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 8, 1956 ~ Huford Brown, commonly known as reggae DJ U-Brown, born in Kingston, Jamaica ~ Influenced by U-Roy, Big Youth, Dennis Alcapon, Prince Jazzbo. Best known for his 1976 breakthrough single Starsky & Hutch and 1982's Tu Shen Peng. Has worked with Bunny Lee, Ranking Joe, Trinity, and Jah Warrior
June 8, 1956 ~ Jazz, classical pianist, composer Uri Caine born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Has recorded over a dozen mostly classical albums. Perhaps best known for his 1997 Wagner E Venezia tribute album, consisting of jazz renditions of Gustav Mahler compositions which drew both admiration and ire. Has also reworked music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Caine served as composer-in-residence if the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from 2005 through 2009. Outside of classical music notably known for collaborating with Questlove and Christian McBride in the Philadelphia Experiment, acclaimed for their sole 2000 eponymous The Philadelphia Experiment album merging jazz, funk, hip hop and jazz fusion
June 8, 1955 ~ Singer, percussionist, songwriter Jon King, full name Jonathan Michael King, born in London, UK ~ Co-founding member of post-punk outfit Gang Of Four remaining with the band through 1980 and rejoining in later years. Notably present on the band's pivotal 1979 Entertainment debut albumJune 8, 1954 ~ Hardcore punk, punk rock, punk jazz, heavy metal singer, guitarist, songwriter Greg Ginn, full name Gregory Regis Ginn, born in Tucson, Arizona, USA ~ Best known as frontman of pivotal quintessential hardcore punk outfit Black Flag from 1976 through 1986. Since the band's disbandement has worked with October Faction, Gone, Confront James, Mojack, the Minutemen, Lawndale, Limey LBC, and Ten East
June 8, 1952 ~ Pop rock bassist Mike Chunn, full name Jonathan Michael Chunn, born in Auckland, New Zealand ~ Member of Split Enz from 1973 through 1977, present on the albums Mental Notes, Second Thoughts, and Dizrythmia. The latter would spawn the band's first hit, My Mistake which reached top 20 in Australia and top 30 in New Zealand. Chunn has also worked with the Citizen Band, including on the acclaimed 1979 Just Drove Through Town album
June 8, 1951 ~ Gaynor Hopkins, commonly known as singer Bonnie Tyler, born in Swansea, UK ~ First gained attention with her 1977 The World Starts Tonight debut album, which spawned the singles Lost In France and More Than A Lover. To American audiences best known for the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits It's A Heartache in 1977 and Total Eclipse Of The Heart in 1980
June 8, 1951 ~ Guitarist, singer Tony Rice, full name David Anthony Rice, born in Danville, Virginia, USA ~ Leading acoustic guitarist in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass, acoustic jazz. Brother of Wyatt Rice, Ron Rice, Larry Rice. Has worked with JD Crowe & the New South, David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, the Tony Rice Unit, Ricky Skaggs, Béla Fleck, Chris Hillman, Herb Pedersen, Peter Rowan, and the Bluegrass Album Band ~ Rice passed away in 2020June 8, 1949 ~ Guitarist Jimmy King born in Madison, Wisconsin, USA ~ Member of the Bar-kays. The band served as Stax/Volt studio group yet has also released several singles of their own, notably the 1967 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit Soul Finger, but is best known as studio and touring band for Otis Redding. Several members, including King, perished in the plane crash that killed Redding while on tour ~ King passed away in [artist-jimmy-king]
June 8, 1948 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Mats Rådberg born in Stockholm, Sweden ~ Well over a dozen albums to his name, enjoying popularity in his native Sweden especially noted during the 1970s and 1980s. Worked with Elisabeth Andreassen on the 1980 collaborative album I'm The Singer You're The Song album. Collaborated with country band Rankarna, notably on the 1983 song Peta In En Pinne I Brasan, a translation of Shel Silverstein's Put Another Log On The Fire ~ Rådberg passed away in 2020June 8, 1947 ~ Singer, percussionist Annie Haslam born in Bolton, UK ~ Lead singer of progressive rock band Renaissance from 1971 through 1987 and rejoining in later years, known for songs such as Carpet Of The Sun, Mother Russia, Ashes Are Burning and the 1978 UK top 10 hit Northern Lights. Has also released a number of solo albums, starting with 1977's Annie In Wonderland, and collaborated with Steve Howe, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Magenta, and Jann Klose
June 8, 1947 ~ Singer, composer Joan La Barbara, full name Joan Linda La Barbara, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA ~ Influential figure in experimental music and considered a vocal virtuoso, known for her explorations of non-convential vocal techniques including trills, whispers, cries, sighs, inhaled tones, and multiphonics. Has recorded works by composers such as John Cage, Morton Feldman, Philip Glass, Alvin Lucier, and her husband Morton Subotnick. Well over half a dozen albums to her name, especially acclaimed for Sound Paintings and Shamansong released respectively in 1990 and 1998June 8, 1947 ~ Actress, pop, folk rock, jazz-rock singer Julie Driscoll born in London, UK ~ As a singer best known for a number of 1960s recordings, notably her renditions of This Wheel's On Fire, Season Of The Witch and I'm A Believer. Member of Steampacket alongside Long John Baldry and Rod Stewart. Has also regularly worked with jazz pianist Keith Tippett, whom she married in 1970
June 8, 1946 ~ Blues harpist, singer, songwriter James Harman, full name James Gary Harman, born in Anniston, Alabama, USA ~ Active since the early 1960s. Was backed by artists such as Phil Alvin, Bill Bateman and Gene Taylor of future the Blasters fame and Kid Ramos of future the Fabulous Thunderbirds fame. Best known for Everybody's Rockin' At The Zoo Bar and Kiss Of Fire, of which the latter would be used in The Accused soundtrack,
June 8, 1946 ~ Guitarist Johan Slager born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands ~ Best known as co-founding member, guitarist of prog-rock band Kayak, along with Ton Scherpenzeel, Pim Koopman, and Max Werner. Stayed with the band from its inception in 1972 to 1982. Has also worked with Circus Custers, Bolland & Bolland, Earth & Fire, Ekseption, Edward Reekers, and Michel van Dijk ~ Slager passed away in 2025June 8, 1946 ~ Keyboardist John Sharkey born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Member of Syndicate Of Sound, known for their single Little Girl which would reach the Billboard top 10 in 1966. The band would record a number of other singles, notably Rumors and Brown Paper Bag, but would be unable to replicate the success of Little Girl
June 8, 1945 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Steven Fromholz, full name Steven John Fromholz, born in Temple, Texas, USA ~ Co-founded Frummox with Dan McCrimmon. Collaborated with Stephen Stills and Rick Roberts. Wrote and first recorded I'd Have To Be Crazy, notably covered by Willie Nelson. Other artists who recorded his songs include Hoyt Axton, John Denver (Yellow Cat), Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett (Bears), Rusty Wier, and Sturgill Simpson ~ Fromholz passed away in 2014
June 8, 1944 ~ Jean-Jacques Reinhardt, commonly known as guitarist Babik Reinhardt, born in Paris, France ~ Son of revered gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Coming of age in a different era than his father, his influences branched beyond gypsy jazz and included guitarists such as Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Raney. Recorded over half a dozen albums since the late 1960s. Has collaborated with the likes of Georges Arvanitas, Romane, Larry Coryell, and Didier Lockwood ~ Reinhardt passed away in 2001
June 8, 1944 ~ William Royce Scaggs, commonly known as blue eyed soul, rock, jazz rock, soft rock, pop rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Boz Scaggs born in Canton, Ohio, USA ~ Member of the Steve Miller Band, present on the band's first two albums Children Of The Future and Sailor. As a solo artist best known for his 1976 Silk Degrees album, which included the hit singles It's Over, What Can I Say, The Lido Shuffle and Lowdown, the latter a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hitJune 8, 1944 ~ Don Louis Agrati, commonly known as actor, singer, songwriter Don Grady, born in San Diego, California, USA ~ Best known as an actor, notably as one of the Mickey Mouse Mouseketeers and as Robbie Douglas on the My Three Sons TV series. As a singer known for his 1971 Homegrown album and for his association with Yellow Balloon ~ Grady passed away in 2012
June 8, 1942 ~ Charles Negron II, commonly known as pop rock, soft rock, blue-eyed soul singer Chuck Negron, born in Buffalo, New York, USA ~ Co-founding member of Three Dog Night, serving as one of the band's three main vocalists. Sang lead on One, Easy To Be Hard, Joy To The World, Pieces Of April, An Old Fashioned Love Song and The Show Must Go On ~ Negron passed away in 2026June 8, 1941 ~ Clarence Eugene Haskins, commonly known as R&B, funk guitarist, drummer, singer Fuzzy Haskins, born in Elkins, West Virginia, USA ~ Closely associated with George Clinton, working with the iconic funk frontman from the early doo-wop days with the Parliaments through the 1960s, 1970s ensembles Parliament and Funkadelic. Co-wrote the latter's I Got A Thing You Got A Thing Everybody's Got A Thing, I Wanna Know If It's Good To You, and Good To Your Earhole. Haskins parted ways with Clinton in 1977 over financial and management disputes. Haskins and fellow Clinton alumni Calvin Simon and Grady Thomas caused confusion when they released the 1981 Connections And Disconnections album using the moniker Funkadelic. Haskins also recorded two albums as a solo artist, Whole Nother Thang in 1976 and Radio Active in 1978 ~ Haskins passed away in 2023
June 8, 1941 ~ R&B, doo-wop singer, songwriter Jesse Bolian born ~ Member of the Artistics, best known for their 1966 I'm Gonna Miss You hit single which reached top 10 on the Billboard R&B charts. Other charting singles included This Heart Of Mine and I Need You ~ Bolian passed away in 1994
June 8, 1940 ~ Singer, actress Nancy Sinatra, full name Nancy Sandra Sinatra, born in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA ~ Daughter of singer Frank Sinatra, with whom she worked on the 1967 Somethin' Stupid duet. Best known for her 1965 hit These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. Acclaimed for a string of 1960s albums working with producer, songwriter Lee Hazlewood. Well known recordings include How Does That Grab You Darlin', Sugar Town, Jackson and Lady Bird
June 8, 1939 ~ Trombonist Bill Watrous born in Middletown, Connecticut, USA ~ Worked with Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Johnny Richards, Kai Winding, fusion band Ten Wheel Drive, Eumir Deodato, Kenny Burrell, Paul Desmond, Odonel Levy, Milton Nascimento, Jimmy Witherspoon, Red Rodney, and Arturo Sandoval ~ Watrous passed away in 2018
June 8, 1938 ~ Tubist, conductor Roger Bobo born in Los Angeles, California, USA ~ Tuba virtuoso active since the mid 1950s, well known for his stints with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and especially the Los Angeles Philharmonic, serving with the latter for over 20 years starting in the mid 1960s. Resident conductor of the Topanga Philharmonic Orchestra. As an author Bobo is known for writing Mastering The Tuba, considered a quintessential tutorial, published in 1996. Bobo is also the subject of the John Updike-poem Recital, first published in the June 1961 issue of The New Yorker ~ Bobo passed away in 2023