May 4

Births

1923: Ed Cassidy (Drummer for Spirit)

1928: Maynard Ferguson (Jazz Trumpeter)

1929: Audrey Hepburn

1937: Dick Dale (Richard Anthony Monsour) (Guitarist)

1938: Tyrone Davis (R&B Singer)

1940: Ronnie Bond (Drums for The Troggs)

1941: David LaFlamme (Violinist in It's A Beautiful Day)

1942: Nickolas Ashford (Singer in Ashford and Simpson)

1944: Peggy Santiglia (Singer in The Angels)

1950: Darryl Hunt (Bass for The Pogues)

1951: Bruce Day (Bass Guitar for Santana & Pablo Cruise)

1951: Mick Mars (real name Bob Deal) (Guitar for Motley Crue)

1959: Randy Travis (Country Singer)

1972: Gregg Alexander (Singer for New Radicals)

1972: Mike Dirnt (Bass for Green Day)

1979: Lance Bass  (*NSYNC)

Events

1886: The graphophone, a link between the earlier gramophone and the modern phonograph, is patented, featuring wax cylinders which conducted music better than Thomas Edison's original tinfoil ones.

1956: England's New Musical Express erroneously reports that "Elvin" Presley will be performing an upcoming gig at the Palladium in London. Elvis never plays Europe.

1957: ABC-TV premieres Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Revue show, an attempt to replicate the success of their own American Bandstand. The first show features performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Sal Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.

1959: The very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going to Domenico Modugno's "Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)" and Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.

1964: Birmingham, England musicians Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder form an R&B group they call the Moody Blues (after Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo").

1968: Steppenwolf makes its US television debut, performing "Born To Be Wild" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.

1968: Twiggy, one of the first English "supermodels," catches an 18-year-old singer named Mary Hopkin on the BBC-TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and calls friend Paul McCartney, who eventually signs her to Apple and gives her one of his songs, "Those Were The Days," to record.

1970: The US National Guard opens fire on a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four unarmed students and wounding eleven more. After seeing the photos later that week in Life magazine, Neil Young immediately writes the song "Ohio," which Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will record the next day. Twenty-five years later to the day, Peter Paul and Mary play a commemorative concert at the university, performing Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind."

1973: Led Zeppelin opened their 1973 North American tour, which was billed as the 'biggest and most profitable rock & roll tour in the history of the United States'. The group would gross over $4 million from the dates, flying between gigs in 'The Starship' a Boeing 720 passenger jet, complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30' lounge and a white fur bedroom.

1974: Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Waterloo', the group's first of nine UK No.1 singles was the 1974 Eurovision song contest winner for Sweden. The song was first called 'Honey Pie'.

1976: KISS performed their first concert in their hometown of New York City.

1985: The legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem reopens after a massive ten-million-dollar makeover.

1987: Paul Butterfield (Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band) dies of a drug-related heart failure at age 44.

1989: Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine in Jersey, he was released on $9,000 bail.

1989: Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on  Aug 27^th 1989 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.

1990: In an interview, David Bowie's ex-wife, Angie (she of the Rolling Stones song), claims for the first time that she once walked in on her ex and Stones frontman Mick Jagger having sex.

1991: Cher scored her first solo UK No.1 single with 'The Shoop Shoop Song' from the film 'Mermaids'. The song had been a hit for Betty Everett on 1964, and gave Cher her first No.1 in the UK since 1965's 'I Got You Babe'.

1991: Phil Collins and Al Jarreau received Honorary Doctor of Music Degrees from Berklee College of Music during cermonies in Boston.

1992: Dudu Mntowaziwayo Ndlovu (Dudu Zulu), a band member of Johnny Clegg & Savuka, died of a gunshot wound in Zululand, South Africa, at the age of 33.

1992: Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke declares today "KISS Day" and presents the band with a key to the city.

1996: Alanis Morissette started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Jagged Little Pill'.

1997: Courtney Love placed an advert in The Seattle Times selling the house she had shared with Kurt Cobain. The five bedroom four bathroom house was on the market for $3m. The carriage house where Kurt Cobain died had been knocked down during refurbishment.

2004: Clement "Coxsone" Dodd (Ska Producer) died suddenly of a heart attack while working at the Studio.

2008: Martha Reeves' home in Detroit is burglarized and one million dollars' worth of recording equipment stolen. In just a few hours, the perpetrator is caught while attempting to hock the merchandise for $400.