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 7, 1978 ~ Singer, rapper, songwriter Alesha Dixon, full name Alesha Anjanette Dixon, born in Welwyn Garden City, UK ~ Alongside Sabrina Washington and Su-Elise Nash a member of Mis-Teeq from its inception in 1999 to its disbandement in 2005. The band would score a string of UK top 10 hits including Why, All I Want, B With Me and Scandalous, the latter also reaching the American top 40
October 7, 1978 ~ In its 9th week on the charts, Hollywood Nights by Bob Seger peaks at No.12 Billboard Hot 100 ~ A Michigan native, the quintessential blue collar rock & roller, Bob Seger captured the essence of Hollywood from an outsider's perspective. The idea for the song came to him when renting a house in the Hollywood Hills while finishing work on his Stranger In Town album, Seger crafting a story about a guy from the Midwest who comes to Hollywood and meets his dream girl. Following a brief whirlwind romance, he wakes up alone one morning. Overlooking the Hollywood Hills he wonders if he can ever go back home. Bill Payne of Little Feat played piano and organ on the trackOctober 7, 1978 ~ Folk rock, blues-rock, cowpunk, Americana, R&B singer, guitarist, songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff, full name Nathaniel David Rateliff, born in St Louis, Missouri, USA ~ Local folk-hero in Denver area. Fronts Born In The Flood. Fronts the Wheel. Fronts the Night Sweats. Best known for the 2015 single SOB of his Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats album
October 7, 1977 ~ Mutah Wassin Shabazz Beale, commonly known as rapper Napoleon, born in Irvington, New Jersey, USA ~ Best known as member of Tupac Shakur's rap group Outlawz, present on Shakur's 1996 Makaveli album. Following Shakur's death later the same year the group released their Ride Wit Us Or Collide Wit Us debut album in 2000. Beale remained with the group for two more albums, 2001's Novokane and 2002's Neva Surrenda, and has released his sole Loyalty Over Money solo album in 2006. Beale has since converted to Islam and retired from music, stating the two are incompatible, and works as a motivational speaker
October 7, 1977 ~ Glam rock, hard rock, pop rock outfit Queen release We Are The Champions, lead single off their News Of The World album ~ Built on audience response following a concert in Stafford, the UK, in which the audience sang You'll Never Walk Alone to the band, the band wanted a song to get crowds waving and singing in a unifying and positive vibe. With audience participation in mind, Freddie Mercury wrote We Are The Champions, which became a global hit, top ten in numerous countries including the USA, the Netherlands, and the UK, and one of rock's most beloved anthems. The song has since become an anthem for victories at sporting events, and was used as an official theme song for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
October 7, 1977 ~ Pop rock group the Steve Miller Band release Swingtown, lifted off their Book Of Dreams album ~ Written by Steve Miller and Chris McCarty, who had also co-written Serenade of the band's previous album Fly Like An Eagle. The song tells of a fictional town, Swingtown, where there's lots of music and dancing. The song would be warmly received by critics, Record World stating it was “as compelling a bit of melody as (Miller has) written.” The single would reach No.17 Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's sixth American top 20 hitOctober 7, 1976 ~ Jazz drummer, bandleader Charles Edward Kerr passed away in Miami, Florida, USA ~ Enjoyed popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. Has worked with sidemen such as Tommy Dorsey, Stan Keller, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang. Kerr retired form music by the late 1940s to open his own furniture store in Miami ~ Kerr was born in 1890
October 7, 1976 ~ Tatana Sterba, commonly known as dance, trance DJ, producer DJ Tatana, born in Uherske Hradiste, Czechoslovakia ~ First gained attention with the 1999 single End Of Time, a collaborative effort with DJ Energy. Released a full-length debut album, 24 Carat, the next year. Would go on to become one of the most successful Swiss artists of the 2000s releasing a string of charting trance albums
October 7, 1976 ~ Singer Taylor Hicks, full name Taylor Reuben Hicks born in Birmingham, Alabama, USA ~ Winner of the 2006 edition of American Idol. Would release an eponymous debut album, Taylor Hicks, the same year. Has been recording since and has starred on Broadway and in Las Vegas
October 7, 1974 ~ Singer Brenda Lee records Rock On Baby ~ Written by Johnny Wilson and Gene Dobbins. Backed by the Holiday Sisters. Brenda Lee released the song the following October, paired with More Than A Memory on the flip sid.It would reach top 10 of the Billboard Country charts, top 20 in Canada
October 7, 1974 ~ Anna Jenny Charlotte Nilsson, commonly known as pop singer, TV personality Charlotte Perrelli, born in Hovmanthorp, Sweden ~ One of Sweden's most popular singers, drawing from dansband, schlager, pop, ballads and jazz. Internationally best known for winning the 1999 Eurovision Songfestival for Sweden with the song Take Me To Your Heaven. Perrelli would have another go at the 2008 edition of the contest, this time to considerably less success, her performance of Hero reaching 18th place
October 7, 1974 ~ Dominic Salole, commonly known as pop, jazz, hip-hop, electronic singer, guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, drummer Mocky, born in Saskatchewan, Canada ~ Released his In Mesopotamia solo debut album in 2002. Member of loose collective the Canadian Crew and bands such as the Puppetmastaz, the Shit, Son, DOM, the Freeway Band and the Roustabouts. In-demand producer and songwriter, having worked with Jamie Lidell, Feist, Kelela, Matt Corby, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Vulfpeck, Moses Sumney, Selah Sue, Nikka Costa, GZA, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Chilly Gonzales, and PeachesOctober 7, 1973 ~ Dominic Smith, commonly known as jungle, drum and bass MC Dynamite MC, born in Gloucester, UK ~ First gained attention sharing vocal dutues with Onallee as a member of jungle, drum and bass outfit Reprazent. Would move towards hip-hop collaborating with artists such as the Nextmen, High Contrast, Caspa, DJ Skitz, and DJ Zinc. Released his full-length debut solo album, The World Of Dynamite in 2004
October 7, 1972 ~ In its 12th week on the charts, Back Stabbers by the O'Jays peaks at No.3 Billboard Hot 100 ~ R&B outfit the O'Jays had been around since the late 1950s, but it wasn't until their tenure with the Philadelphia International label and its in-house producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, that they started regularly appearing on the charts. Back Stabbers would be their first single for the label, and it became a crossover hit, topping the Billboard R&B chart and peaking at No.3 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. With the song's narrator warning his friends to be aware of men smiling in your face, while behind your back they steal your girl, the song is inspired by the similarly-themed Smiling Faces Sometimes by the Undisputed Truth, which is quoted in the last lines. The song starts with a piano roll played by Huff, who would later explain: “Back Stabbers sounds like something eerie, so that roll was like something horrible, because that's what back stabbers are. It reflected that type of drama.” Over the next few years, the band would help define Philly soul, and score four more Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hitsOctober 7, 1970 ~ Luis Quintanilla, commonly known as turntablist DJ Disk, born in San Francisco, California, USA ~ Founding member of the Invisbl Skratch Piklz. Founding member of El Stew. Credited with introducing several scratching techniques, including the echo fade. Has collaborated with numerous artists from various genres, notably working with Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Zakir Hussain, Norah Jones, Flavor Flav, Rancid, Primus, and Jack DeJohnette
October 7, 1970 ~ Timothy Jerome Parker, commonly known as alternative hip-hop rapper Gift Of Gab, born in Sacramento, California, USA ~ Regarded as one of the best underground rappers to come out of the Bay Area. Formed the duo Blackalicious with DJ Chief Xcel. As a solo artist acclaimed for his 2004 4th Dimension Rocketships Going Up and 2009's Escape 2 Mars albums. Has collaborated with Galactic, DJ Z-Trip, Del The Funky Homosapien, Chali 2na, and Watsky ~ Parker passed away in 2021
October 7, 1970 ~ Alternative rock, indie rock, dream pop, shoegazing singer, guitarist, lyricist, songwriter Neil Halstead born in Reading, UK ~ Frontman and main songwriter of shoegazing band Slowdive best known for Catch The Breeze of their 1991 just For A Day debut album. After the band disbanded in 1995 would go on to work with Mojave 3, Bernard Butler, and Alcest, as well as release a number of acclaimed solo albums merging alt-country with psychedelic dream pop starting with the Sleeping On Roads album released in 2001
October 7, 1968 ~ Alternative rock singer, guitarist, songwriter Adam Franklin born in Essex, UK ~ Best known for fronting Swervedriver. Has also recorded as a solo artist, at times using the moniker Toshack Highway, and has collaborated with Magnetic Morning, Sophia, and Shake AppealOctober 7, 1968 ~ Juan Manuel Cascales, commonly known as arranger, bandleader Johnny Richards, passed away in New York, New York, USA ~ Brother of saxophonist, bandleader Chuck Cabot. Pivotal arranger especially known for his association with Stan Kenton (in particular Cuban Fire, and Kenton's West Side Story). Richards also worked with Charlie Barnet, Hugo Loewenstern and Harry James and released several albums as a bandleader ~ Cscales was born in 1911
October 7, 1968 ~ Alternative rock singer, guitarist, keyboardist Thom Yorke, full name Thomas Edward Yorke, born in Wellingborough, UK ~ Considered one of the most influential frontmen of his generation. Co-founded Radiohead in 1985, instantly drawing attention with their 1993 Pablo Honey debut album and especially its Creep lead single. By the end of the decade the band's sophomore The Bends album and subsequently OK Computer had made them international stars, critically acclaimed and with a devout and growing following
October 7, 1967 ~ Jazz, classical violinist, trumpeter, hornist Adam Taubitz born in Chorzow, Poland ~ Best known as co-founding member of the Berlin Philharmonic Jazz Group, and as member of the Aura Quartet. Has also played both as a leader and sideman with artists such as Kirk Lightsey, Philip Catherine, Famoudou Don Moye, Julio Barreto, David Klein, Andy Scherrer, Emmanuel Pahud, Makaya Ntshoko, Gerard Wyss, Kai Rautenberg, Domenic Landolf, Daniel Schnyder, Thomas Quasthoff, Ole Edvard Antonsen, Angelika Milster, Dieter Hallervorden, Thomas Hampson, and Nigel Kennedy
October 7, 1967 ~ Pop, rock singer, pianist, violinist, guitarist, songwriter, actress Ellen ten Damme born in Warnsveld, the Netherlands ~ Sings in Dutch, German, French. Member of punk, punk rock outfit Soviet Sex. First gained serious attention with her 1988 single Trust In A Feeling of the Honneponnetje soundtrack. Best known for Wat Is Dromen, a collaborative single with de 3JS released in 2010. Especially popular in Germany both as a singer and in-demand actress for her fluent German.
October 7, 1967 ~ Singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Luke Haines born in Walton-on-Thames, UK ~ First gained attention with the Auteurs, founded with Glenn Collins and girlfriend Alice Readman, debuting in 1993 with their New Wave album. The band would be influential to Britpop though Haines would come to dislike the term. Haines would also record as a solo artist, be involved in several side projects including Blackbox Recorder and Baader Meinhof, and compose the 2001 Christie Mairy's Own Double Entry soundtrack
October 7, 1967 ~ Giovanni Pellino, commonly known as singer, rapper, songwriter Neffa, born in Scafati, Italy ~ Adopted his stage name in the early 1990s in honor of Paraguyan soccer player Gustavo Neffa, who at the time played with US Cremonese soccer club. Member of Sangue Misto, one of the first Italian hip hop, rap groups, departing the band in 1996 after the band's debut album SXM to pursue a solo career. Has since recorded over half a dozen solo albums, starting with Neffa & I Messaggeri Della Dopa, and collaborated with rapper J-Ax under the group moniker Due Di Picche
October 7, 1967 ~ R&B singer Toni Braxton, full name Toni Michele Braxton, born in Severn, Maryland, USA ~ Member of sibling outfit the Braxtons. Their first single, Good Life, would chart poorly but did attract attention from label executive LA Reid and producer Kenneth Babyface Edmonds and would launch Toni's career. Her eponymous Toni Braxton debut album would reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 200, the accompanying singles Another Sad Love Song, Breathe Again and You Mean The World To Me all reaching top 10 Billboard Hot 100. Braxton would continue to record to commercial success well into the 2000s, selling in total over an estimated 70 million records