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.
November 7, 1943 ~ Roberta Joan Mitchell, commonly known as folk, rock, jazz, pop singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter Joni Mitchell, born in Fort Macleod, Canada ~ Influential on Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding, Harry Styles, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gabrielle Aplin, Mikael Akerfeldt, David Gilmour, Steve Hogarth, Paul Carrack, and Madonna. Known for songs such as Both Sides Now, Chelsea Morning, Help Me, Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock, A Case Of You, and BlueNovember 7, 1943 ~ Singer, actor Peter Straker born in Jamaica ~ Starred as Hud in the original London production of Hair. Released a number of singles, most notably 1972's The Spirit Is Willing, and a handful of mostly unnoticed albums throughout the 1970s before returning to the stage. Has featured in a number of West End productions including Tommy, The Phantom Of The Opera and The Rocky Horror Show
November 7, 1942 ~ John Henry Ramistella, commonly known as rock & roll, garage rock, rockabilly, country rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Johnny Rivers, born in New York, New York, USA ~ Best known for a string of mid 1960s hits including Memphis, Mountains Of Love, The Seventh Son, Secret Agent Man, The Poor Side Of Town, Baby I Need Your Lovin' and Summer RainNovember 7, 1941 ~ Saxophonist, clarinetist Gary Windo born in Brighton, UK ~ Declined an offer to join the band from Sonny Stitt. Member of New York Gong. Half of Pam & Gary Windo. Has worked with host of jazz and rock artists including Carla Bley, Brotherhood Of Breath, Centipede, Matching Mole, Running Man, Nick Mason, the Psychedelic Furs, Robert Wyatt, and NRBQ ~ Windo passed away in 1992
November 7, 1938 ~ Singer, ragtime singer Dan Quinn, full name Daniel William Quinn, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ One of the first recording artists with an estimated 2500 recordings throughout the late-1910s. Known best for the originals The Band Played On, Smokey Mokes and My Mother Was A Lady ~ Quinn was born ca.1859
November 7, 1938 ~ Delectus Clark, commonly known as R&B singer Dee Clark, born in Blytheville, Arkansas, USA ~ Member of the Kool Gents. Ventured out on his own in 1957, scoring a number of hits through the early 1960s. Well known songs include Nobody But You, Hey Little Girl, How About That, Your Friends and I'm Going Back To School. The singles Just Keep It Up and Raindrops would both reach top 20 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 ~ Clark passed away in 1990November 7, 1934 ~ Jazz trumpeter, pianist, composer Jan Allan born in Falun, Sweden ~ Worked with Lars Gullin, Rolf Billberg, Arne Domnérus, Georg Riedel, Bengt Hallberg, the Swedish Radio Jazz Group, Rolf Ericson, Nils Lindberg, Bobb Stenson, Jon Christensen, Rune Gustafsson, Bosse Broberg, Benny Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Jan Johansson, Thad Jones, Roger Kellaway, Lee Konitz, Nils Lindberg, George Russell, and Monica Zetterlund
November 7, 1934 ~ Free jazz, avant-garde jazz bassist Lewis Worrell, full name Lewis James Worrell, born in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA ~ Briefly a member of the New York Art Quartet, present on the bands eponymous New York Art Quartet debut album, replaced by Reggie Workman. Has also worked with John Lewis, Bud Powell, Elmo Hope, Albert Ayler, Roswell Rudd, Archie Shepp, Hank Crawford, Robin Kenyatta, Sunny Murray, and Sam Rivers
November 7, 1932 ~ Avant-garde jazz clarinetist Alvin Batiste born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Leader and sideman. Worked with Branford Marsalis, Russell Malone, Herlin Riley, Cannonball Adderley, Billy Cobham, Henry Butler, the Clarinet Summit, Marlon Jordan, Mark Whitfield, and Wynton Marsalis ~ Batiste passed away in 2007November 7, 1930 ~ Contemporary classical composer Ruth Lomon born in Montreal, Canada ~ Best known as composer-in-residence for the Boston Secession, for whom she composed the oratorio Testimony Of Witnesses. The work is based on personal texts of Holocaust survivors and victims ~ Lomon passed away in 2017
November 7, 1922 ~ Alois Maxwell Hirt, commonly known as trumpeter, bandleader Al Hirt, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ~ Best remembered for his 1964 smash hit Java and for the theme music to The Green Hornet. Hirt was given a trumpet at age 6, playing professionally at age 16. Studied with Dr Frank Simon, a former soloist with John Philip Sousa Orchestra. Did a stint in the US Army during World War II, playing the bugle. Performed with various swing bands following the war, including with Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and with Ina Ray Hutton. Hirt also played with Horace Heidt and Monk Hazel before being signed as a bandleader himself by RCA-Victor. As a bandleader twenty-two of Hirt's albums made the Billboard charts ~ Hirt passed away in 1999
November 7, 1917 ~ Jazz double bassist Howard Rumsey born in Brawley, California, USA ~ Started on piano, moved to drums, then to bass. Played with Vido Musso, Johnnie Davis, Stan Kenton, Charlie Barnet, and Barney Bigard, prior to forming the Lighthouse All-Stars, the house band for the Lighthouse Club, Hermosa Beach, California. Over the next decade, Rumsey would lead and manage the ensemble, one of the primary jazz bands on the 1950s West Coast jazz scene, with over seventy musicians passing through its ranks including Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, Bud Shank, and Max Roach ~ Rumsey passed away in 2015
November 7, 1906 ~ Ernest Jan Ingle, commonly known as singer, arranger, songwriter, cartoonist Red Ingle, born in Toledo, Ohio, USA ~ Best known as a member of Spike Jones' comedy outfit the City Slickers through 1946. Present on songs such as Chloe, You Always Hurt The One You Love, Liebestraum and Glow-Worm. After departing the band over a salary dispute would form the Natural Seven best known for the spoof recording Tim-Tayshun, a parody of the Perry Como hit Temptation. The single would feature Jo Stafford, using the moniker Cinderella G Stump, and would sell 3 million copies ~ Ingle passed away in 1965
November 7, 1890 ~ Bandleader, clarinetist, composer Phil Spitalny born in Tetiiv, Ukraine ~ Popular during the 1930s and 1940s, heyday of the radio shows. Best known for leading an all-female orchestra, Phil Spitalny & his All-Girl Orchestra, a novelty at the time. As a composer perhaps best known for his 1930 song The One I Love Just Can't Be Bothered With Me, covered by Johnny Marvin, Belle Baker, and Sammy Fain ~ Spitalny passed away in 1970