A Brief History of John Lennon

As most of us associate John Lennon with The Beatles, very few recognize Lennon's solo career and additional accomplishments. This witty man, known for his rebellious nature and gentle spirit made a name, not only as a member of a band, but also as an activist, songwriter, peace activist and author. Even out of the spotlight, Lennon created a family/home life and took time to be a human of average nature. John Winston Ono Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool. Lennon only lived with his parents for a short amount of time, then spent the rest of his younger years living with his aunt and uncle in Woolton. Lennon formed The Beatles in 1957, at the young age of sixteen. The band, still recognized today as a historic moment in musical history, hit the charts almost immediately. Even with The Beatles' growing success, Lennon decided to detach himself from the band in September of 1969, to release his debut solo album. The album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, was released in 1970, even through the media's outrage to his leaving, The Beatles. In 1971 Lennon became extremely involved with the anti-war movement, releasing, the timeless, "Imagine". He attended several protests, where he would speak out and sing songs of peace and humanity. Ads by Google In August of 1971 John Lennon, and his wife Yoko Ono, moved to New York, where they collaboratively released, Happy Xmas (War is Over). John projected his feminist side, creating songs with Ono about women's rights and race issues. Lennon followed this album with several other songs about equal rights and peace, as well as several television performances to make his music and message understood. John Lennon had two children: Sean and Julian. Although Sean and Lennon's relationship was strained due to his fallouts with Ono, Lennon devoted much time with him after his retirement from the music business. Julian was much more into music, and got along better with his father. Julian was even asked to play drums on "Ya Ya", a song from Lennon's 1974 album Walls and Bridges. In the late 1970's John Lennon and Yoko Ono took a hiatus from the world, living an extremely introverted lifestyle in Dakota, New York. On December 8, 1980 Lennon was shot by Mark Chapman, after autographing a copy of Double Fantasy. Ono made a statement at the time of Lennon's death, "There is no funeral for John. John Loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him." Following the murder, "Imagine" topped the charts for an estimated eight weeks. Lennon and Ono's art installations were viewed more than ever, and his comic strip and caricatures were publicly released. Also, after Lennon's death, Skywriting by Word of Mouth and Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes: A Personal Sketchbook, were also released. Some could say that Lennon's popularity rose to highest levels after his traumatic passing. Today, aside from John Lennon's music, over ten artistic monuments around the world have been created for the beloved artist.