Died On This Date (December 8, 1980) John Lennon / The Beatles
themusicsover John Lennon
October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980
John Lennon was to some, the leader of the Beatles. As guitarist and primary songwriter along with Paul McCartney, it was Lennon’s vision and drive that helped transform the young Liverpool skiffle band into the game-changing band that would become arguably the greatest pop band in history. Lennon was given his first guitar when he was 16, and within a year, he formed his first band, the Quarrymen. The following year he met McCartney at one of their shows and asked him to join the band based solely on his ability to tune a guitar and his knowledge of songs. They would soon become the Beatles with the addition of George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Over the next decade, the Beatles would change the face of popular music and would go on to be the biggest selling group in history. Following the break up of the Beatles in 1970, Lennon began releasing albums with his wife and sometime musical partner, Yoko Ono. Songs like “Imagine,” “Cold Turkey,” “Happy X-Mas (War Is Over),” and “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” kept Lennon relevant during a time that saw many changes throughout America and beyond. In November of 1980, Lennon’s Double Fantasy was released to rave reviews and strong fan anticipation due to the fact that Lennon had been all but invisible raising his son Sean. His last albums was 1975’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, a collection of covers with no new compositions by Lennon. Before that, it was 1974’s Walls and Bridges. Just three weeks after the release of Double Fantasy, and while still enjoying the overwhelming response to the album, Lennon was walking outside of his New York City apartment building only to be senselessly shot and killed by deranged fan, Mark David Chapman. John Lennon was 40 years old when he was murdered, and the world was never the same.
What You Should Own
“Dimebag Darrell” Abbott is best remembered as the founding guitarist for metal band, Pantera. Formed with his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul in 1981, the band evolved from its early glam leanings into one of thrash metal’s most influential bands by the end of their run. In 1992, the band released what would become their breakthrough album, Cowboys From Hell, which is generally included in any legitimate survey of the greatest metal albums of all time. In 2003, the band broke up due to internal politics. The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan, whose debut album, New Found Power, debuted in the top 40 of the album charts and went on to sell modestly. While on a Damageplan tour in Ohio on December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darryl’s life came to a tragic end in an eerily similar to, yet much bloodier fashion than 
Over a career that spanned nearly 40 years, Marty Robbins was one of the most popular country artists of his generation. To escape a home life that was less than ideal, Robbins enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. And while serving in WWII, he spent much of his down time learning to play the guitar. When he returned home to the states, he pursued his show business career, eventually landing his own local radio show in Phoenix, Arizona. When touring country star, Little Jimmy Dickens guested on Robbins’ show and heard him perform, he helped him get a record deal with Columbia Records. Before long, Robbins was the toast of Nashville and a favorite performer at the Grand Ole Opry. Over the course of his career, Robbins released several charting country hits including his most popular and oft covered, “El Paso,” which won him a Grammy in 1959. He won two more Grammys over the next decade. On December 8, 1982, Marty Robbins died of complications from a cardiac surgery at the age of 57.
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