Died On This Date (April 15, 1984) Machito / Influential Latin Jazz Singer
themusicsover Machito (Born Francisco Grillo)
December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984
Machito was a Latin musician who, during the ’40s, took jazz improv and married it with Afro-Cuban rhythms to help popularize Latin jazz around the world. As a band leader, he fronted the Afro Cubans, who also featured his sister, Graciela Perez-Grillo as lead vocalist for a time. Machito was awarded a Latin Grammy in 1983 for his Machito & His Sals Big Band ’82, and his Kenya: Afro-Cuban Jazz of 1957 was memorialized in 2005’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Machito died of a fatal stroke he suffered while performing on April 15, 1984. He was 74.
What You Should Own
Robert Brookins began singing at the tender age of four, and never looked back. After winning a Motown talent search in 1974, he joined a group called Afterbach whose debut was produced by Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice and Verdine White. Brookin’s vocals were featured on George Duke’s self titled release of 1986. He soon signed to MCA Records for whom he recorded a handful of acclaimed R&B albums. Over his career he worked with the likes of Stephanie Mills, Deniece Williams, the Whispers, Jeffrey Osbourne, and Bobby Brown. Robert Brookins died of a heart attack at the age of 46.
Peter Steele is best remembered as the lead singing bassist for goth metal band, Type O Negative. Known for his deep voice and towering 6′-7″ frame, Steele helped make Type O Negative one of metal’s most popular underground bands. The group released several charting albums throughout the ’90s and 2000s, their most recent being 2007’s Dead Again. Although this isn’t the first time that rumors of his death have surfaced, Peter Steele reportedly died of heart failure on April 14, 2010. He was 48.
