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.
October 1, 1955 ~ R&B, soul, pop singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter Howard Hewett born in Akron, Ohio, USA ~ Rose to fame as lead singer of Shalamar from 1979 through 1985, present on songs such as The Second Time Around, Right In The Socket, Full Of Fire, Make That Move, This Is For The Lover In You, A Night To Remember, Dead Giveaway and Dancing In The Sheets. Following his departure from the group Hewett has recorded as a solo artist, notably I'm For Real, Stay and Strange Relationship, all of which reached Billboard R&B top 10
October 1, 1953 ~ Lawrence Horton, commonly known as R&B, jazz, funk, rock drummer Yogi Horton, born ~ In-demand touring and session musician. First appeared on Dave Baby Cortez' 1972 Soul Vibration album. Has also worked with Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, John Lennon, Ashford & Simpson, David Byrne, Debbie Harry, Hall & Oates, Diana Ross, Kenny G, the B52's, Jean-Michel Jarre, Lonnie Liston Smith, Gloria Gaynor, George Benson, Ben E King, and Stephanie Mills ~ Horton passed away in 1987
October 1, 1950 ~ Bassist Mark Helias born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA ~ Over a dozen albums as leader or co-leader. Noted especially for his work with avant-funk outfit the Slickaphonics and with the trio BassDrumBone which also include trombonist Ray Henderson and percussionist Gerry Hemingway. Has also collaborated with Anthony Davis, Dewey Redman, Jerome Harris (Algorithms), Bobby Previte, Ivo Perelman (Man Of The Forest), Regina Carter, John Zorn, Marty Ehrlich, Open Loose, Von Freeman, and Jane Ira BloomOctober 1, 1947 ~ Rock singer, actress, comedian Jane Dornacker, full name Jane Carroll Dornacker, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA ~ Fronted Leila & the Snakes, known for songs such as Rock & Roll Weirdos and Pyramid Power. Also worked with the Tubes, serving as the band's touring backing singer and dancer and co-writing Don't Touch Me There ~ Dornacker passed away in 1986
October 1, 1947 ~ Singer Mariska Veres born in The Hague, the Netherlands ~ Best known as lead singer of Shocking Blue, joining the band in 1968 as replacement for Fred de Wilde, and present on hits such as Send Me A Postcard, Never Marry A Railroad Man and their best known Venus. The latter would reach No.1 in numerous countries, including topping the American Billboard Hot 100, and be notably covered by Bananarama in 1986 ~ Veres passed away in 2006
October 1, 1947 ~ Rock, progressive rock bassist, singer Martin Turner, full name Martin Robert Turner, born in Torquay, UK ~ Co-founding member of Wishbone Ash, with whom he recorded well over half a dozen albums including the acclaimed early 1970s albums Pilgrimage and Argus, generally considered among their best. Turner departed the band in 1980, after recording the band's Just Testing album, and briefly returned at the end of the decade. Outside Wishbone Ash, Turner has been active in studio management, as a producer, and recorded as a solo artist starting with the album Walking The Reeperbahn released in 1996
October 1, 1946 ~ Country singer, guitarist, songwriter Dave Gibson, full name David Lowell Gibson, born in El Dorado, Arkansas, USA ~ Married to singer Daisy Dern. Fronted the Gibson-Miller Band, with whom he recorded the 1990s albums Where There's Smoke and Red White And Blue Collar, of which the former spawned the Billboard Country top 30 hits High Rollin' and Texas Tattoo. However, Gibson would enjoy his biggest success as a songwriter. Both Tanya Tucker's If It Don't Come Easy and Alabama's Jukebox In My Mind would reach the top spot on the Billboard Country charts, respectively in 1988 and 1990. Other artists would reach the top 10 with songs written or co-written by Gibson, notably Steve Wariner, Larry Boone (Don't Give Candy To A Stranger), Southern Pacific, Confederate Railroad (Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind), Joe Diffie (Ships That Don't Come In), and Montgomery Gentry
October 1, 1946 ~ Jazz, avant-garde, jazz fusion bassist, double bassist, cellist Dave Holland born in Wolverhampton, UK ~ Quit school at age 15 to play in a Top 40 band but soon turned to jazz. Influenced by Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Jimmy Garrison. Played with a host of jazz's finest including on three quintessential Miles Davis jazz fusion albums, namely Filles de Kilimanjaro, In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew. Holland would spend the remainder of the 1970s honing his skills, playing with top-notch artists and putting out string of critically acclaimed albums as a leader. Holland has played and recorded with John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Paul Rutherford, Derek Bailey, Terence Blanchard, Anthony Braxton, Michael Brecker, Vassar Clements, Eric Kloss, Steve Coleman, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, and Kenny Wheeler
October 1, 1946 ~ Pauline Anna Strom, commonly known as keyboardist, electronic composer the Trans-Milennia Consort, born ~ Released her eponymous The Trans-Millenia Consort debut album in 1982. Strom said she translated visual ideas into sound, mapping an inner world of imagined pasts, possible futures and alternate realities. Retired from music by the late 1980s to focus on building a spiritual healing practice. A collection of shelved tapes would be bundled into the 2017 Trans-Millenia Music album, rekindling interest in her music. Strom was working on new material at the time of her unexpected death, the project posthumously released as Angel Tears In Sunlight in 2021 ~ Strom passed away in 2020
October 1, 1945 ~ R&B, soul, gospel, jazz singer, keyboardist, songwriter Donny Hathaway, full name Donny Edward Hathaway, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA ~ Iconic soul singer influential on Alicia Keys, Aaliyah, Common, George Benson, Justin Timberlake, and Amy Winehouse. Known for songs such as The Ghetto (Part 1), This Christmas, Someday We'll All Be Free, Little Ghetto Boy, A Song For You and For All We Know. Has duetted with Roberta Flack, notably on Where Is The Love and The Closer I Get To You. Session singer, later producer, worked with the Staple Singers, Jerry Butler, Aretha Franklin, the Impressions, and Curtis Mayfield ~ Hathaway passed away in 1979
October 1, 1945 ~ Singer, guitarist, slide guitarist, pianist, songwriter Ellen McIlwaine born in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ~ Founded the late 1960s psychedelic blues-rock band Fear Itself, known for their sole eponymous Fear Itself album released in 1969. Debuted as a solo artist with the 1972 Honky Tonk Angel album and has recorded to a devoted fanbase since. Known for songs such as I Don't Want To Play, The Secret In This Lady's Heart and a slide guitar cover of Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground ~ McIlwaine passed away in 2021
October 1, 1944 ~ Singer Barbara Parritt born in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA ~ One third of R&B girl group the Toys alongside June Montiero and lead singer Barbara Harris, known for their 1965 hit recording A Lover's Concerto which reached the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Its follow-up, 1966's The Attack featured in the beach movie It's A Bikini World, would also reach the Billboard Hot 100 top 20
October 1, 1944 ~ Danièle Graule, commonly known as actress, singer Dani, born in Castres, France ~ Best known for her 1968 hit Papa Vient D'Epouser La Bonne and her 1974 hit La Vie A 25 Ans. She would also record the latter in English, titled That Old Familiar Feeling, with lyrics written by Lynsey de Paul
October 1, 1943 ~ Singer Bing Crosby records I'll Be Home For Christmas at Decca Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California ~ Written by Walter Kent, Kim Gannon and Buck Ram, the latter earning co-writing credit following a lawsuit regarding Ram's earlier poem. Released as a single by Bing Crosby, b/w Danny Boy, late October it would become a top 10 hit on the pop charts
October 1, 1943 ~ Singer, songwriter Don Sanders born ~ Sometimes described as “folk humorist” for his witty songwriting. Enjoyed some popularity in the 1960s and 1970s on the Houston folk scene, associating with artists such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and with Lyle Lovett, yet never broke through nationally. Would focus on work as a radio DJ and teacher by the end of the 1970s, providing a more stable income, yet continued to record well into the 2000s ~ Sanders passed away in 2018October 1, 1943 ~ Saxophonist Jerry Martini born in Boulder, Colorado, USA ~ Key member of Sly & the Family Stone, staying with the band from its inception in 1967 until its disbandement in 1976, known for hits such as Dance To The Music, Everyday People and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). Also worked with Joe Piazza & the Continentals, Graham Central Station and Rubicon
October 1, 1942 ~ Jazz clarinetist, saxophonist Wendell Harrison born in Detroit, Michigan, USA ~ Worked with Grant Green, Big Maybelle, Chuck Jackson, Sun Ra, Howard Johnson, Marcus Belgrave, Jimmy Owens, Hank Crawford, Phil Ranelin, Doug Hammond, Kenny Cox, Charles Moore, David Durrah, Ron Brooks, William Odell Hghes, John Arnold, Sean Blackman, and Proof
October 1, 1934 ~ Producer, songwriter Geoff Stephens born in London, UK ~ Discovered and managed Donovan and co-produced his 1965 What's Bin Did And What's Bin Hid debut album. As a songwriter known for writing or co-writing a number of 1960s, 1970s classics including Tell Me When for the Applejacks, Crying Game for Dave Berry, Winchester Cathedral and There's A Kind Of Hush for the New Vaudeville Band, Sorry Suzanne for the Hollies, Daughter Of Darkness for Tom Jones, Silver Lady for David Soul and You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me for the New Seekers ~ Stephens passed away in 2020
October 1, 1932 ~ Blues guitarist, singer Albert Collins, full name Albert Gene Collins, born in Leona, Texas, USA ~ Cousin of Lightnin' Hopkins, who introduced him to the guitar. Dubbed “the Master of the Telecaster”, Collins helped shape the legacy of T-Bone Walker into a straight-forward, modern blues template. Influentual on guitar-driven acts such as Canned Heat, Gary Moore, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Well over a dozen albums to his name, especially acclaimed for 1965's The Cool Sound Of Albert Collins and 1978's Ice Pickin'. To younger blues audiences known for the 1985 Showdown collaborative album with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland, which earned the trio a Grammy Award ~ Collins passed away in 1993
October 1, 1930 ~ Singer, actor, songwriter Richard Harris born in Limerick, Ireland ~ Best known as an actor for stage and film, Harris nevertheless recorded about a dozen albums as a singer. Best known to pop audiences for first recording the Jimmy Webb-penned MacArthur Park, originally intended for the Association. Harris would reach top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic in 1968. In later years both country singer Waylon Jennings and R&B, disco singer Donna Summer would each score a hit with it ~ Harris passed away in 2002
October 1, 1929 ~ Bonnie Campbell, commonly known as country singer Bonnie Owens, born in Blanchard, Oklahoma, USA ~ Married to Buck Owens, later to Merle Haggard. Revered singer known for a number of 1960s country recordings including Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore, Don't Take Advantage Of Me, and Just Between The Two Of Us, the latter a duet with then still future husband Haggard ~ Campbell passed away in 2006October 1, 1929 ~ Country lyricist, promoter Paul Gilley, full name Herbert Paul Gilley born in Maytown, Kentucky, USA ~ Though records are unclear and sometimes disputed lyrics to a number of quintessential country songs are attributed to Gilley, including Ray Price's Crazy Arms and two of Hank Williams' best known, namely Cold Cold Heart and I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. Gilley reportedly once remarked it's not too bad being uncredited, since “you get paid for the lyrics, sometimes well paid.” ~ Gilley passed away in 1957
October 1, 1927 ~ R&B, doo-wop singer Floyd McRae born ~ Last surviving member of the Chords. The band is known for their sole hit Sh-boom, subtitled Life Is But A Dream. Initially their label was reluctant to have them record the self-penned song, but they allowed them to use it for the B-side of their Patti Page cover Cross Over The Bridge debut single. However, Sh-boom became the bigger hit, and reached top 10 on the American pop charts in 1954, then an unusual feat for a R&B song. Over time Sh-boom has become acknowledged as one of the all-time finest doo-wop songs, fondly remembered to this day. The group released several more sides, but were unable to repeat their earlier success ~ McRae passed away in 2013
October 1, 1926 ~ Jazz trombonist, composer Andre Paquinet born in Arcueil, France ~ Son of jazz trombonist Guy Paquinet, in whose band he played. Also worked with Tony Proteau, Jacques Hélian, Claude Bolling, Michel Legrand, Fred Gerard, Benny Vasseur, Dany Doriz, André Hodeir, François Guin, Jean-Claude Naude, Roy Eldridge, Slide Hampton, Ivan Jullien, and Paul Kuntz
October 1, 1926 ~ Ragtime pianist, composer, actor, author, radio and TV presenter Max Morath born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA ~ Dubbed “Mr Ragtime” for his extensive studies of ragtime and role in bringing early Americana to a younger and wider audience, and particularly helpful in the ragtime revival of the 1970s. Devotee of specifically Eubie Blake and Scott Joplin. Recorded well over two dozen albums from the 1950s onwards. Became well known for his role in Ragtime Era, a series of 26 TV programs for PBS aired from 1959 through 1961. Has toured with number of theater shows, notably the acclaimed 1969 one-man show At The Turn Of The Century. Morath would continue to record and perform well into the 2000s. Authored or co-authored a number of books on ragtime music ~ Morath passed away in 2023