Editing 1980 in music (section)

==Events==
===January–March===
*[[January 1]]
**[[Cliff Richard]] is appointed an [[British honours system|MBE]] by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] of the United Kingdom.
*[[January 5]] – [[Donna Summer]]'s third double album in a 14-month period, ''[[On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II]]'', released on 15 October 1979, reaches the top spot on the Billboard Albums charts.
*[[January 7]] – At the age of 44, songwriter [[Larry Williams]] is found dead in his [[Los Angeles, California]], home of a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators are never able to determine whether his death was a murder or suicide.
*[[January 13]] – [[The Beach Boys]], [[Grateful Dead]], and [[Jefferson Starship]] perform at a [[benefit concert]] at Oakland Coliseum for the people of [[Kampuchea]].
*[[January 14]] – [[Rush (band)|Rush]] release ''[[Permanent Waves]]'', which eventually becomes the band's fifth platinum album.
*[[January 16]] – [[Paul McCartney]] is arrested in Tokyo for possession of a half pound of [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]]. The remaining part of McCartney's and [[Wings (band)|Wings]]' tour was subsequently canceled.
*[[January 19]] – The first [[UK Indie Chart]] is published in ''Record Week'', with [[Spizzenergi]]'s "[[Where's Captain Kirk]]" topping the singles chart, and [[Adam and the Ants]]' ''Dirk Wears White Sox'' topping the album chart.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lazell|first1=Barry|title=Indie hits, 1980–1989: the complete U.K. independent charts (singles & albums)|year=1997|publisher=[[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-9517206-9-1|oclc=38292499}}</ref>
*[[January 25]] – [[Paul McCartney]] is released from jail in Japan and ejected from the country by Japanese authorities.
*[[February 7]] – [[Pink Floyd]]'s [[The Wall Tour]] opens at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena]].
*[[February 19]] – [[Bon Scott]], lead singer of [[AC/DC]], dies in London. Although common folklore cites [[pulmonary aspiration]] of vomit as the cause of his death, the official cause is listed as "Acute alcohol poisoning" and "Death by Misadventure".
*[[February 27]] – The [[22nd Annual Grammy Awards]] are presented in [[Los Angeles]], hosted by [[Kenny Rogers]]. [[Billy Joel]]'s ''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]'' wins [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]], while [[the Doobie Brothers]]' "[[What a Fool Believes]]" wins both [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]. [[Rickie Lee Jones]] wins [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]].
*[[February 29]] – [[Buddy Holly]]'s trademark glasses and [[the Big Bopper]]'s wristwatch are "rediscovered" in old police files by the [[Mason City, Iowa]], sheriff (both were killed in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, along with singer [[Ritchie Valens]]).
*[[March 3]] – [[Sotheby's]] auction house in London auctions off a Rivera Hotel, Las Vegas, napkin signed by [[Elvis Presley]] for £500. Other items auctioned included four American dollar bills autographed by [[the Beatles]], for £220 and a collection of personal letters belonging to the Rolling Stones, also for £220.
*[[March 8]]–16 – [[Tbilisi Rock Festival (1980)]]: the first state-sanctioned [[rock music]] festival in the Soviet Union.
*[[March 14]] – [[Record producer]] [[Quincy Jones]] receives a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].
*[[March 19]] – Elvis Presley's autopsy was subpoenaed during the trial of Dr. George Nichopoulous, who would later be found guilty of over-prescribing drugs to Presley, [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] and other clients.
*[[March 20]] – [[Radio Caroline]] shuts down in the UK after radio ship ''[[MV Mi Amigo|Mi Amigo]]'' sinks in a storm.

===April–June===
*[[April 1]] – [[Brian Johnson]] is made the new lead singer of [[AC/DC]] replacing the late Bon Scott.
*[[April 5]] – R.E.M. lead vocalist [[Michael Stipe]], guitarist [[Peter Buck]], drummer [[Bill Berry]] and bassist [[Mike Mills]] played their first show.<ref>Dave Thompson, ''Alternative Rock: Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion'' (Miller Freeman, 2000) p588</ref>
*[[April 13]] – The musical ''[[Grease (musical)|Grease]]'' closes its run of 3,388 performances, making it the longest running show on Broadway up until that time.
*[[April 14]] 
**A member{{who|date=April 2023}} of the New Jersey State assembly introduces a resolution to make [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s "[[Born to Run (song)|Born to Run]]" the official state song.
**[[Iron Maiden]] release their self-titled debut album. 
*[[April 17]] – As the "official guests of State", [[Bob Marley]] and the Wailers perform at [[Zimbabwe]]'s Independence festival. Marley calls the event the "greatest honor of my life."
*[[April 19]]
**[[Johnny Logan (singer)|Johnny Logan]] wins the 25th [[Eurovision Song Contest 1980|Eurovision Song Contest]] for [[Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest|Ireland]],  with the song "[[What's Another Year]]".
**[[R.E.M.]] performs their first performance under the name R.E.M.<ref>David Buckley, ''R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography'' (Random House Books, 2012)</ref> 
*[[April 25]] – [[Black Sabbath]] release ''[[Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]]'', their first album to feature [[Ronnie James Dio]] on vocals.
*[[April 30]] – The [[Roger Daltrey]] film, ''McVicar'', opens in London.
*[[May 4]] – ''[[America's Top 10]]'', the television version of radio's ''[[American Top 40]]'' and hosted by [[Casey Kasem]], debuts this week in syndication.
*[[May 18]] – [[Ian Curtis]], vocalist of pioneering [[post-punk]] group [[Joy Division]], hangs himself, one day before Joy Division are scheduled to begin their first U.S. tour.
*[[June 25]]
**Rock and Roll pioneer [[Bill Haley (musician)|Bill Haley]] performs for the last time during a tour of South Africa. After this tour, his health deteriorates and he dies in February 1981. July 1980 marks the 25th anniversary of Haley's "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" reaching No. 1 on the American singles charts.
**The [[Sony Walkman]] goes on sale in the United States.
**[[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] plays its first show with new drummer [[Eric Carr]] at the New York [[Palladium (New York City)|Palladium]].
*[[June 27]] – [[John Lydon]] and [[Keith Levene]] of [[Public Image Ltd]] make an appearance on ''[[The Tomorrow Show]]'' with host [[Tom Snyder]]. In a famously uncomfortable interview, Lydon gives curt and vague responses to most of Snyder's questions.

===July–September===
*[[July 11]] – [[Ultravox]] release their fourth studio album, ''[[Vienna (album)|Vienna]]''. Their first album with new lead singer [[Midge Ure]] following the departures of frontman [[John Foxx]] and guitarist [[Robin Simon]], ''Vienna'' marks a radical shift in Ultravox's direction and image, transforming the former [[post-punk]] band into a more sophisticatedly-oriented [[New wave music|new wave]]/[[synthpop]] group. Despite this stylistic shift alienating fans and critics who were more favorable towards the Foxx-led incarnation of the band, ''Vienna'' would go on to become Ultravox's most successful studio album to date.
*[[July 18]] – The documentary and concert film ''[[No Nukes (film)|No Nukes]]'' opens in New York.
*[[July 25]] – Over five months after the death of lead singer [[Bon Scott]], [[AC/DC]] release ''[[Back in Black]]'', their first album with replacement singer [[Brian Johnson]], who would remain with the band until 2016. The album's success would lead it to become the second-highest-selling album of all time and the highest-selling studio album by any band to date.
*[[July 29]] – Over two months after the suicide of lead singer [[Ian Curtis]], the surviving members of [[Joy Division]] regroup as [[New Order (band)|New Order]] and debut anonymously live at Manchester's Beach Club; the group would adopt the moniker "New Order" the following year.
*[[July 31]] – [[Eagles (band)|The Eagles]] end their tour with a contentious show. They would not play together again until 1994.
*[[August 4]] – [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]] begin the recording of the ''[[Double Fantasy]]'' album.
*[[August 16]] 
**The first [[Monsters of Rock]] heavy metal festival is held at [[Donington Park]] in England. [[Rainbow (English band)|Rainbow]] headlines, and [[Judas Priest]], [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]], [[April Wine]], [[Saxon (band)|Saxon]], [[Riot (band)|Riot]] and [[Touch (1980s band)|Touch]] also perform.
**Several bands lose members in one day; bass player [[Jah Wobble]] leaves [[Public Image, Ltd.]]; keyboard player [[Jools Holland]] leaves [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]]; and drummers [[Bill Ward (musician)|Bill Ward]] and [[Cozy Powell]] leave [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Rainbow (English band)|Rainbow]] respectively.
*[[August 19]] – Fans at [[Exhibition Stadium]] in Toronto stage a riot after [[Alice Cooper]] cancels because of illness.
*[[August 23]] – The [[Heatwave (festival)|Heatwave]] festival near Toronto features [[The B-52's]], [[Talking Heads]], [[The Pretenders]], [[Elvis Costello]] and many others.
*[[August 26]] – [[Pete Comita]] replaces [[Tom Petersson]] in [[Cheap Trick]].
*[[August 31]] – [[Karen Carpenter]] marries Thomas Burris. "[[Touch Me When We're Dancing|Because We Are in Love]]" is played at their wedding.
*[[September 13]]
**''[[Solid Gold (TV series)|Solid Gold]]'', a new music television series, premieres in syndication.
**[[Elton John]] plays a free concert for 400,000 people in New York's [[Central Park]]. He performs the encore in a [[Donald Duck]] costume.
**[[Gary Numan]] earns his third consecutive number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in less than fourteen months as ''[[Telekon]]'' enters the chart at number 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17942/gary-numan/ |title=Gary Numan |publisher=Official Charts}}</ref>
*[[September 25]] – [[John Bonham]], drummer of Led Zeppelin, is found dead by bandmate [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]].

===October–December===
*[[October 9]] – A riot breaks out at a [[Black Sabbath]] concert in Milwaukee after bassist [[Geezer Butler]] is hit in the head by a bottle and the band quits the stage.
*[[October 26]] – [[Paul Kantner]] of [[Jefferson Starship]] is rushed to hospital following a [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. He soon recovers without surgery, defying medical odds.
*October – [[Iron Maiden]] replaces guitarist [[Dennis Stratton]] with [[Urchin (band)|Urchin]] guitarist [[Adrian Smith (musician)|Adrian Smith]].
*[[November 21]] 
**[[Iron Maiden]] play their first gig with new guitarist [[Adrian Smith (musician)|Adrian Smith]] in [[Uxbridge]], London, England.
*[[December 4]]  – [[Led Zeppelin]] disbands following the death of drummer [[John Bonham]].
*[[December 5]]  – [[Duran Duran]] signs with [[EMI]] after finalizing its lineup and touring as a support act for [[Hazel O'Connor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://durancompilations.com/early4.html |title=Duran Duran – The Early Days Chapter 4 |publisher=durancompilations.com |access-date=26 May 2022 }}</ref>
*[[December 7]] – [[Darby Crash]], leader of L.A. punk band the [[Germs (band)|Germs]], dies of a heroin overdose in a suicide pact.
*[[December 8]] – [[John Lennon]] is [[Murder of John Lennon|shot to death]] outside his apartment building in New York City. Lennon's single, "[[(Just Like) Starting Over]]", subsequently becomes a number one hit in many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
*[[December 14]] – Over 100,000 mourners attend a public vigil for John Lennon in [[Central Park]], New York.
*[[December 31]] – The ninth annual [[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest|New Year's Rockin' Eve]] special airs on ABC, with appearances by [[Charlie Daniels|The Charlie Daniels Band]], [[Billy Preston]], [[Syreeta Wright|Syreeta]], [[Chuck Berry]] and [[Barry Manilow]].

===Also in 1980===
<!-- use for items spanning the whole year or items with unknown dates -->
*The [[Roland Corporation]] releases the [[Roland TR-808]] [[drum machine]], which became a cornerstone of the emerging electronic, [[Dance music (popular)|dance]], and [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] genres. The machine went on to become one of the most influential instruments in popular music, comparable to the [[Fender Stratocaster]]'s influence on rock.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/02/roland-resurrects-808/|title=Early hip-hop's greatest drum machine just got resurrected|last=Baldwin|first=Roberto|date=14 February 2014|newspaper=Wired|access-date=4 January 2016|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2008/12/whats_an_808.html|title=What's an 808?|last=Richards|first=Chris|date=2 December 2008|newspaper=Slate|access-date=16 January 2016|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}}</ref>
*[[:Category:Record labels established in 1980|Record labels established in 1980]]
*[[:Category:Record labels disestablished in 1980|Record labels disestablished in 1980]]
*The single "Groovy Ghost Show" by [[Casper (rapper)|Casper]] is one of the first recorded hip hop songs from [[Chicago]].
*British comedy group [[The Hee Bee Gee Bees]] release "Meaningless Songs (in Very High Voices)", a parody of a Bee Gees' disco-style single.
*[[Phil Collins]] signs a contract with [[Atlantic Records]] to distribute his solo records in the US and in Europe outside the UK (on [[Warner Music Group|WEA]] label).