John Lennon
Founder of the Beatles, peace activist, and solo artist.
John Winston Ono Lennon was born in Liverpool on 9 October 1940, the only child of Alfred and Julia Lennon. His father, a merchant seaman of Irish descent, was absent at the time of his birth, and his mother had Welsh ancestry. Named after his paternal grandfather and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Lennon spent his early years living with his mother until his father went absent without leave. After Julia became pregnant by another man, Lennon’s aunt Mimi took custody of him following complaints to social services. A traumatic incident in Blackpool in 1946, when his father attempted to take him to New Zealand, ended with Lennon choosing to stay with his mother. He then lived with Mimi and her husband George at Mendips in Woolton, where his uncle bought him a mouth organ and engaged him in puzzles, while his aunt provided volumes of short stories. Julia visited regularly, teaching him the banjo and introducing him to Elvis Presley and Fats Domino. Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager, forming the Quarrymen in 1956, which evolved into the Beatles by 1960. He initially served as the group’s de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to Paul McCartney. In the mid-1960s, he published two collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. His songs, beginning with “All You Need Is Love” in 1967, were adopted as anthems by the counterculture and anti-war movement. In 1969, he formed the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, Yoko Ono, held a two-week bed-in for peace, and left the Beatles to pursue a solo career. Lennon and Ono collaborated on avant-garde albums and films. From 1969 to 1972, he achieved four UK top-10 singles. His debut solo album, *John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band*, was released in 1970, the first of four LPs co-produced with Phil Spector. Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War led to a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. After a separation from Ono from 1973 to 1975, he produced Harry Nilsson’s album *Pussy Cats* and had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John and David Bowie. Following a five-year hiatus, he returned in 1980 with the Ono collaboration *Double Fantasy*, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year. He was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman three weeks after its release. Lennon had 25 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 as a performer, writer, or
- born
- 9 October 1940, Liverpool, England
- died
- 8 December 1980, New York City, USA
- field
- Music, songwriting, activism
- nationality
- English
- known_for
- Founder of the Beatles; solo hits including 'Imagine'; anti-war activism
Lore & Background
Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed the Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. He initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually seemed to cede to McCartney. In the mid-1960s, Lennon authored In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with 'All You Need Is Love' in 1967, his songs were adopted as anthems by the counterculture and anti-war movement. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration bed-in for peace, and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career. Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums and several films. From 1969 to 1972, he achieved four UK top-10 singles with 'Give Peace a Chance', 'Instant Karma!', 'Imagine', and 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'. In 1970, Lennon released his debut solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, his first of four LPs co-produced with Phil Spector. Moving to New York City in 1971, Lennon's criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats and had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ('Whatever Gets You thru the Night') and David Bowie ('Fame'). Following a five-year hiatus from his solo career, during which he continued to write and record intermittently, Lennon returned in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman three weeks after the album's release.
Reader's Guide
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As a solo artist, he had five singles reach the top 10 in both the UK and U.S.: 'Instant Karma', 'Imagine', '(Just Like) Starting Over', 'Woman', and 'Nobody Told Me'. Double Fantasy, his second-best-selling non-Beatles album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, he was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th-greatest artist of all time. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (first as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
Did You Know?
- Lennon was named after his paternal grandfather John 'Jack' Lennon and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
- The bed-in for peace was two weeks long.
- Lennon's debut solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was co-produced with Phil Spector.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"For our last number, I'd like to ask your help. Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry." — John Lennon "Pop Chronicles: "Show 27 - The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!: The U.S.A. is invaded by a wave of long-haired English rockers. Part 1" (24 August 1964)." — John Lennon "It was a load of rubbish. It was like meeting Engelbert Humperdinck." — John Lennon "Later comments on meeting Elvis, as quoted in The Beatles: The Biography (2005) by Bob Spitz, p. 583." — John Lennon
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