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.
June 27, 1986 ~ Guitarist, fiddler, singer Joe Maphis passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ One of country's flashiest guitarists from the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for Dim Lights Thick Smoke And Loud Loud Music. As a backing guitarist, Maphis has worked with Merle Travis, Johnny Bond, Johnny Burnette, Doyle Holly, the Collins Kids, Wanda Jackson, Rose Maddox, and Ricky Nelson ~ Maphis was born in 1921
June 27, 1983 ~ Girl group Bananarama release Cruel Summer, lead single off their eponymous sophomore album ~ With one album and four top 10 hits under their belt, the upbeat girl group Bananarama had quickly gained popularity in their native UK and across Europe. However, apart from the minor hit Shy Boy (Don't It Make You Feel Good) which stalled at No.83 Billboard Hot 100, they had yet to reach American audiences. Initially, Cruel Summer would be overlooked by the American public, however, when it was included on the soundtrack for Karate Kid it rose to No.9, making it the British group's first American top 10 hit. A few years later, the band would score two more major hits in America, the Shocking Blue-cover Venus reached No.1, I Heard A Rumour peaked at No.4 Billboard Hot 100June 27, 1981 ~ Rock, country, electronic producer, keyboardist, percussionist, songwriter Jim Kaufman born in Phoenix, Arizona, USA ~ Worked with Awolnation, Anti-Flag, Spiritual Rez, the Night Riots, Opiate For The Masses, the Black Moods, EG Daily, Samuel Markus, Skindred, Me & A Gun, Ryan Sums, and the Stereo Snakes
June 27, 1981 ~ Michael Benjamin, commonly known as zouk, dancehall singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Mikaben, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti ~ Son of singer Lionel Benjamin. First gained attention through the talent contest Konkou Chante Nwel, winning 1st place. Drew from konpa, twoubadou, rap kreyol, soca, and reggae. Benjamin passed away at age 41 after suffering cardiac arrest while on stage at the Accor Arena, Paris, France ~ Benjamin passed away in 2022
June 27, 1980 ~ Albany Leon Bigard, commonly known as jazz clarinetist, saxophonist Barney Bigard, passed away in Culver City, California, USA ~ In the early 1920s played with King Oliver, usually on saxophone. Bigard is best known however for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington starting in 1927. He is also credited as composer or co-composer on several numbers, including the Ellington standard Mood Indigo. Was the one who recommended Duke to hire Johnny Hodges. Post-Ellington Bigard did soundtrack work for Hollywood, including with Louis Armstrong. Toured with trombonist Kid Ory in the late 1940s. Bigard also recorded under his own name. Sat in with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on some of their best known such as Moonlight Serenade and Tuxedo Junction. Wrote an autobiography titled With Louis And The Duke ~ Bigard was born in 1906
June 27, 1980 ~ Singer Kate Bush releases Babooshka, lifted off her Never For Ever album ~ Peaking at No.5, Babooshka would become the singer's third UK top 10 hit, preceded by Wuthering Heights and The Man With The Child In His Eyes. The song is noted for its use of a Fairlight digital synthesizer, an instrument pioneered by Peter Gabriel on songs such as No Self Control and Games Without Frontiers, both of which featured Kate Bush on backing vocals. Gabriel had used the sampler to capture the sound of breaking glass, a trick Bush repeated on Babooshka
June 27, 1980 ~ Singer Leo Sayer releases More Than I Can Say, lifted off his Living In A Fantasy album ~ A plea for a second chance, as the narrator misses a former lover. Leo Sayer was looking for an oldie for his upcoming album, when he heard Bobby Vee's rendition of More Than I Can Say, originally written and recorded by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison. More Than I Can Say would become one of Sayer's best known, reaching top 10 in over a dozen countries. In America, the song peaked at No.2 Billboard Hot 100, making it his fourth and final top 10 hit, preceded by Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance), You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, and When I Need You
June 27, 1979 ~ Bassist John Warne born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA ~ Best known as bassist for Christian rock band Relient K, joining the band in 2004 as replacement for Brian Pittman, first appearing on the album Five Score And Seven Years Ago released in 2007. Previously sang lead and played guitar for Christian punk outfit Ace Troubleshooter, active from 1996 through 2004. Warne has also played with short-lived outfit Guerilla Rodeo, known for their sole EP Ride Rope And Destroy released in 2004June 27, 1978 ~ Jazz drummer Alex Bigard passed away in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Brother of clarinetist Barney Bigard. Worked with the Excelsior Brass Band, the Maple Leaf Orchestra, Peter DuConge, Buddy Petit, Chris Kelly, Sidney Desvigne, Kid Shots Madison, John Robichaux, Kid Rena, the Mighty Four, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Harold Dejan, Kid Howard, Punch Miller, and De De Pierce ~ Bigard was born in 1899
June 27, 1977 ~ Punk rock bassist, guitarist, singer Dan Andriano, full name Daniel Michael Andriano, born in Elgin, Illinois, USA ~ Best known as member of the Alkaline Trio, joining the band in 1997 as replacement for original bassist Rob Doran. Andriano first appeared on the 1998 For Your Lungs Only EP and has recorded over half a dozen with the band since. Member of rock supergroup the Damned Things, present on the 2019 High Crimes album. Has also recorded as a solo artist and worked with Slapstick, Tuesday, the Falcon, and Ben Weasel
June 27, 1976 ~ Pop rock, soft rock, country singer Leigh Nash, full name Leigh Anne Bingham Nash, born in New Braunfels, Texas, USA ~ Lead singer of Christian alternative rock outfit Sixpence None The Richer, best known for Kiss Me of their eponymous 1997 Sixpence None The Richer album. The single would reach top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Nash has also recorded as a solo artist, starting with the album Blue On Blue released in 2006, and collaborated with the likes of Delerium, Sarah McLachlan, Conjure One, Marc Martel, and John Tibbs
June 27, 1972 ~ Christian Alejandro Cuturrufo Contador, commonly known as jazz trumpeter Cristián Cuturrufo, born in Coquimbo, Chile ~ Classically trained. Recognised as one of Chile's premier jazz trumpeters. Influenced by Kool & the Gang, Cole Porter, Arturo Sandoval, Fats Navarro, Dizzy Gillespie. Especcially renowned for albums such as 2004's Jazz De Salon working with pianist Valentín Trujillo, 2006's funk-infused Cristián Cuturuffo & The Latin Jazz and 2007's Chilean swing landmark Swing Nacional ~ Cuturrufo passed away in 2021June 27, 1971 ~ Southern rockers the Allman Brothers Band record One Way Out at Fillmore East, New York, New York ~ Produced by Tom Dowd. An old blues track popularized for rock audiences by the Allman Brothers Band, who recorded the song live for their 1972 Eat A Peach album and released it as a single paired with Stand Back on the flip side. One Way Out actually traces back to several mid 1960s blues recordings, Elmore James being the most likely original author though some historians have named Sonny Boy Williamson II. Though only a modest hit at the time of its release, the Allman Brothers Band's single peaking at No.86 Billboard Hot 100, the song has become a staple of rock radio, in part due to its length of just about 5 minutes, short in comparison to their other songs
June 27, 1970 ~ Singer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, drummer Draco Rosa born in Long Island, New York, USA ~ Rose to prominence as a member of boy band Menudo, remaining with the band from 1984 through 1987, singing lead on perhaps the band's biggest hit Hold Me. Has since released a number of solo albums, first achieving mainstream success in Brazil, written songs for Ednita Nazario, Julio Iglesias and for former bandmate Ricky Martin (Livin' La Vida Loca), worked with Maggie's Dream and ventured into acting
June 27, 1970 ~ In its 5th week on the charts, The Love You Save by the Jackson 5 hits No.1 Billboard Hot 100 ~ The third single in a row written by Freddie Perren, Fonce Mizell, Deke Richards, and Motown-owner Berry Gordy Jr, a team dubbed the Corporation, and the third of four consecutive singles to reach the top position on the Billboard Hot 100, preceded by I Want You Back and ABC, and succeeded by I'll Be There. When The Love You Save hit No.1, the Jackson 5 became the first act ever to have their first three chart singles top the Billboard Hot 100. Its title and lyrical theme was inspired by Joe Tex's minor 1966 hit The Love You Save (May Be Your Own), yet as lead singer Michael Jackson was only 11 years old when he recorded the song, the topic is more innocent in nature. The song is about a girl who is moving through guys a little too fast, and the singer wants her to slow down before she ruins her reputation. This theme has been explored in pop songs before, but this time it's framed in a schoolyard. Jackson references four guys by first name, all nods to historical figures. Isaac who “kissed you beneath the apple tree” refers to Isaac Newton who wrote about gravity after seeing an apple fall from a tree, Benjy who “felt electricity when he held your hand” refers to Benjamin Franklin who discovered electricity, Alexander who “called you” is Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone, and Christopher who “discovered you're way ahead of your time” refers to Christopher Columbus, the explorer regularly credited with discovering America
June 27, 1970 ~ Laurence John Colbert, commonly known as rock drummer Loz Colbert, born in Kingston-upon-Thames, UK ~ Critically compared to the Who's Keith Moon. Co-founding member of Ride, with whom he recorded the albums Nowhere, Going Blank Again, Carnival Of Light, and Tarantula. Following the band's initial disbandement in 1996, Colbert joined the Animalhouse, known for the album Ready To Receive release in 2000. Colbert was also briefly a member of the Jesus & Mary Chain during the mid 2000s, and toured with Gaz Coombes
June 27, 1965 ~ Jazz, free jazz trumpeter Magnus Broo born in Husqvarna, Sweden ~ Influenced by John Coltrane. Key figure in Atomic, with whom he recorded about a dozen albums since the late 1990s. Over half a dozen albums as a leader or co-leader of smaller ensembles, specifically noted for Sudden Joy released in 2002. In-demand collaborator and sideman, Broo has appeared on albums by the One O'Clock Lab Band, Bosse Broberg, Lars Gulliksson, Jan Wallgren, Lennart Åberg, Ark, Fredrik Nordström, Per Henrik Wallin, Sophie Zelmani, Lina Nyberg, Marilyn Crispell, and the Fire Orchestra
June 27, 1962 ~ Singer, guitarist Bo Diddley records You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Produced by Ralph Bass. Written by Willie Dixon, based on a sixteen-bar blues atypical to Bo Diddley's regular Diddley beat. Included on the 1962 eponymous Bo Diddley album. Released as a single, b/w I Can Tell, it would be Diddley's last charting single, reaching top 30 on the Billboard R&B charts and stalling in the low 40s on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100June 27, 1961 ~ Film, TV composer John McCarthy born in Toronto, Canada ~ Praised for his hybrid of acoustical and electronic elements. Active as a composer since the early 1990s, scoring films such as Love And Human Remains, Boy Meets Girl, and Anything For Jackson, and TV shows such as Battle Creek, Due South, and My Own Worst Enemy
June 27, 1960 ~ Country singer, songwriter Chris Ward born in the Bronx, New York, USA ~ Wrote Confederate Railroad's 1995 single Hey Ya. Would release his One Step Beyond sole album the following year, produced by James Stroud and Dann Huff. The album included When You Get To Be You, notably covered by Lisa Brokop in 1998
June 27, 1959 ~ Country singer Lorrie Morgan, full name Loretta Lynn Morgan, born in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Daughter of singer George Morgan. Widow of singer Keith Whitley, ex-wife of Jon Randall and of Sammy Kershaw. Enjoyed her biggest commercial success from the late 1980s through the turn of the century. Best known for songs such as Five Minutes, What Part Of No and I Didn't Know My Own Strength. Has collaborated with Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Andy Williams, the New World Philharmonic, and Pam TillisJune 27, 1958 ~ André Simon Anderson, commonly known as funk, R&B bassist, guitarist, pianist, drummer, singer André Cymone, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA ~ Early member of Prince's touring band, who also wrote Cymone's 1985 The Dance Electric solo hit. Cymone would go on to produce and co-write for artists such as Evelyn Champagne King, Pebbles, Jody Watley (Real Love), Jermaine Stewart, Pretty Poison, Adam Ant, and Phil Thornalley
June 27, 1958 ~ Alternative rock, folk rock, dream pop singer, violinist, guitarist, accordionist, pianist, songwriter Lisa Germano, full name Lisa Ruth Germano, born in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA ~ Recorded over half a dozen as a solo artist, noted specifically for her Happiness sophomore album released in 1993. Closely associated with John Mellencamp present on albums such as The Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy and Human Wheels. An in-demand session violinist, Germano has appeared on albums by the dB's, the Simple Minds, the Indigo Girls (Nomads Indians Saints), Big Shoulders, Adam Schmitt (World So Bright), Bob Seger, Antenna (Sway), the Devlins (Drift), Iggy Pop (American Caesar), Giant Sand, Linda Perry, Neil Finn (Try Whistling This), Sheryl Crow (The Globe Sessions), Eels, David Bowie, Yann Tiersen, Jewel (0304), Pat Green, Patty Griffin, and Meshell Ndegeocello (Devil's Halo)June 27, 1958 ~ Pianist, composer Magnus Lindberg, full name Magnus Gustaf Adolf Lindberg, born in Helsinki, Finland ~ Composer-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic from 2009 through 2012, and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra starting in 2014. Perhaps best known for composing Kraft, written for the new-music ensemble Toimii founded by Lindberg in 1980
June 27, 1956 ~ Reggae, lovers rock, ska, rocksteady, roots reggae singer, drummer Freddie McGregor born in Clarendon, Jamaica ~ Father of dancehall producer Di Genius. Co-founded the Clarendonians at a mere age 7. Would rise to fame as a solo artist by the early 1980s. Known for songs such as Bobby Bobylon, Big Ship, Push Comes To Shove, Just Don't Want To Be Lonely and I Was Born A Winner. Has worked with producers such as Niney The Observer, Henry Jujo Lawes, Linval Thompson and Gussie Clarke.June 27, 1956 ~ Rockabily, rock & roll singer Gene Vincent records Bop Street at Bradley Film & Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee ~ Under the supervision of producer Ken Nelson, Gene Vincent and his backing unit the Blue Caps record Bop Street as well as Well I Knocked (Bim-Bam), You Told A Fib and Jump Back Honey Jump Back
June 27, 1956 ~ Maria João Monteiro Grancha, commonly known as jazz singer Maria João, born in Lisbon, Portugal ~ Closely associated with pianist Mário Laginha. Actively recording since the early 1980s. Mostly a jazz singer yet incorporates folk, avant-garde and electronic into her oeuvre. Has worked with Aki Takase, Bobby McFerrin, David Linx, Dino Saluzzi, Gilberto Gil, Joe Zawinul, Kai Eckhardt, Manu Katché, Trilok Gurtu, and Wolfgang Muthspiel