Date: December 08, 1941

1941 : Ray Eberle and The Modernaires with The Glenn Miller Orchestra record "Moonlight Cocktail"

Date: December 08, 1954

1954 : The Drifters' "White Christmas" enters the R&B charts.

Date: December 08, 1956

1956 : Guy Mitchell's "Singing The Blues" hits #1.

Date: December 08, 1960

1960 : Henry Mancini records "Moon River"

Date: December 08, 1961

1961 - The Beach Boys' first single "Surfin'" was released. On the strength of the song's performance in the Southern California market, Capitol Records signed the group. Other surfing songs would follow: "Surfin' Safari", "Surfin' U.S.A.", and "Surfer Girl."

Date: December 08, 1961

1961, The Beach Boys first single 'Surfin' was released on Candix Records, a small label based in Los Angeles. On the strength of the song’s performance in the Southern California market, Capitol Records signed the group. Other surfing songs would follow: 'Surfin’ Safari,' 'Surfin’ U.S.A.,'and 'Surfer Girl.'

Date: December 08, 1961

1961 : The Beach Boys release Surfin'

Date: December 08, 1962

1962 : Legendary DJ and promoter Alan Freed appears at his payola trial in New York City and testifies to receiving money from labels to play their records on the air. He is found guilty, fined $300, and given six months probation, but the irreparable damage to his career has been done.

Date: December 08, 1963

1963 : Frank Sinatra Jr. is kidnapped in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and freed three days later after his famous father pays the $240,000 ransom. The three men responsible are eventually caught and incarcerated.

Date: December 08, 1963

1963 - Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped at gunpoint from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured,and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a payphone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifelong habit. He is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes.

Date: December 08, 1963

1963, Frank Sinatra Jr was kidnapped at gunpoint from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured, and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a payphone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifetime habit, he is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes.

Date: December 08, 1966

1966 : The Beatles record "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "When i'm 64"

Date: December 08, 1966

1966, Working at Abbey Road in London, Paul McCartney overdubbed his lead vocal for ‘When I'm Sixty-Four’. Then The Beatles set about remaking a new John Lennon song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’

Date: December 08, 1966

1966 - Working at Abbey Road in London, Paul McCartney overdubbed his lead vocal for "When I'm Sixty-Four". Then The Beatles set about remaking a new John Lennon song "Strawberry Fields Forever".

Date: December 08, 1967

1967 : The Beatles release Magical Mystery Tour (UK EP)

Date: December 08, 1967

1967 : Traffic releases Mr. Fantasy

Date: December 08, 1968

1968 : David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills announce that they'll perform together as Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Date: December 08, 1968

1968 - Singer and guitarist Graham Nash left The Hollies and started work with David Crosby and Stephen Stills who went on to form Crosby Stills and Nash.

Date: December 08, 1968

1968, Singer and guitarist Graham Nash left The Hollies and started work with David Crosby and Stephen Stills who went on to form Crosby Stills and Nash.

Date: December 08, 1969

1969 : The Beatles record "Octopus's Garden"

Date: December 08, 1969

1969, Mick Jagger was quoted saying 'I don't really like singing very much, I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing and I can't play the guitar either'.

Date: December 08, 1969

1969, On trial in Canada on drug possession charges, Jimi Hendrix told a Toronto court that he had only smoked pot four times in his life, snorted cocaine twice and took LSD no more than five times. Telling the jury that he had now 'outgrown' drugs. They found the guitarist not guilty.

Date: December 08, 1969

1969 : Testifying at his trial for possesion of hashish and heroin in the Toronto Supreme Court, Jimi Hendrix claims that he has now "outgrown" drugs. The jury finds him not guilty after eight hours of deliberations.

Date: December 08, 1971

1971, This weeks Top selling 8-Track cartridges chart: No.5, Frank Sinatra'sGreatest Hits Vol 2, No.4, Carole King, Tapestry, No.3, Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, No.2, Motown Chartbusters Vol 6 and No.1, John Lennon,Imagine.

Date: December 08, 1972

1972 : Carly Simon's No Secrets album is certified gold.

Date: December 08, 1973

1973, Roxy Music had their first UK No.1 album when 'Stranded' went to the top for one week. The sleeve featured Playboy's Playmate of The Year, model Marilyn Cole, (who was the magazines's first full-frontal nude centerfold).

Date: December 08, 1973

1973 - Roxy Music had their first U.K. No. 1 album when Stranded went to the top for one week. The sleeve featured Playboy's Playmate of The Year, model Marilyn Cole.

Date: December 08, 1975

1975 : The benefit concert "A Night of the Hurricane" is held at Madison Square Garden. The last date on Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour, the show features many non-musical celebrities and raises over $100,000 for the release of wrongly imprisoned boxer "Hurricane" Carter and his alleged accomplice. Carter himself calls the stage from jail.

Date: December 08, 1976

1976 : The Carpenters' Very First Special, featuring guest star John Denver, airs on ABC.

Date: December 08, 1977

1977, Four people were arrested after a riot broke out when Blondie didn't arrive for a gig in Brisbane. Over 1,000 Australian fans had waited over an hour for the group to appear on stage, but the gig was cancelled due to singer Debbie Harry being unwell.

Date: December 08, 1977

1977 : A riot breaks out in Brisbane, Australia, when Blondie fails to appear for a concert.

Date: December 08, 1979

1979 : Styx's "Babe" hits #1.

Date: December 08, 1979

1979, Styx went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Babe', the group's only US No.1, a No.6 hit in the UK.

Date: December 08, 1979

1979 - Styx went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Babe".

Date: December 08, 1980

1980 : John Lennon, 40 years old, is killed outside his New York apartment by the deranged fan Mark Chapman, who pled guilty and was sentenced to life in jail.The song, All Those Years Ago by George Harrison is a tribute to John Lennon.

Date: December 08, 1980

1980 : At 11:07 PM EST, John Lennon is murdered by a deranged fan just outside the Dakota Hotel in New York City. Lennon is shot in his chest, back and left arm and is pronounced dead thirty minutes later. Earlier that day, the killer had met Lennon outside the Dakota and had him sign a copy of his latest album, Double Fantasy.

Date: December 08, 1980

1980 : Annie Leibovitz photographs John Lennon and Yoko Ono at their apartment in New York City for a feature in Rolling Stone. Lennon would be shot and killed hours later.

Date: December 08, 1980

Today in 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City. Lennon is one of the most famous and iconic musicians of all time, best as known as one of the members of the Beatles, for his subsequent solo career and for his political activism and pacifism. John would have been 75 had his life not been taken 35 years ago.

Date: December 08, 1980

1980, John Lennon was shot five times by 25 year old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York City where John and Yoko lived. Chapman had been waiting for Lennon outside the Dakota apartments since mid-morning and had asked for an autograph earlier in the day. Lennon was pronounced dead from a massive loss of blood at 11.30pm.

Date: December 08, 1982

1982, American country singer, songwriter Marty Robbins died aged 57 of complications following cardiac surgery. Had the first No.1 of the 60's in the US with 'El Paso', (winning him a Grammy Award). Robbins later portrayed a musician in the 1982 Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man.

Date: December 08, 1984

1984, Frankie Goes To Hollywood were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Power Of Love'. The group's third No.1 of the year and final UK No.1. This made them the first group since Gerry And The Pacemakers to have a UK No.1 with their first three singles.

Date: December 08, 1984

1984 : "Out Of Touch" hits the top spot, giving Hall & Oates their sixth and final #1.

Date: December 08, 1984

1984 - Frankie Goes To Hollywood were at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart with "The Power Of Love".

Date: December 08, 1984

1984, One time Coasters manager Patrick Cavanaugh was convicted of first degree murder of group member Buster Wilson whose dismembered body was discovered in Modesto, California, in 1980.

Date: December 08, 1984

1984, Vince Neil from Motley Crue was involved in a car accident in Redondo Beach, Ca, which killed Nick Dingley from Hanoi Rocks and injured two other passengers. Neil was jailed for 20 days and paid $2.6 million in compensation.

Date: December 08, 1995

1995, Courtney Love appeared on the ABC TV show '10 Most Fascinating People', telling the presenter that she wished she had done 'eight thousand million things differently' to have prevented the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.

Date: December 08, 1995

1995 : Four months after the death of founding member Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Deadofficially announce their breakup.

Date: December 08, 1998

1998 : Yoko Ono spreads some Christmas cheer via a billboard in New York's Times Square. Her message: "War is Over! If you want it. Happy Christmas from John & Yoko."

Date: December 08, 1998

1998 : The FBI opens its 1,300 page file on Frank Sinatra to the public.

Date: December 08, 1999

1999, 1960's singer Heinz was given a formal caution by magistrates in Southampton for playing music to loud in his flat. The singer who scored 4 Top 40 singles in the 60's is now wheelchair bound.

Date: December 08, 2000

2000, Sting joined the ranks of Tinseltown's greatest when his star was unveiled on the celebrated Walk Of Fame in Hollywood.

Date: December 08, 2000

2000, A plaque to commemorate the 20th anniversary of John Lennon's death was unveiled outside his childhood home in Liverpool.

Date: December 08, 2003

2003 : Ozzy Osbourne suffers several fractures in his upper body in an ATV accident.

Date: December 08, 2003

2003, BPI figures showed that the UK sales of seven-inch singles had increased by 84% on the previous year. The report claimed that bands such as The Darkness, The Strokes and The White Stripes had boosted sales by releasing special limited edition seven-inch records.

Date: December 08, 2004

2004 : Damageplan, a supergroup founded by brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott in the wake of Pantera's breakup, performs at a concert in Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, when Nathan Gale climbs on stage and shoots Darrell in the head multiple times. Also killed are the band's Head of Security, Jeffery Thompson as he scuffled with Gale, a fan who attempted to give CPR to Thompson and Darrell, and roadie Erin Halk, who also tried to stop Gale. Gale is shot and killed by police. Investigation reveals no motive, although some claimed that Gale blamed the brothers for Pantera's breakup and believed they had stolen his lyrics.

Date: December 08, 2004

2004, Former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was one of five people killed after a man stormed the stage during a Damageplan show at the Alrosa Villa Club in Columbus. Nathan Gale, aged 25, began firing at the band and crowd, was then shot and killed by a police officer who arrived shortly after the first shots were fired.

Date: December 08, 2011

2011 : Sinead O'Connor marries a drug counselor named Barry Herridge in Las Vegas. The couple splits up a few weeks later but then announces they're back together shortly afterwards. Last anybody heard.

Date: December 08, 2013

2013, Metallica played a gig inside a dome at the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini, thus becoming the first band ever to play on all seven continents. During the concert audio was transmitted to an audience made up of competition winning fans from Latin America through headphones. Staged in conjunction with Coca Cola Zero, it was only the second ever gig to take place on the continent, following a performance in 2007 from a group of musical scientists, called Nunatak, at British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station as part of the Live Earth climate change awareness concerts.

Date: December 08, 2013

2013 - Metallica played a gig inside a dome at the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini, thus becoming the first band ever to play on all seven continents.

Date: December 08, 2013

2013, The electric guitar played by Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival has been sold at auction in New York for a record $965,000 (£591,000). The Fender Stratocaster had been in the possession of a New Jersey family for 48 years after he left it on a plane. The festival in Newport, Rhode Island, is often cited as the performance where Dylan "went electric".