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.
March 17, 1928 ~ Avant-garde composer, conductor Edino Krieger born in Brusque, Brazil ~ Composed over 150 pieces, including incidental music and film scores. Best known for his Canticum Naturale suite. Also well known for writing the song Fuga E Antifuga, recorded by Vinicius de Moraes ~ Krieger passed away in 2022
March 17, 1927 ~ Operatic mezzo-soprano Betty Allen, full name Elizabeth Louise Allen, born in Campbell, Ohio, USA ~ Part of the first generation of black opera singers to achieve wide success, helpful in breaking down racial barriers in the opera world. Known for her collaborations with American composers such as Aaron Copland, David Diamond, Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson, and Leonard Bernstein, the latter holding her in such high esteem he chose her to be the featured soloist for his final performances with the New York Philharmonic. Over the course of her career, Allen has worked with numerous renowned orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Opera, the Oratoria Society Of New York, the Teatro Colón, and the Canadian Opera Company. In a 1973 review, the New York Times stated “when she was onstage everything came to life, and everything around her was dimmed.” Chronic lung problems forced the singer to retire from the stage by the late 1970s, after which she remained active as a sought-after voice teacher and an arts advocate and administrator associated with renowned institutes such as the Harlem School Of Arts, the Manhattan School Of Music, the Curtis Institute Of Music, and the University Of North Carolina School Of Arts. In 1989, Allen became the first American to teach a masterclass at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, Russia ~ Allen passed away in 2009
March 17, 1919 ~ Nathaniel Adams Coles, commonly known as jazz, jazz-pop pianist, singer Nat King Cole, born in Montgomery, Alabama, USA ~ Served as blueprint for later small jazz, jazz-pop ensembles. Father of singer Natalie Cole. Known for songs such as Sweet Lorraine, All For You, I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, Nature Boy, Mona Lisa, Too Young, Smile, and Send For Me ~ Cole passed away in 1965March 17, 1916 ~ Henry Pitts Brown, commonly known as jazz, blues, jump blues singer, drummer, bandleader Ray Ellington, born in Kensington, UK ~ Best known for his regular appearances on the British radio show The Goon Show during most of the 1950s. Heavily influenced by Louis Jordan. Remembered for his 1962 UK hit The Madison ~ Brown passed away in 1985
March 17, 1900 ~ Film composer, arranger, conductor Alfred Newman born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA ~ Has scored the music for over 200 feature films from the 1930s until his death four decades later. Nominated for an Academy Award over 40 times, winning nine times including with 1943's The Song Of Bernadette and 1955's Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing. Other notable scores include The Diary Of Anne Frank, How The West Was Won, and The Greatest Story Ever Told ~ Newman passed away in 1970
March 17, 1884 ~ Jazz clarinetist Alcide Nunez, full name Alcide Patrick Nunez, born in St Bernard Parish, Louisiana, USA ~ One of the first New Orleans jazz musicians to make recordings. Declared the world's greatest jazz clarinetist by Pee Wee Russell. Worked with Papa Jack Laine, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Nick LaRocca, Bert Kelly, the Louisiana Five, and Harry Yerkes ~ Nunez passed away in 1934March 17, 1883 ~ Country, old-time guitarist, singer David Miller born in Ohio River, Ohio, USA ~ One of the earliest country musicians. Began playing the guitar after going blind as a result of contracting blepharitis during his service in the Army in World War I. Known for songs such as Since Mother's Gone and It's Hard To Be Shut Up In Prison ~ Miller passed away in 1953