John Winston (Ono) Lennon
Lead Singer, Guitar, Piano, Writer
The Beatles, Plastic Ono Band
Unfinished Music No1: Two Virgins,
Unfinished Music No 2: Life With the Lions, Wedding Album,
The Plastic Ono Band-Live Peace in Toronto, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,
Imagine, Sometime in New York City, Mind Games
Wall and Bridges, Rock 'N' Roll, Shaved Fish, Double Fantasy
John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in England's northern industrial seaport of Liverpool, the son of a porter father, who deserted him at the age of three. John lived with his Auntie Mimi instead of with his mother Julia. Mimi was against John getting into music, and one of her most famous sayings is this: "The guitar is all right for a hobby John, but you'll never make a living at it." Little did she know that John Lennon would become one of the most influential rockers ever! He was in a little skiffle band called the Quarrymen when mutual friend Ivan Vaughn introduced John to Paul. John was impressed that Paul could play songs and knew all the words. He asked Paul to join, then you know... John was influenced by early on by rockers such as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and especially Elvis Presley. John atteneded secondary school in Liverpool, then went on to art collage where he met and married girlfriend Cynthia Powell. They had a son together named Julian, after John's mother Julia, who was killed when a drunken off-duty police officer ran her down. John was devasted at the loss of his mother. He had just gotten close to her again and in 1958 when Julia died, it changed John's life. John was always saying he didn't want to raise his family as he was raised, but as it turned out, with the Beatles being so huge at the time, he often left Cynthia and Julian for long periods of time. Julian never got to know his father very well, just as John never got to know his. Cynthia and John later divorced and in 1969, John married Yoko Ono, who he met at the Indica Bookshop, where she was having an exihibition. They had a son together as well, Sean. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, John went on to write songs and record. But in 1975, John hung up the guitar for 5 years to "bake bread" and raise his son Sean. In the post-Beatles years John had released 12 solo albums. Perhaps the most stirring song he wrote during that time period was "Imagine". It quickly became an anthem for peace. In 1980, John released his first studio album in five years,"Double Fantasy". It was his last. On the night of December 8th, 1980, as John and Yoko were on their way back home into the Dakota, Mark David Chapman, a crazed fan, shot John Lennon, and killed him. There isn't much more that I can say about John Lennon that you don't already know. He was a great man, a legendary man. His music and is spirit is missed, but it is in all of our hearts... we love you John!!
