December 8

 

The world stopped on this night in 1980 when John Lennon was assassinated outside his Dakota apartment building by Mark David Chapman, ending the life of the former Beatle at 40 just as he was experiencing a creative renaissance, leaving millions mourning and wondering what music remained unwritten…

 

Rock's most poetic shaman Jim Morrison was born on this date in 1943, the Doors frontman whose Dionysian performances and literary lyrics made him the 1960s' most dangerous sex symbol before his death in Paris at 27 became rock mythology's greatest mystery…

 

Southern rock's soul voice Gregg Allman was born today in 1947, the Allman Brothers Band's keyboardist and vocalist whose bluesy rasp and organ work helped define the genre while his tumultuous life included Cher, addiction, and outliving most of his bandmates until his death in 2017…

 

We remember Ireland's most uncompromising voice Sinéad O'Connor on her birthday today in 1966, the singer whose powerful vocals on "Nothing Compares 2 U" and controversial activism made her both beloved and reviled before her death in 2023 ended a life of artistic courage and personal pain…

 

Classical music's golden flute James Galway celebrates his 86th birthday today, the Belfast-born virtuoso whose crossover appeal and joyful playing brought the instrument to mainstream audiences while earning him the title "The Man with the Golden Flute."…

 

California dreaming reached its dark apotheosis today in 1976 with the release of the Eagles' 'Hotel California,' the album whose title track became rock's most analyzed song about excess and the American Dream's corruption while cementing the band's superstar status.