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December 18, 1980 Christina Aguilera is born in Staten Island, New York. She's raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and eventually lands a record deal thanks to a powerhouse performance of "Reflection," the theme song to the Disney movie Mulan.
December 14, 1980 At Yoko Ono's request, a 10-minute worldwide silent vigil takes place at 2:00 p.m. EST for John Lennon, who was shot and killed six days earlier. Lennon was cremated without a funeral, so the vigil is the public outpouring of support and mourning. A large crowd gathers in Central Park near where Lennon lived with Yoko to take part; this becomes a tradition on each anniversary of Lennon's death.
December 9, 1980 The airwaves are filled with the music of John Lennon, who was shot and killed the previous evening. In Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen opens his concert by telling the crowd, "It's hard to come out here and play tonight, but there's nothing else to do."
December 8, 1980 John Lennon, 40 years old, is shot and killed outside his apartment in New York City.More
November 17, 1980 The annual "Royal Command Performance" in London features Aretha Franklin and Sammy Davis Jr. singing for England's Queen Elizabeth II.
October 27, 1980 Steve Took, original percussionist of T. Rex, dies in New Kensington, London, at age 31. Although he had taken drugs, his official cause of death was asphyxiation after inhaling a cocktail cherry.
October 27, 1980 Mark David Chapman buys a .38 revolver at a gun store in Honolulu for $169. On December 8, he uses it to kill John Lennon.
October 20, 1980 U2 release their debut album, Boy, produced by Steve Lillywhite. It doesn't yield any hits but "I Will Follow" becomes one of their most popular songs.
October 17, 1980 Dire Straits release their third album, Making Movies. Three of the songs - "Romeo And Juliet," "Tunnel Of Love" and "Skateaway" - are accompanied by short films sold on a home video also called Making Movies.
October 13, 1980 George Jones wins Single of the Year at the Country Music Association awards for "He Stopped Loving Her Today," starting a career resurgence for the country legend.
October 13, 1980 Ashanti is born Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas in Glen Cove, New York. She has a series of hits in the early '00s both as a lead artist ("Foolish," "Only U") and in collaborations with the likes of Ja Rule ("Always On Time") and Fat Joe ("What's Luv?").
October 8, 1980 Talking Heads release their fourth album, Remain In Light, their last produced by Brian Eno. The song "Once In A Lifetime" gets a video showing David Byrne's herky-jerky stage moves; it becomes an MTV favorite, aired the first day the network goes on the air.
October 8, 1980 Prince releases his third album, Dirty Mind. The title hints at the lascivious songs within, including "Head" and "Sister." The biggest hit from the set is the modest "Uptown," which goes to #5 on the R&B chart.
October 7, 1980 Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album is released in the US. It includes a bit called "Rock Notes," which begins: "Rex Stardust, lead electric triangle with Toad the Wet Sprocket, has had to have an elbow removed." Seven years later, a real band forms with that name in California. They have hits in the '90s with "Walk on the Ocean" and "All I Want."
October 5, 1980 Paul Thomas (bassist for Good Charlotte) is born in Waldorf, Maryland.
October 4, 1980 On stage during a concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carly Simon collapses from nervous exhaustion. She keeps going, but cancels the rest of her tour when she can't go on the next night. She doesn't perform again until 1987.
October 4, 1980 Fleetwood Mac members Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join the USC Trojan Marching Band, which performed on their hit "Tusk," during halftime of the football game between USC and Arizona State. Nicks twirls a baton, Fleetwood plays a bass drum, and Buckingham mock conducts as the band plays the song. The USC band is then presented with a platinum record for their contribution.
October 3, 1980 Paul Simon's semi-autobiographical movie One-Trick Pony, in which he stars, is released in the US. It gets mixed reviews and does poorly at the box office, but does include a hit song: "Late in the Evening."
October 3, 1980 Diamond Head, one of the leading bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, issue their debut album, Lightning To The Nations. Mega-DH fans Metallica cover five of the album's seven songs over the years: "Am I Evil?", "Helpless," "The Prince," "It's Electric," and "Sucking My Love." Other NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon eclipse Diamond Head in terms of popularity, but the Metallica covers speak to their influence and ensure their place in history.
October 3, 1980 Bruce Springsteen begins his tour for The River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he's joined by Bob Seger in a performance of "Thunder Road."
September 27, 1980 Kurtis Blow becomes the first rapper to perform on national television when he does "The Breaks" on Soul Train. Host Don Cornelius is flummoxed. "It doesn't make sense to old guys like me," he tells Kurtis in the interview segment.More
September 25, 1980 Rapper T.I. is born Clifford Harris in Atlanta. Gun charges keep him in legal trouble for much of the '00s, but he still manages to release three #1 albums. His biggest year is 2008, when his songs "Live Your Life" and "Whatever You Like" both reach the top.
September 23, 1980 Bob Marley plays his final concert: a 20-song set at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh with his group, The Wailers.More
September 20, 1980 With a re-released "Modern Girl" reaching #8 in the UK, Sheena Easton becomes one of the few British female singers to place two songs in the Top 10 simultaneously ("9 To 5" is also on the charts.)
September 13, 1980 The TV series Solid Gold premieres. Like its genre-mates American Bandstand and Soul Train, the show consists of Top-40 music (mostly recorded) in a studio with a dance stage and floor. A feature of the show is a specialty crew of "Solid Gold dancers" who bump and grind to the tunes. Dionne Warwick is the host for the first season, but the show rotates through numerous hosts during its course. The show runs almost eight seasons before discontinuing in 1988.
September 8, 1980 Eric Hutchinson ("Rock and Roll," "OK, It's Alright With Me") is born in Takoma Park, Maryland.
August 26, 1980 Cheap Trick bass player Tom Peterson leaves the group, citing burnout. He returns for their 1988 Lap Of Luxury album, featuring their comeback song "The Flame."
August 23, 1980 The Heatwave Festival, known as the "New Wave Woodstock," goes down at Mosport Park near Toronto. Performers include Elvis Costello, The B-52s, The Pretenders, and Talking Heads, who debut songs from their upcoming album, Remain In Light, and introduce a new touring band that includes keyboard player Bernie Worrell and guitarist Adrian Belew.
August 19, 1980 "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow becomes the first rap single certified Gold.More
August 17, 1980 At the Toledo Speedway Jam II in Toledo, Ohio, ZZ Top headline the show with AC/DC, Sammy Hagar and Humble Pie on the undercard. (Also advertised on the poster: 800 kegs of beer, drinking age 18 in Ohio!) It is the last time AC/DC is a support act until 2003, when they open for The Rolling Stones.
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