July 4

Births

1911: Mitch Miller (Conductor/ Arranger)

1938: Bill Withers (R&B Singer /Songwriter)

1940: Dave Rowberry (Keyboards for The Animals)

1943: Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson (Guitar, Harmonica & Vocals for Canned Heat)

1948: Jeremy Spencer (Original Guitar for Fleetwood Mac)

1951: Ralph Johnson (Drums for Earth, Wind and Fire)

1952: John Waite (Singer for The Babys, Bad English & Solo)

1958: Kirk Pengilly (Guitar & Sax for INXS)

1963: Matt Malley (Bass for The Counting Crows)

1094: Mark Slaughter (Vocals for Slaughter)

1971: Andy Creeggan (Piano for The Barenaked Ladies)

1972: William Goldsmith (Drummer for Foo Fighters & Sunny Day Real Estate)

1978: Stephen McNally (Singer in BBMak)

1982: Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino

Events

1895: The song "America the Beautiful" was first published.

1968: Elvis Presley donated a Rolls Royce to a Hollywood women's charity, which raised $35,000.

1970: Casey Kasem hosted radio’s "American Top 40" for the first time.

1971: Donald McPherson lead singer of US soul group Main Ingredient died of leukaemia aged 30. Had the 1972 hit song, ‘Everybody Plays the Fool’.

1973: Slade drummer Don Powell was badly injured in a car crash in which his girlfriend was killed.

1973: Willie Nelson holds his first Fourth of July Picnic in Dripping Springs, Texas.

1974: Barry White married Glodean James, a member of his backing group Love Unlimited.

1976: The Clash made their live debut supporting The Sex Pistols at the Black Swan, Sheffield, England.

1977: Bass player Gary Valentine quit Blondie, citing 'artistic integrity', as the cause of his departure. He was replaced by Nigel Harrison.

1981: The Fantastic Five beat The Cold Crush Brothers in the first hip-hop MC battle at The Harlem World Disco in New York City.

1982: After being divorced by his first wife Thelma Mayfair a year earlier, Ozzy Osbourne married Sharon Arden, the daughter of music business manager Don Arden.

1985: In Philadelphia, PA, the Beach Boys were joined on stage by Mr. T on drums.

1990: Paul Stanley from Kiss sustained neck and back injuries when he was involved in a car crash in New Jersey.

1992: John Phillips of Mamas And The Papas received a liver transplant at the Los Angeles Medical Centre.

1992: Sir Mix-A- Lot started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Baby Got Back'.

1993: The Smashing Pumpkins played an acoustic show at the strip club Raymond's Revue Bar, London.

1995: At Lollapalooza Georgia, WA, Courtney Love hit Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill). Love received a suspended one-year sentence and was required to take courses in anger management.

1999: Victoria 'Posh Spice' Adams married footballer David Beckham at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland. The couple had signed a deal worth $2 million for OK magazine to have the exclusive picture rights.

2000: A man fell 80 feet to his death during a Metallica concert at Raven Stadium, Baltimore.

2002: Tony Bennett had to abandon a show at London's Royal Albert Hall after a fire broke out in the building. The audience were evacuated after smoke began to fill the hall.

2003: American record producer, singer / songwriter and five-time Grammy Award-winner Barry White died from Kidney failure aged 58.

2004: Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) was arrested for driving while his license was suspended and being in possession of marijuana. Rule, 28, was stopped by police after changing lanes without signaling, he later pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license but the possession charge was dropped.

2005: U2 won their court fight for the return of items of memorabilia, including a Stetson hat which they accused a former stylist of stealing. Judge Matthew Deery at Dublin's Circuit Court ordered Lola Cashman to return the items, which also include earrings, within seven days. Ms. Cashman, had worked as U2's stylist during the 1980s and wrote an unauthorized book called ‘Inside the Zoo’. Judge Deery said he found Ms. Cashman's version of how she had been given the items at the end of a US tour doubtful, particularly her description of Bono running around in his underpants backstage.

2007: Former laboratory worker Devon Townsend admitted to a court in Albuquerque, New Mexico of stalking Chester Bennington lead singer with Linkin Park. Townsend used US government computers to obtain his personal information, accessing Bennington's e-mail account and mobile phone voicemail. The court was told how she travelled to Arizona solely for the purpose of trying to see the singer and monitored Chester Bennington's voicemails as a means of trying to locate where he might be eating.

2010: George Michael was arrested after he crashed his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead, North London. The singer was returning home from a Gay Pride parade when the incident was spotted on CCTV. He was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive and charged with possession of cannabis and with driving while unfit through drink or drugs.