Notable events in music history from December 8.

1961 – The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys’ first single ‘Surfin’ was released on Candix Records, a small label in LA. After the success of the song the group were signed by Capital Records.

1977 – Blondie

Four people were arrested after a riot broke out at a gig in Brisbane after Blondie failed to show. Over 1000 fans waited for an hour for the band to appear but the gig was cancelled due Debbie Harry being unwell.

1980 – John Lennon

John Lennon was shot five times and killed at age 40 by Mark Chapman outside Lennon’s residence in New York City. Chapman had waited outside the Dakota apartments, where John and Yoko lived, since mid-morning and had asked and received an autograph from Lennon earlier that day.

1995 – Courtney Love

Courtney Love appeared on the ’10 Most Fascinating People’ on ABC TV; telling the presenter that she wishes she had done ‘eight thousand million things differently’ to have prevented the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.

2016 – Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger became a father for the eighth time at the age of 73 after his 29-year-old girlfriend Melanie Hamrick gave birth to a baby boy in New York City. The singers previous children age from 17-45 and he became a great grandfather in 2014.

Skip to content