Rock 'n' Roll History for
July 4


<-- Previous Day -- Home Page -- Next Day -->



1956 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Elvis Presley headlined a charity concert at Russwood Park in Memphis. All proceeds were donated to the Cynthia Milk Fund and the Variety Club's Home For Convalescent Children.

1958 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Buddy Holly And The Crickets set out on a Summer Dance Party tour in Angola, Indiana, with Holly at the wheel of his brand new Lincoln Continental.

1959 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Bobby Darin's multi-million selling hit, "Dream Lover" tops the UK chart. The track, which would reach #2 in the US, includes Neil Sedaka on piano.


1964 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
"I Get Around" becomes the first US number one single for The Beach Boys. In the UK, it would be the band's first Top Ten hit, reaching #7. The B-side of the single was "Don't Worry Baby", which itself charted at number 24 in America. Although all of the Beach Boys either played or sang on the record, noted session man Hal Blaine was brought in to play drums.

July 4
The Rolling Stones are this week's panelists on the UK music show Juke Box Jury, where they determine that most of the new records played are "misses" and not "hits." Their boisterous behavior and crude language cause a stir among many viewers.

1966 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
The Beatles were booed by fans at the airport in Manila, Philippines after they failed to make a private appearance before President Marcos, his wife and 300 Filipino children. The group claims they were not told of the engagement. Marcos then makes a statement regretting the airport incident. After paying taxes on their gate receipts, the band leaves the country, vowing never to return.

July 4
The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City" is released on the Kama Sutra label. The song would become the band's fifth straight Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and their only one to reach #1. It also topped the Cashbox Best Sellers chart and reached #8 on the UK's Record Retailer Chart.

1969 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Grand Funk Railroad performs at the Atlanta Pop Festival in Hampton, Georgia. Capitol Records executives see the band at the show and later sign them to a record deal.

1970 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
The 3-day Atlanta Pop Festival opens at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia in front of a crowd of 200,000. Jimi Hendrix played his feedback filled version of "The Star Spangled Banner". Two days later, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox says he will seek legislation to ban all Rock festivals in the state.

July 4
"Tighter and Tighter" by Alive 'n' Kickin' debuts on the Billboard chart, on its way to #7.

July 4
US disc jockey Casey Kasem broadcasts his first American Top 40 radio show, where he counts down the hits from the Billboard Hot 100. Replays of those shows are still in syndication.

1974 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Despite the fact that they have the #4 song in the US with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and a current Platinum album with "Pretzel Logic", Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagan play their final gig together in Santa Monica, California. They would not tour again for the next eighteen years.

July 4
The TV show titled Tony Orlando and Dawn premiers on CBS. The one hours show featured music and comedy sketches and ran for forty-four episodes, ending in December, 1976.


1976 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Paul Revere is married at King's Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati on the fourth of July, on America's Bicentennial.

July 4
Elton John and Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is released in the US, where it will reach #1 next August 7th.

1980 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
The Beach Boys perform at a free Fourth of July concert for 500,000 people in Washington, D.C.

1982 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Diana Ross kicks off her first world solo tour with a concert at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands. Her opening act was trumpeter Miles Davis.

July 4
After being divorced by his first wife, Thelma Mayfair last year, Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne marries Sharon Arden. His drummer, Tommy Aldridge, serves as Best Man.

1983 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Wayne Newton replaced The Beach Boys at the White House Fourth of July party after US Interior Secretary James Watt deemed the band "unsuitable" for the occasion because they attracted the wrong element. First Lady Nancy Reagan felt differently, and hired the group to play a private performance at the executive mansion.


1984 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
The Beach Boys are joined by Ringo Starr on drums, John Lodge and Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues on guitars as well as Cory Wells, Chuck Negron and Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night during an Independence Day concert in Washington D.C. The all star ensemble rocked their way through "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "Good Vibrations", "Help Me Rhonda" and "Fun Fun Fun". Wolfman Jack was the emcee for the event that also included America, Hank Williams Jr., La Toya Jackson The O'Jays and Julio Iglesias.

1985 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
The Beach Boys played to an afternoon crowd of over one million people in Philadelphia, where they were joined on stage by Mr. T, who sat in on drums. Later the same evening they performed for over 750,000 people on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

1986 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
More than 40,000 people flocked to a race track in Manor, Texas where Willie Nelson presided over an 18-hour Farm Aid Two concert, aimed at helping save US farmers from financial disaster. Among the performers were The Beach Boys, Waylon Jennings and Judy Collins. The first Farm Aid concert was held in September 1985 in Champaign, Illinois.

1987 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
John Fogerty headlines with Neil Diamond, Kris Kristofferson and Stevie Wonder in Welcome Home, a Benefit for Homeless Vietnam Veterans at Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland.

1992 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
56-year-old John Phillips of The Mamas And The Papas receives a liver transplant that would keep him alive for another nine years.

2001 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
All 80,000 tickets to Madonna's concerts at London's Earl's Court arena sell out in just four hours.

July 4
In a major victory for record companies, a US federal judge orders file sharing service Napster to cease all operations.

2003 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Rhythm And Blues star Barry White, known for his lush baritone voice and lyrics that oozed sex appeal on the hits "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" (US #1 in 1976) and "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (US #2 in 1975), passed away at the age of 58. The last words he ever spoke were to his nurse, "Leave me alone. I'm fine."


2007 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Bill Pinkney, the last surviving member of the original Drifters passed away at the age of 81.

2009 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Drake Levin, the lead guitarist for Paul Revere And The Raiders on their early hits that included "Steppin' Out", "Just Like Me" and "Kicks", died of cancer at the age of 62.

July 4
77-year-old Allen Klein, the former manager of The Rolling Stones and later The Beatles, died after a battle with Alzheimer's disease. The assets of his company, ABKCO Music & Records, include recordings by The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Bobby Womack, The Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and many others.

2010 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
The BBC reported that George Michael had been arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive after police received reports that a car had crashed into a building in north London.

2011 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Sly Stone announced an August 16th release for his first album since 1982. When it arrived, the LP contained just three new songs along with a dozen re-makes of his old hits, which garnered predictably bad reviews.

2013 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Barry Manilow sang "Let Freedom Ring" and Neil Diamond belted out "Sweet Caroline" in celebration of The Fourth Of July at the National Mall in Washington D.C.

July 4
After years of feuding over the right to use the name The Doors, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore announced that they would come together one last time to honor keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who died from cancer in May at the age of 74. Speaking about the lawsuits that flowed between the two, Krieger said, "It was a very stupid idea. We had the worst lawyers."

2015 - ClassicBands.com

July 4
Billy Joel married former Morgan Stanley executive Alexis Roderick in an intimate ceremony at his estate in Long Island, N.Y. The couple were expecting their first child together later in the Summer.



<-- Previous Day -- Home Page -- Next Day -->