Was it really THAT late when the news came out? That’s not the way I remember it.
I distinctly remember the moment when I first heard about it: I was driving, on MOPAC in Austin... on my way to visit a young lady name Charlotte... about whom I cared a great deal. I was heading to her house, with a Christmas gift... she lived at home, with her parents... so, I would have thought it was in the early evening...
I was in college.. at the University of Texas. Miss Charlotte was in the choir with me.. and, she was SO CUTE! Apparently, I liked her a LOT more than she liked me.... but, whatever. We BOTH loved music. So, I was pretty upset to hear that John Lennon was dead.
I remember... one of my first thoughts was: “Well, there will never be a reunion concert now!”
I always thought McCartney had more talent than Lennon... but, they were a great team. Lennon was always just a BIT TOO WEIRD for me... I was as CONSERVATIVE then....as I am now..... But, I still was saddened by the loss of a musician I respected..
But, mostly... I remember seeing Charlotte that night. The moonlight lit up her hair after she kissed me that night. :-P
I was listening to the radio that night when the programming was interupted. It was around 7:30 or 8:00 pm PST as I recall.
Well it was definitely late in the game when Howard Cosell made the announcement, which would have made it sometime after 11PM Eastern time. Now that would have been one, maybe two hours earlier Texas time so your recollection of timeframe was probably accurate.