Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Few people have the same personal connection to the murder of former Beatle John Lennon as Buffalo-born singer Willie Nile.
Nile, and his band, shared the same New York City recording studio as Lennon during the final weekend and hours leading up to the Dec. 8, 1980 murder of the founding Beatle.
On the 45th anniversary of Lennon's murder, Nile still has vivid memories of those days - including lending Lennon a set of guitar strings during a late night recording session.
Nile's only regret: Not getting that face-to-face meeting with Lennon, which had been planned for Dec. 9.
"I wish I could go back in time and stop it (the fatal shooting of Lennon) from happening," Nile said with a wistful tone in his voice.
So how did it all happen?
Nile and his band had scheduled five days of recording sessions from Dec. 5 to Dec. 9, 1980 to lay down tracks for what would be his second album, "Golden Down."
It just so happens that Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, had booked the same schedule at the Record Plant - a multi-studio Manhattan complex that was Lennon's studio of choice. The Lennons were working on a John Lennon-penned song, "Walking on Thin Ice" that Ono was singing.
"We were in Studio A and they were on the 10th floor recording and mixing 'Thin Ice,' Nile said.
And, there was a connection between Nile and Lennon.
Thom Panunzio, Nile's co-producer for "Golden Down" was a close Lennon friend and had worked with the singer on previous occasions.
During a late night Dec. 7 recording session - separate ones for Nile and Lennon - one of Lennon's producers called down looking for a set of guitar strings because the former Beatle had broken the strings on his guitar.
"It was well after midnight, but still being able to lend (guitar) strings to John Lennon was pretty cool," Nile said.
While recording "Golden Down," Nile used the same studio-owned piano that Lennon had just used. That same piano was used the likes of Elton John and Randy Newman.
"That gave me a chill too," Nile said.
Panunzio was arranging a meeting between Lennon and Nile and it was set for Dec. 9.
It never happened.
"The sad thing is the Lennon was so happy, everything was coming together for him," Nile said. "He was in a really good place."