poor Old Lu, mewithoutyou, the Almost, and Rosie Thomas
July 16, 1970 ~ Singer Diana Ross releases Ain't No Mountain High Enough, lifted off her eponymous debut album ~ Written by husband-wife duo Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the song would first be recorded as a duet by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, their first release, which reached No.19 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and No.3 on the Billboard R&B chart. Diana Ross herself had also previously recorded the song back in 1968 when the Supremes teamed up with the Temptations for the collaborative Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations album. When Diana Ross revived the song for her debut solo album, a complete reworking of the song noted for its use of strings, horns and spoken-word passages, label executive Berry Gordy Jr first dismissed the new take. However, when radio stations began playing their own edit of the song, the songwriters were able to convince Gordy to release Ross' solo remake as a single. It would become her first major hit as a solo artist, topping both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard R&B charts. Ain't No Mountain High Enough would also earn the singer a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
July 16, 1966 ~ In its 7th week on the charts, Hanky Panky by Tommy James & the Shondells hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100 ~ Written by noted songwriter duo Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, who first recorded the song as the Raindrops for the flip side of their 1963 That Boy John single. A few years later, it would be the song that catapulted Tommy James & the Shondells to national fame. The band would go on to score about half a dozen more Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits through the end of the decade. On the unexpected success of their first hit, lead singer Tommy James later remarked: “One night I was playing for 20 drunks in a bar in Michigan, and the next night I'm playing for 10,000 screaming fans in Pittsburgh. It was literally overnight. It was very unexpected, one of those winning-the-lottery type stories.”July 16, 1965 ~ Singer, songwriter Ted Snyder, full name Theodore Frank Snyder, passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Perhaps best remembered for co-writing Sheik Of Araby and Who's Sorry Now. Both songs have become jazz standards recorded by numerous artists, the former recorded by the Regal Male Trio, Tiny Bradshaw, Fats Waller, and Jack Teagarden, the latter by Bob Thompson, Milton Brown, Harry James, and perhaps most notably by Connie Francis ~ Snyder was born in 1881
July 16, 1963 ~ Pop, surf outfit the Beach Boys record In My Room ~ Written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher, the former also listed as producer. Brian on lead vocals and organ. Other musicians include David Marks and Carl Wilson guitar, Al Jardine bass, Hal Blaine percussion, Dennis Wilson drums. Appeared on the 1963 Surfer Girl album. Used as the flip side of the band's Be True To Your School single
July 16, 1959 ~ R&B outfit the Coasters record Poison Ivy ~ Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Released as a single, b/w I'm A Hog For You, later the same year it would top the Billboard R&B and reach top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It would be the band's third pop top 10 hit that year, following Charlie Brown and Along Came Jones
July 16, 1957 ~ Jazz saxophonist Serge Chaloff passed away in Boston, Massachusetts, USA ~ Son of pianist Julius Chaloff and piano teacher Margaret Chaloff. Considered one of the finest baritone saxophonists of the bop era, playing professionally since his mid-teens with musicians twenty years or more his senior. Best known for his association with Woody Herman, forming the reed section of Herman's band alongside Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Herbie Steward. Recorded about half a dozen albums as a leader until his untimely death at age 33 of spinal cancer, and is noted especially for the collaborative Serge Chaloff & Boots Mussulli album released in 1954. Chaloff has also worked with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Boyd Raeburn, Oscar Pettiford, Georgie Auld, and Sonny Stitt. According to his brother Richard Chaloff, Chaloff could play the baritone like a tenor saxophone, “the only time you knew it was a baritone was when he took it down low, he played it high, he had finger dexterity, I used to watch him, you couldn't believe the speed he played, he was precise, he was a perfectionist” ~ Chaloff was born in 1923July 16, 1955 ~ Jazz trombonist Annie Whitehead born in Oldham, UK ~ Active since the early 1970s. Focused primarily on jazz but also played ska, was a member of a Frank Zappa tribute band and collaborated with numerous pop artists. Has worked with Ivy Benson, Brotherhood Of Breath, Chris McGregor, And The Native Hipsters, Carla Bley, Charlie Watts, Jah Wobble, Jamiroquai, John Stevens, the Penguin Café Orchestra, Smiley Culture, the Spice Girls, the Working Week, and John Ethridge
July 16, 1955 ~ Rock, new wave guitarist, keyboardist Mark McEntee born in Perth, Australia ~ Core member of Divinyls, known best for their 1990 international hit I Touch Myself which reached top 10 in the UK, America, and their native Australia. Songs such as Boys In Town, Science Fiction, Pleasure And Pain, I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore, and I'm Jealous also reached top 20 in Australia. McEntee has also notably worked with Mother Lode and Air Supply
July 16, 1955 ~ Jazz percussionist, drummer Wolfgang Reisinger born in Vienna, Austria ~ Jazz percussionist also active in free improvisation and classical music. Perhaps best known as member of the Vienna Art Orchestra, present on acclaimed albums such as A Notion In Perpetual Motion, The Minimalism Of Erik Satie, and Tango From Obango. Reisinger can also be heard on recordings by Jean-Paul Céléa, Franz Hautringer, Steve Lacy, Harry Sokal, and David Liebman ~ Reisinger passed away in 2022July 16, 1952 ~ Rock singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Eugenio Finardi born in Milan, Italy ~ Important figure in late 1960s Milan scene. Founding member of the Tiger. Has alswo worked with Alberto Camerini, Il Pacco, and Lucio Fabbri. Broke through with his 1976 Sugo sophomore solo album. Known for songs such as La CIA, Soldi, Scuola, Tutto Subito and Legalizzatela
July 16, 1952 ~ Drummer Stewart Copeland, full name Stewart Anthony Copeland, born in Alexandria, Virginia, USA ~ Rose to fame as drummer of the Police, known for songs such as Message In A Bottle, Don't Stand So Close To Me, Every Breath You Take and Roxanne. Following the disbandement of the band Copeland has released solo recordings, most notably composed for films and TV including Wall Street, and collaborated with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Animal Logic, Mad For The Racket, Oysterhead, Gizmo, and Gizmodrome
July 16, 1951 ~ Jazz, rock, experimental drummer, bandleader, songwriter Bobby Previte born in Niagara Falls, New York, USA ~ Well over two dozen albums as a leader or co-leader, especially noted for Claude's Late Morning released in 1988. To rock audiences perhaps best known for guesting on the critically acclaimed Tom Waits-album Rain Dogs. Closely associated with Elliott Sharp, Wayne Horvitz, Marty Ehrlich, and Jane Ira Bloom. Other notable credits include albums by John Zorn, Victoria Williams (Happy Come Home), Tim Berne, Tom Varner, Paul Dresher, the New York Composers Orchestra, Jerome Harris (Hidden In Plain View), Peter Epstein, Ponga, Charlie Hunter (Come In Red Dog This Is Tango Leader), Groundtruther, Marco Benevento, Jamie Saft, Jessi Colter (The Psalms), and Nels Cline
July 16, 1951 ~ Tzruya Lahav, commonly known as violinist, singer, actress Suki Lahav, born in Ayelet Hashahar, Israel ~ Best known for briefly playing with Bruce Springsteen in the mid 1970s. Lahav's husband Louis Lahav was a sound engineer working with Springsteen, and when the New Jersey singer was looking for a violinist Lahav was hired. Only a few of Lahav's cuts made it onto vinyl, yet with her frail appearance a sharp but cherished contrast to Springsteen and the rest of the band her on-stage presence was a focal point during concerts, especially during slower songs. On record, Lahav sang on the tracks Incident On 57th Street and 4th Of July Asbury Park (Sandy), overdubbing herself to form a one-woman choir on the latter when a booked children's choir failed to show up for the session. Lahav's violin playing is prominently featured in the opening of Jungleland, one of Springsteen's most cherished songs. Lahav played with Springsteen until resettling to Israel in 1975. Little is heard from Lahav through the late 1980s, as she chose to focus on raising her children, yet she reemerged in the 1990s as a successful lyricist, and later playwright and author. Lahav co-wrote Shara Barkhovot, the Israel entry for the 1990 Eurovision Songfestival performed by Rita. She also notably translated Leonard Cohen's Famous Blue Raincoat to Hebrew for Sharon Lipshitz, retitled to Meil Hageshem Ha-kahol Vemefursam. Others who have recorded songs co-written or translated by Lahav include Yehudit Ravitz, Mei Banai, and Yehuda Poliker ~ Lahav passed away in 2026July 16, 1950 ~ Jazz singer Dee Bell born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA ~ Was working as a waitress, discovered by jazz guitarist Eddie Duran when she sang Happy Birthday to another customer. It led to a record deal, recording her 1983 Let There Be Love debut album with Duran and Stan Getz. Has since also worked with Tom Harrell, Houston Person, and John Stowell
July 16, 1949 ~ Bassist, keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, full name Francis Alan Fitzgerald, born in USA ~ Best known for his stints with Montrose, playing bass, and with Night Ranger, playing keyboards. Also worked with Gamma, Sammy Hagar, and Alliance
July 16, 1948 ~ Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna, commonly known as Latin jazz, salsa singer, songwriter, actor, activist Rubén Blades, born in Panama City, Panama ~ Credited with adding experimental rhythms and politically themed Cuban salsa to music, updating the genre. Best known for songs such Pedro Navaja and El Cantante, the latter notably recorded by Héctor Lavoe
July 16, 1943 ~ Omar Ruben Rada Silva, commonly known as percussionist, singer, composer Ruben Rada, born in Montevideo, Uruguay ~ Worked with Kinto Conjunto, Eduardo Matteo, Opa, Totem, Tom Scott, Ray Barretto, Hermeto Pascoal, Flora Purim, Hiram Bullock, Anton Fig, Jose Pedro Beledo, Hugo Fattoruso, Bakithi Kumalo, Rino Thielmann, Mijares, Eugenia León, Stephanie Salas, Tania Libertad, Jon Anderson, Joan Manuel Serrat, Sting, and UB40
July 16, 1941 ~ Desmond Dacres, commonly known as ska, rocksteady, reggae singer, songwriter Desmond Dekker, born in St Andrews Parish, Jamaica ~ Fronted Desmond Dekker & the Aces. Known for 1969's Israelites, one of the first international reggae hits, as well as for later successes such as 007 Shanty Town, It Mek and You Can Get It If You Really Want ~ Dacres passed away in 2006
July 16, 1939 ~ Singer, songwriter Bobby Weinstein born in Brooklyn, New York, USA ~ Member of 1950s vocal group the Legends. Would rise to prominence in the mid- to late 1950s as songwriter, often in collaboration with Teddy Randazzo. Well known hit songs include Pretty Blue Eyes for Steve Lawrence and I'm On The Outside Looking In, Goin' Out Of My Head and Hurt So Bad for doo-wop, R&B outfit Little Anthony & the Imperials. Weinstein also regularly teamed up with Tommy Boyce. Artists who recorded songs written or co-written by Weinstein would include the Box Tops, Dionne Warwick, Frankie Valli, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, and Frank Sinatra. Weinstein has also served as executive with the performing rights organization BMI and sat on the board of the National Academy Of Popular Music for over two decades ~ Weinstein passed away in 2022
July 16, 1939 ~ William Henry Yarbrough, commonly known as R&B, soul singer William Bell, born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA ~ Took his stagename in honor of his grandmother, whose first name was Belle. In-house songwriter for Stax/Volt, helping define the label's sound. As a recording artist probably best known for his 1961 self-penned You Don't Miss Your Water debut single, later notably covered by close friend and labelmate Otis Redding, as well as by Percy Sledge, the Byrds, Taj Mahal, Alexis Korner, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Lou Rawls. Other well known songs include Everybody Loves A Winner, I Forgot To Be Your Lover, and the 1976 Billboard R&B No.1 Tryin' To Love Two. Artists who recorded songs written or co-written by Bell include Albert King (Born Under A Bad Sign), Rufus Thomas, the Staple Singers, and Johnnie Taylor
July 16, 1938 ~ Bassist, singer Tony Jackson, full name Anthony Paul Jackson, born in Liverpool, UK ~ Founded skiffle group the Martinis. Best known though as member of the Searchers. Sang lead on the Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman-penned Sweets For My Sweet, originally a hit for the Drifters, and on Sugar And Spice. Unhappy with the band's shift to a softer pop sound Jackson left the band in 1964 and formed the Vibrations ~ Jackson passed away in 2003
July 16, 1936 ~ Dance bandleader, saxophonist Orville Knapp passed away in Beverly, Massachusetts, USA ~ As a sideman worked with Vincent Lopez, Leo Reisman, the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra. As a bandleader enjoyed popularity in the 1930s employing vocalists such as Edith Caldwell, Ray Hendricks, Don Raymond, Norman Ruvell, Virginia Verrill, and Leighton Noble. Married Broadway actress, singer Gloria Grafton in 1935. Knapp died the following year at age 32 in a plane crash ~ Knapp was born in 1904
July 16, 1932 ~ Jazz trumpeter, author, biographer John Chilton, full name John James Chilton, born in London, UK ~ Although a talented trumpeter, Chilton is best known as an author noted most for his comprehensive Who's Who Of Jazz guide, first published in 1970. Chilton has also authored or co-authored books on Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge. Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, and Sidney Bechet. As a leader, Chilton has some half a dozen albums to his name. Chilton has also worked with the likes of Bruce Turner, Alex Welsh, Wally Fawkes, Humphrey Lyttelton, and extensively with singer George Melly, recording and touring with the latter for nearly three decades ~ Chilton passed away in 2016July 16, 1930 ~ Guy Béhart-Hasson, commonly known as singer, songwriter Guy Béart, born in Cairo, Egypt ~ Released his Guy Béart (Qu'on Est Bien) debut album in 1957. Best known for his 1958 L'Eau Vive, the title track of the soundtrack of the same name. Remained popular throughout the early 1970s. Had his songs recorded by Juliette Gréco, Colette Renard, Yves Montand, and Dalida ~ Behart-Hasson passed away in 2015