On a hot July day in 1953, an 18-year-old singer/songwriter walked into Sun Studios in Memphis and plunked down four dollars to make his first recording. He left with a 10-inch acetate of  "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin."  What happened next would change rock & roll forever.

I still remember the first time I heard Elvis Presley on the radio. It wasn't one of his first recordings, but the mega hit, "Blue Suede Shoes." I'd never heard anything like it. Neither had my parents, who called it "noise" and constantly had to shout at me to turn it down. But every kid knew then — and they still know now — that rock & roll is meant to be played loud!

I've seen every Elvis movie and I still have every record he ever made. I played them until the grooves in the vinyl almost disappeared, so as collectors' items, they aren't worth a lot. But to me, they're priceless memories of the King and the birth of rock & roll as we know it.

I'll never forget the first time I went to Las Vegas. It was a long, family road trip to the wedding of one of our relatives, but I forget who got married. All I remember is "the Strip", which, ironically, isn't actually in the city of Las Vegas. My dad drove us out there to look at all the lights and the people. We had a buffet lunch at one of the casinos, but I don't think my mom or dad ever placed a bet.

The Strip turns 75 years old this year. The El Rancho Vegas resort was the first casino on that section of U.S. Highway 91 in 1941, but it wasn't long before western themed hotel/casinos popped up all around it. In 1946, mobster Bugsy Siegel, backed by Meyer Lansky opened the famed and super swanky Flamingo, which was completely different than anything the Strip had seen so far. Instead of an Old West flavor, it had more of a Hollywood feel.  The Flamingo booked top talent to entertain in its lounges and celebrities flocked to the new upscale resort for Opening Day on Christmas.

Though Siegel was murdered in 1947, his vision for the Strip didn't die with him.  Mobsters built the Riviera, the Sands and the Sahara, during the '50s and '60s. Celebrities and tourists alike couldn't resist the desert resorts and soon over 8 million people a year were visiting the Strip to see Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and, of course, Frank Sinatra.

Right down the road was the Nevada Test Site. Between 1951-1963 the site detonated over 100 nuclear bombs — above ground — earning the city the nickname  “Up and Atom City” because visitors could often see mushroom clouds from their hotel rooms on the Strip.

75 years later, you won't see mushroom clouds, but you'll still see plenty of glitz, glamour and all those bright, flashing lights that I remember from my childhood.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard was born in La Barre, France, Earth on July 13, 2305. A Starfleet officer, diplomat and dabbler in archaeology, he served the United Federation of Planets during the 24th century. His outstanding service record included commanding Federation starships USS Stargazer, USS Enterprise-D, and the USS Enterprise-E (his last posting).

Maybe it seems odd to wish a happy birthday to a fictional character, but I can't help it. I've seen every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation at least once. Probably twice. Maybe more. My all-time favorite episodes featured Q, an omniscient being with a nasty and somewhat childish disposition and the Borg, a race of cyborgs that went around the galaxy assimilating entire civilizations in their quest for perfection. (Incidentally, it was Q's fault that humans encountered the Borg many years before they would have wandered into Borg space on their own.)

Picard's accomplishments were many, including:

• Becoming the liaison between the Q Continuum and the Federation.
• Making first contact with 27 or more alien species, including the Ferengi (and the Borg).
• Aiding the Romulan Underground movement, helping dissidents in the effort to take back their home world. 
• Being appointed the Klingon Arbiter of Succession, where he helped install Gowron as the Chancellor.
• Becoming the first Terran to survive assimilation by the Borg and be returned to his natural human state.

On June 3, the world lost the GOAT, the Greatest of All Time,  Muhammad Ali. The  heavyweight champion died at a Scottsdale, Arizona hospital, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Across the globe, people went into mourning for the boxer-turned-humanitarian, who spent the last years of his life visiting hospital patients, prisoners and the needy, bringing them his message of peace and unity.

I remember watching him fight on television. I thought he was one of the most powerful and interesting men in the world. That he had a heart and soul that could never be stopped. Sadly, I was wrong.

But his legacy lives on.  His widow, Lonnie, is calling on all citizens of the world to "Be Like Ali". She's starting a public service campaign in the champ's honor, asking people to give 75 volunteer hours starting on Ali's birthday on January 17, 2017, which will last the entire year.

“He often said ‘service is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,'” Mrs. Ali said. “The time has come for all of us to pick up the torch from Mohammad and shine our own lights on the places and people who have been in the shadows for too long.”

The official kick-off is coming up in mid-July with a several events planned, including one in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

Muhammad Ali advocated for the poor and for peace. He supported the Special Olympics and research into Parkinson’s disease. The GOAT believed that service to others is part of what makes America a great country. In 2005, George Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying that Ali was both “a fierce fighter and a man of peace” and he had a “beautiful soul.”

Ali’s last public event in April, 2016 was at a Celebrity Fight Night dinner to raise money for Parkinson’s. We'll miss the GOAT, but we can still honor him — by Being Like Ali.

It's 4^th of July weekend, which means it's time for our family's annual camping trip and reunion. Every year, we pack up and head out to a campground where we fish, swim, make "s'mores", sleep under a starry sky and just spend time together.

Some of my best childhood memories are of those camping trips. Getting sunburned. Munching on hotdogs and salty chips. And especially fishing with my cousins — whether we caught anything or not. I looked forward to it just as much as Christmas!

It was great fun, but our parents always made sure that we didn't forget what all the celebrating was really about. The United States wouldn't have won its freedom without the brave soldiers of the American Revolution. Which makes the 4^th of July the perfect day to honor and celebrate our men and women in uniform — those on active duty, our brave veterans and especially the fallen.

So celebrate America's birthday. Have fun. But while you're at it, remember what our Founding Father Thomas Jefferson once said: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance".