John Lennon biography. Lennon's departure from the Beatles
Biography and episodes of life John Lennon. When born and died Lennon, memorable places and dates important events his life. Musician Quotes, Photo and video.
Years of life of John Lennon:
born October 9, 1940, died December 8, 1980
Epitaph
“Yes, perhaps he was an excellent gardener,
And the earth, wet from his tears, gave a wonderful harvest...
And now we're praying for rain
And in the ringing of every drop we hear your name...
I knock, but still no answer,
I knock again and again, all day long,
“Johnny, come on out!” - I call in despair.
Why don't you come out
Play in your empty garden?..”
From Elton John's song "Empty garden (Hey hey Johnny)", dedicated to John Lennon
Biography
He once said that his popularity was higher than that of Jesus Christ, and then many years passed after his death before the church forgave him and admitted that it was just a joke. And yet, the fans' love for Lennon and his group was similar to some kind of religious worship - girls went crazy at The Beatles concerts, falling into a kind of ecstasy. He was open to the world and opposed hatred and war, but he himself became a victim of violence, murder for the sake of glory.
Biography of John Lennon - the story of a British boy from not very prosperous family. He was born in Liverpool, and from childhood he had vision problems and dyslexia, which could not but affect his performance at school. At home, everything was not very good either - his parents divorced when Lennon was a child, he even lived with an oppressive aunt for some time, and then returned to his mother. When he was 18 years old, his mother died, and for Lennon it was a big shock.
Lennon founded his first musical group at the age of 16, and a year later he met Paul Macartney and brought him into the group. And in the 60s the guys were overtaken real glory, the cult of The Beatles was even called “Beatlemania”. Tours, concerts, fans, letters - it was difficult to cope with such an influx of popular love. Lennon's quote about them being more popular than Christ turned out to be a cruel joke for the musician - protests, boycotts, and accusatory articles followed. The group was slowly heading towards disintegration, not last role in which John's passion for drugs, as well as his acquaintance with his second wife, Yoko Ono, played a role. After the wedding, he even took “It” as his middle name and more than once claimed that he and Yoko were one. With Yoko, a new beginning began in Lennon's biography. bright stage- his political activity. He opposed the war in Vietnam, for giving Indian rights, for easing the conditions of prisoners, etc. In 1971, Lennon left for the USA and never returned to England.
On December 8, 1980, the world was shocked by terrible news - the murder of Lennon. Lennon’s killer didn’t even have to be found; he didn’t even try to hide from the authorities. After firing five shots into the musician’s back, the unbalanced Mark Chapman simply sat down on the road and waited for the police to arrive. John Lennon's death was due to shock and heavy loss of blood. His killer was sentenced to life. On December 10, 1980, Lennon's body was cremated and his ashes were given to his wife, who said there would be no funeral for Lennon.
John Lennon with his second wife Yoko Ono
Life line
October 9, 1940 John Lennon's date of birth.
1956 Lennon founded the Quarry Men.
July 6, 1957 Meeting Paul McCartney and accepting him into the group.
July 15, 1958 Death of John Lennon's mother.
1959 Renaming the group to The Beatles.
1960 The group's first trip abroad, to Hamburg.
August 23, 1962 Marriage to Cynthia Powell.
April 8, 1963 Birth of son Julian.
1964 The surge in popularity of The Beatles.
1964 The release of the book of prose and poetry by John Lennon, “In His Own Handwriting.”
1965 Release of Lennon's second book, "Spider on the Wheel".
1967 John Lennon's addiction to drugs.
1968 The beginning of disagreements in The Beatles, the release of the first album of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
March 20, 1969 Marriage to Yoko Ono.
1968-1972 Years political activity John Lennon.
1970 Release of the album “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band”.
1971 Release of the album “Imagine”.
September 1971 John Lennon and Yoko Ono move to New York.
1973 Separating from Yoko Ono for a year.
October 9, 1975 Birth of son Sean.
1980 Release of the latest album “Double Fantasy”.
December 8, 1980 Lennon's date of death.
December 10, 1980 John Lennon's funeral (cremation).
Memorable places
1. Quarry Bank School in Liverpool, where John Lennon studied.
2. The former Liverpool College of Art in Liverpool (today the building belongs to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities), where Lennon studied and met his first wife.
3. Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded their records.
4. The Beatles Museum in Liverpool.
5. Lennon's house in Manhattan called "Dakota", where Lennon lived with Ono and was shot dead on the threshold.
6. Lennon Wall in Prague.
7. John Lennon Strawberry Fields Memorial in New York.
Episodes of life
Lennon did not think about death and was full of plans for life. In one of his last interviews, he says: “I don’t feel like I’m forty. “I feel like a child and I still have so many good years ahead of me with Yoko and my son, at least that’s what we hope.” He also said that he hopes that he will die before his wife, as he cannot imagine his life without her. His wish came true.
When Lennon and Ono had a son, he took five years of parental leave and devoted himself entirely to caring for his son.
Before his death, John Lennon was working on a new album
Testaments
“If anyone says that love and peace are a cliché that went away with the sixties, that will be their problem. Love and peace are eternal."
"Give Peace a chance."
Broadcast about Lennon's murder "Five Shots at an Idol"
Condolences
“This man helped create the music and mood of our time. He left behind a compelling and timeless legacy. It’s especially sad that John Lennon fell victim to violence, although he himself always fought for peace.”
James Carter, 39th President of the United States
“Lennon loved to provoke curiosity. There was something almost anarchic in his harsh, spontaneous laugh... I will remember and love precisely this wildness of laughter and the challenge hidden behind his smile. Beatle John belongs to an era that has passed on, but honest, fiery John Lennon belongs to the future."
Robert Palmer, English musician
“We three Beatles heard the news in the morning, and here’s the strange thing: we all reacted to it the same way. Separate, but the same. That day we all went to work. All. No one could remain at home alone with such news. We all felt the urge to go to work and be with people we knew. It was impossible to survive this. I had to somehow force myself to move on. I spent the whole day at work, but I did everything as if in a trance. I remember I left the studio and some reporter jumped up to me. We were already driving away, and he stuck the microphone in the car window, shouting: “What do you think about John’s death?” Exhausted and shocked, I only managed to say, “This is so sad.” I meant melancholy in the strongest sense, you know, as they say, putting their whole soul into one word: melancholy-ah-ah... But when you read this in the newspaper, you see only one dry word.”
Paul McCartney, musician of The Beatles
JOHN LENNON IS AN ALL TIME ICON
Who was ? Neither his contemporaries nor we could give a definite answer. Many consider him a man who, with all his essence and musical talent, served the cause of peace and the fight against violence.
However, success in show business and the entertainment industry has its price. paid it in full.
Touches to a portrait from John's childhood
The fate of the most famous of the four members of the Beatles ensemble continues to attract attention. His music, views and lifestyle have had and continue to influence young people different countries. Life and art Lennon reflect the spiritual quest of an entire generation. But who and what did their idol believe in? 
– remains a mystery. was literally obsessed with the number nine. He was born on the 9th. On November 9, he met with manager Brian Epstein and his second wife. In 1940, John Winston Lennon was born. This could have been the first or the last day of his life. After all, Liverpool then experienced one of the heaviest bombings. But fate took pity on the newborn. He was only child at Alfred and Julia Lennon's. When John was two years old, his father disappeared from home. The mother soon realized that caring for her son took all her strength, leaving no time for entertainment, and in 1945 she gave John up to her sister Mimi and her husband George, retaining the right to visit her son.
Oh, music!
The first signs of a craving for music appeared in John in the mid-1950s, when Liverpool was swept by a mass craze for skiffle. By this time he was already playing the harmonica fairly well. And with the advent of rock and roll, John immediately and unconditionally decided to devote himself to this new genre.
In the spring of 1957, he created his first group, The Quarry Men. Soon he met two more guys who were also passionate about music - and George Harrison. Lennon brought them into the group that eventually became the Beatles.
with Cynthia Powell
The music captured John completely. It is not surprising that he failed to pass a single final exam. True, in the fall he managed, under the patronage, to enter the Art College, but from there he was expelled for poor academic performance. Although it was there that he met his future wife, Cynthia Powell. Four years later Lennon married a girl, and on April 8, 1963, their son Julian was born. It cannot be said that John was very happy with his family life: he true love The Beatles remained, and he put all his energy into performing with the group and writing songs.
Outrageous beyond belief
Lennon was, of course, an extraordinary person, and, moreover, not burdened with excessive modesty. “People like me recognize the signs of genius in themselves at the age of ten, eight or nine... I still don’t understand: why didn’t anyone discover me earlier?” And his statement that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ almost cost the group a tour in the United States.
The public studied literally his every move, trying to predict what would be in fashion in the near future. John I also felt that the Beatles were beginning to mark time, forced to submit to the strict demands of the tour, performing the same set of songs to a deafening roar in the hall. He wanted to somehow change his life. However, the search for something new, complete, did not yield results. John rushed from drugs to spiritual introspection and back, but all this did not bring the desired peace and satisfaction.
In 1966, at the Indica gallery, he met Yoko Ono– Japanese avant-garde artist who lived in London. Her strange works amazed him, and he offered to help his new friend organize exhibitions. They started working together art projects and eventually fell in love with each other. John decided to leave Cynthia for the opportunity to be with Yoko all the time. For this step, a hail of critical arrows fell on him from all sides. The press began a wild persecution Lennon for his “shameful” behavior: how dare he leave his pretty English wife and young son for the love of some “foolish Jap”?
It was especially painful John misunderstanding on the part of friends, other Beatles. George and Paul disapproved of Yoko's influence over the Jonah. He felt that being in a band no longer suited his musical tastes. Realized that he had ceased to be John Lennon, but turned into John the Beatle, a rock idol. And then he began a crusade to get rid of the alien image, to return his true face.
John Lennon in search of freedom
John and Yoko married on March 20, 1969, having a "public honeymoon", promoting world peace while lying in bed and talking to reporters. He inherited his taste for eccentric antics from his mother. Lennon Since childhood, I have accepted shocking behavior as part of my behavior. Probably the desire to shock public opinion The appearance of the photograph on the cover of the first solo record can also be explained Lennon"Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins", where he and Yoko were photographed naked. The stores refused to accept this album, and only by hiding it in a thick wrapper brown paper, the record was released into the retail chain...
Soon Lennons decided to leave forever for America - a country where they were taken seriously, considered freely thinking artists, and not just “crazy millionaires”, as was the case in England. On August 12, 1971, they flew to New York, and John never returned to his homeland. They joined the pacifist movement, began attending anti-war rallies and composing political songs.
The album Sometime in New York City, released in 1972, reflected his radical left-wing views at the time. Then the three-year litigation begins Lennon with the American authorities for the right to live permanently in the United States. 
The trials cost John and Yoko enormous stress. Emotional stress did its job, and in October 1973 they separated. Lennon He and his assistant moved to Los Angeles and lived a wild life.
John and Yoko's quarrel lasted almost a year and a half (he called this period the "lost weekend"). In October 1975, Yoko (after three miscarriages she had during her life with John) gave birth to a son. The child, born on his father's birthday, was named. And next year Lennon finally received the long-awaited “green card”, which gave the right to permanent residence in the United States.
Over the abyss
In August 1980 Lennon returns to active creative activity. There is no longer any trace of the former rebellion left. 
trace. Critics noted the warmth and sincerity of the feelings expressed in the songs. In 1980, the musician was killed. Ironically, John died precisely when his life had finally improved and he was full of far-reaching plans and hopes. The musician, who became a symbol of the era, a legend of the twentieth century, was shot not by an FBI or CIA agent, not by a hired killer, but by a 25-year-old crazy fan. What made Mark David Chapman fire five bullets in a row at his idol outside his home? This is still unknown. Instead of an excuse, the killer quoted a passage from his favorite book by Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye.” The court did not find him insane and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
John Lennon has been gone for more than 30 years, but he will live in the memory of fans for a long time.
DATA
He hated canons and rules. Brought popularity and success Lennon much money, 
but this is where the main lack of freedom was hidden. “I have been under contract since I was twenty. They expected one thing and another from me... I was not free at all,” he said in an interview with Newsweek magazine shortly before his death.
Song Lennon Imagine was banned from Anglican religious schools due to the words "And no religion". In 2004 the magazine Rolling Stone called it one of the best songs in the world. Since 2006 Imagine sounds in the last minutes of the passing year in Times Square in New York.
Updated: March 11, 2018 by: Elena
Cynthia Lennon was far from happy in her marriage. And many people knew about this for a long time. Sin, as her ex-husband John once called her, did not want to show the painful situation in the family in public. Despite all this, she managed to instill in her son immense respect for his father...
Dream is to become an artist
Cynthia Lennon was born in 1939 in the north-west of England in the family of Charles Powell. My father worked for GEC. And his daughter was last child in the family. She had two older brothers.
When Cynthia was very young, the whole family moved to Hoylake.
As a twelve-year-old teenager, she began studying at the Primary School of the Arts. However, the girl had long dreamed of becoming an artist, so within the walls of this educational institution her dreams began to come true.
Fateful meeting with John Lennon
In college, Cynthia focused on graphics. At the same time, she began taking calligraphy lessons. It was here that the girl met student John Lennon. The future Beatle never had painting tools with him, so he began to borrow them from Cynthia.
John had an unenviable reputation. He was a real bully and was a terrible student. His main priority was music. Sometimes the young man took his guitar with him to lessons. Once he sang a song for Cynthia. Despite this, the girl did not like him very much. She said he smacked of rebellion and danger. However, over time, it was these qualities that attracted her most. In a word, Cynthia fell under the spell of the future musician.
Beloved Xing
Cynthia Lennon was quite an attractive girl in her youth. She constantly wanted to attract the attention of her beloved classmate. So, having learned that Lennon preferred blondes, the girl bleached her hair without hesitation. By the way, until her last days she remained true to her then image. Well, then John was greatly amazed by her unexpected transformation.
They started love story. Her lover called her "Miss Powell" or "Miss Howlake." And over time - just Sin.
According to Cynthia, their early relationships almost always consisted of sexual pleasures. True, Lennon later said that his wife interested him primarily as a representative of the fairer sex, and not at all as a person.
The Beatles era
In the late 50s, John met Paul McCartney. Both musicians began to fruitfully collaborate and write songs. They began performing in small towns and often used the services of “groupies” after concerts. During this time, John tried to forget about the existence of his beloved girl, who at that time was faithfully waiting for her lover at home. In truth, John, despite his sexual adventures, demanded fidelity from her and wrote her hundreds of letters declaring his love.
Meanwhile, Cynthia continued to study, and musical group Jonah was already playing much better. The guys dreamed of recording and wanted to put their material on vinyl. After some time, these goals were realized, as they met the great Brian Epstein and George Martin. Soon the musicians became The Beatles - legendary team, which has won recognition throughout the planet.
Long-awaited wedding
In 1962, Cynthia admitted to John that she was expecting a child. At the same time, she told him that she was able to raise her first child on her own, alone. John categorically rejected this possibility immediately. He believed that the only acceptable way out of this delicate situation was a wedding.
As a result, the couple got married in August of the same year in Liverpool. On solemn ceremony there were George Harrison and Paul McCartney. And Epstein was the best man. By the way, they celebrated their wedding in the same restaurant where John Lennon’s parents celebrated their wedding 24 years earlier.
After the wedding, the newlyweds began living in Epstein's apartment.
In the bosom of the family
After some time Lennon bought big house, where famous performers Cliff Richards and Tom Jones used to live. They already had not only servants, but also drivers.
And when John Lennon’s wife was able to get her license, her husband immediately presented her with a Mini, and then a Porsche.
In a word, the newlyweds were more than secure financially, since the Beatles were on the crest of success.
In 1963, Cynthia Lennon learned the joy of motherhood. Children are what makes a family stronger. The couple had a son. They named him Julian. By the way, John was at his performance when the heir was born.
The son was baptized in one of the churches in Hoylake, and Epstein became the godfather.
Heirs to the Lennon Empire
Unfortunately, after the birth of the child, the family did not become stronger. The young dad had very little contact with his son. According to recollections, if John was free from concerts, he first of all scolded the boy and lectured him. Actually, all this, sooner or later, affected Julian’s character.
A few years later, when the family broke up and John had new family, he gave his fatherly attention to his second son from Yoko Ono - Sean. It was as if he wanted to erase not only Cynthia from his life, but also Julian.
The fortune of the great Beatle was about 250 million pounds. He initially allocated 400 pounds a month for the maintenance of his first son. True, at the very end of the 70s, John unexpectedly decided to restore relations with Julian. But already in 1980 Lennon was shot dead. In memory of him, Sin gave her son four portraits ex-husband which I drew myself.
Julian Lennon followed in his father's footsteps and also became a musician and singer.
The beginning of the end of a relationship
Meanwhile, in the first half of the 60s, real “Beatlemania” began. The band's management insisted that the musicians always talk about their loneliness for the media. Apparently, this could attract more young fans. Sin had to play by these rules. For this reason, the marriage and birth of a son were not advertised at all. John Lennon's wife rarely went on tour with her husband.
As a result, John changed internally. He became cruel and sullen. And his marriage with the once beloved woman turned into an unbearable burden. Repeatedly, the husband deliberately insulted his wife and brought her to tears. But nevertheless, Sin endured the bullying and forgave everything to her husband. She really loved him very much and tried to change him for the better. The girl devoted her life to her family, abandoning her talents and ceasing to develop as an artist.
When the next round ended, the studio life. John plunged headlong into the world of rock and roll, psychedelia and drugs. There was no place in this world for either a son or a wife. She finally realized this when the musicians were about to leave for India...
Homewrecker Yoko
On the eve of her visit to the country, Sin found her husband’s personal correspondence with Yoko Ono. John strongly denied any connection with this woman and claimed that she was just a crazy artist. He said that she was just looking for a sponsor. That is probably why she visited Kenwood several times and called there constantly. Yoko Ono herself in those days worked hard and was very fruitful in her business. She met John in 1966. Perhaps Lennon was more interested in living with this woman. She apparently understood him and, in fact, was ready to share not only their common life, but also her passion for art.
Be that as it may, the Beatles went on a planned trip to India. When he returned under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he told his wife about his relationship with a colossal number of women around the planet. Then he sent Sin to Greece on vacation. But she returned earlier than planned and saw her husband and his mistress in the most unsightly form. Unable to bear it, Cynthia Lennon, whose biography was very difficult, went straight to her friends.
A few days later, John seemed completely normal when Sin finally arrived home. The husband tried to prove his sincere warm feelings for his wife and son. But still, they never spoke normally again. And the husband himself went to the residence of Ringo Starr.
After some time, John sent a guide who informed Sin that her husband intended to get a divorce. They say that he tried to accuse his wife of treason. He also wanted Julian to live with him. This idea turned out to be unrealized.
In November 1968, John and Cynthia Lennon officially stopped being husband and wife.
Life after divorce
Lennon only paid 100 thousand pounds to Cynthia. She did not demand more, since she still loved him.
And the homewrecker Yoko always tried to prevent possible meetings between the ex-spouses. That is why Sin practically did not see John.
In 1973 there was their last meeting, and seven years later Lennon was killed. After some time, Cynthia tried to take some of John's personal belongings from Ono in order to give them to Julian in memory of his father. But she responded with a categorical refusal. As a result, the son bought them at auction.
"My husband John"
In 1970, Sin married again. Her chosen one was the Italian Roberto Bassanini. He owned a fashionable hotel. Unfortunately, this marriage lasted only three years.
A few years later, Cynthia once again walked down the aisle. Her union with Lancashire engineer John Twist lasted seven years. After the divorce proceedings, Sin decided to reclaim her surname Lennon.
For sixteen years, Cynthia Lennon, whose personal life could not improve, was the wife of a certain Jim Crist. Well, her last husband was the owner of one of the nightclubs, Charles Noel. Their relationship was formalized in 2002.
Xing managed to publish two books. Both works were written by Cynthia Lennon about John Lennon. In 1978, she published a work called “Lennon’s Twist,” and twenty-eight years later, “My Husband John.”
Sin passed away in April 2015. She died suddenly in her mansion in Mallorca, Spain. The woman was sick with cancer. This fight against cancer was very short-lived. Julian was always at his mother's bedside.
The beginning of life's journey
John Winston Lennon was born in 1940 during the German raid on Liverpool. His parents had a difficult relationship even before the birth of their son, and four years after John’s birth they divorced altogether. His closest relatives on his mother’s side—Aunt and Uncle Smith—took care of the boy’s upbringing. Already at a young age, Lennon was different from his peers and clearly knew that he wanted to create music. His aunt did not take his hobby seriously, which is why they often had quarrels. Uncle Smith, on the contrary, was the only adult who supported Lennon in his endeavors and helped him learn to play the guitar. At school, the boy was absolutely not interested in studying. Despite his good memory and excellent skills, he gradually became the worst student in the school. He devoted all his energy to creative school activities.
A genius misunderstood by the world
Lennon was an activist, he was a member of the journalism club, sang in the choir and often illustrated comic stories. In 1952 he was transferred to Quarribank School to give him the opportunity to improve his grades. However, the boy had little interest in studies and changing schools did not solve the problem. After Elvis Presley visited Britain for concerts in the 50s, John formed the band “The Quarry men”. In 1957, Paul McCartney joined the group and the group began performing at local concerts as an opening act. At the same time, John entered the Liverpool Art College. In 1958, Lennon experienced a terrible tragedy; his mother died in an accident. This event left a strong imprint on the musician’s future career and served as the theme for several songs. A few months after this tragedy, John's group broke up.
Creation of a legendary team
From the friends who remained with him, he soon formed the group “The Beatles”. In 1960, Lennon and his band won the attention and love of the public in Liverpool. In order not to waste time, The Beatles set off to conquer Hamburg. At the same time, Lennon became addicted to drugs, which negatively affected his health. Considering that the group was initially inspired by the images of rock and roll stars, their image included leather items, a lot of metal parts and defiant behavior on stage. In 1962, Lennon married Cynthia Powell, and the couple soon had a son, John Charles Julian Lennon. Not only did things change in 1962 Family status singer, their manager changed their provocative outfits to modest and neat classic suits, and asked to limit the amount of swearing on stage.
Difficult relationships with the outside world
To the terrible disappointment of Lennon, who was against the changes, the public appreciated the manager's efforts, and The Beatles' popularity increased. However, Lennon, who took the longest to get used to changes, still showed his rebellious character in front of the audience more than once. One of these antics was his speech during one of his performances; he persistently proved to the audience that The Beatles would one day become more popular than Jesus. If the British, accustomed to such behavior, ignored this phrase, then the residents of the United States, who were very sensitive to issues of religion, went on strike and tried in every possible way to interrupt the planned tour of the United States. As a demonstration, particularly religious people burned records and images of the group members on fires. Thanks to this, sales of the new album only increased. In 1967, Lennon returned to his addiction and began using drugs. With the return of drugs to John's life, the group became less and less like a cohesive team. New songs released were most often created by either Lennon or McCartney.
Dramatic changes in all aspects of life
In 1968, Lennon created the famous compositions “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “All You Need is Love”. At the same time, the hippie movement began to surge in popularity. This cultural event was reflected in the appearance of all band members and in their songs. More philosophical and peace-loving compositions, long hair and loose clothing became a new attribute in creativity. It was at this point in his life that Lennon began wearing his signature round glasses. That same year, John’s wife learned that Lennon had been cheating on her with artist Yoko Ono for more than a year. At the beginning of 1969, the couple divorced, and Lennon formalized his marriage to Yoko. During their honeymoon, Lennon recorded "The Ballad of John and Yoko" in honor of their new relationship. Disagreements within the group increasingly heated the situation, which led to the fact that in 1970, after the release of “Let It Be,” the group broke up.
The beginning of a solo career
Since the beginning of his solo career, the musician has focused on spreading the basic idea of the hippie movement. The theme of world peace became the main theme of all his songs. Before the bedside interview began, John composed “Give Peace a Chance.” Lennon tried to sell the world the same way other people sell cars, buns and clothes. At first, his ideas were perceived by listeners and journalists as something simply interesting, and no one took his ideas seriously. Soon, many began to realize that his ideas were not a joke at all, and that these songs sometimes made more sense than the political speeches of many leaders of countries. After receiving US citizenship in 1972, John began to actively fight racial prejudice and spread ideas about equal rights for all people.
Depression and intractable drug addiction
In 1972, the album “Some Time In New York City” was released. In the same year, the relationship between the musician and his wife began to crack. Lennon began cheating on Yoko with her secretary May Pang. Unable to bear such a betrayal, Yoko left for her homeland without telling John anything and cutting off all ties with him for a year. Lennon did not expect that his wife's departure would undermine him so much state of mind. In an attempt to find peace, John began using drugs again. During this period, his creativity stopped, he stopped releasing songs and practically did not appear in the recording studio. In 1974, the singer released a new collection, “Walls And Bridges,” which received many good reviews from experts and increased sales.
Family life
In 1975, Yoko returned to Lennon, and the couple soon had a son, Sean, who in the future followed in his father’s footsteps, like all his children. At the time of the birth of his second son, John's firstborn was twelve years old and had already led his first rock band. Became Sean's godfather famous singer Elton John, and for the first son - the band's manager and close friend of Lennon, Brian Epstein. After the birth of his son, the singer retired from show business and devoted himself entirely to his family. He appeared in public only to receive an award and at especially special parties of his close friends.
Last years of activity. Murder
Activity in his musical career appeared only in 1980 with the release of “Double Fantasy”. Lennon and his wife created this album together, and many of the songs on this album became part of love story couples. Three weeks after the album's release, John Lennon went to the recording studio to record new compositions that were to be included in future albums. On his way to the studio, he was met by fan David Chapman, who asked for an autograph. A few hours later, the man killed Lennon in front of several reporters and John's wife. Four shots in the back led to instant loss of consciousness; an hour after this event, the singer died from blood loss. Lennon was cremated; the musician’s ashes are with his wife. After his death, Yoko released her last album, “Milk and Honey,” which put an end to the career and life of John Lennon.
- In 1967, John became a follower of Timothy Leary, a famous researcher of psychedelic states, which is why he became heavily addicted to drugs. However, already in 1968, the Beatles group in full force went to India, to the ashram of the Maharishi, which had a positive effect on their psyche: drugs were forgotten, but a new “drug” appeared - meditation.
- “Strawberry Fields” was the name of the Salvation Army orphanage, very close to where Lennon lived as a child on the outskirts of Liverpool, called Woolton. During his life, Lennon constantly provided financial assistance to the shelter, and after his death in 1980, his relatives continued this business. However, 10 years ago it ceased to exist.
- Despite his poor eyesight, Lennon refused to wear glasses in his youth. When visiting cinemas, he asked his friends to tell him about what was happening on the screen. How creative person he presented his illness as a reaction to the separation of his parents - during this period he did not want to see anything. Subsequently, he found his form of glasses and ordered a dozen of them a year.
- In 1965, the Beatles were made Members of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. However, in 1969, Lennon returned the Order, thus demonstrating disagreement with the country's policy of intervening in the Nigeria-Biafra war and supporting the Americans in aggression against Vietnam. The official message was signed “With love. John Lennon".
Awards:
- Grammy Award for Album of the Year (1982)
- Grammy Award for best song of the year (1967)
- NME Awards for Best Album (1972)
- Juno Award for International Album of the Year (1982)
John Lennon (born John Winston Lennon, later changed to John Winston Ono Lennon; John Winston Ono Lennon). Born October 9, 1940 in Liverpool (UK) - died December 8, 1980 in New York (USA). British rock musician, singer, poet, composer, artist, writer. One of the founders and member of The Beatles, a popular musician of the 20th century. After the breakup of The Beatles solo career, but was killed in 1980.
In addition to his musical activities, Lennon was also known as a political activist. He expressed his views both in songs and in public speeches. The famous song “Imagine” expresses Lennon’s thoughts about how the world should be structured. Lennon preached the ideas of equality and brotherhood of people, peace, freedom. This made him an idol of the hippies and one of the most significant public figures 1960s-1970s.
In 2002, the BBC conducted a poll to determine the hundred greatest Britons of all time. John Lennon took eighth place on this list. Lennon also took two places at once on the list of the 50 greatest performers of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine: 1 in composition of The The Beatles and personal 38. British magazine Classic Rock included Lennon in its list of the greatest guitarists of all time.
John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 at 6:30 am, during a German air raid on Liverpool. His parents are Julia (Julia Lennon 1914-1958) and Alfred Lennon (Alfred Lennon 1912-1976). John became their first and last child - shortly after his birth, Julia and Alfred separated.
When Julia Lennon found another man, four-year-old John was taken in by his aunt maternal line Mimi Smith (1906-1991) and her husband George Smith, who had no children of their own. Mimi was a strict teacher, and this often caused Lennon rejection. Mimi did not approve of his hobby for the guitar. John was distinguished by rare wit and malice. When he was learning to play the guitar, Aunt Mimi grumbled: “A guitar is a good thing, but it will never help you make a living!” Later, at the height of his success, John bought his aunt a luxurious mansion on the coast and decorated the hall with a marble plaque with his aunt's words. But Lennon found a common language with his uncle, who replaced his father, but in 1955 George died. John then became close to his mother Julia, who lived with her second husband and his two children.
Lennon could not stand the routine of school life, therefore, despite his sharp mind, he was out of the category best students slipped into the worst. But at school he managed to reveal his Creative skills- Lennon sang in a choir and published a handwritten magazine, which he himself illustrated. His favorite books at the time were Alice in Wonderland and The Wind in the Willows. In 1952 Lennon ended up at Quarry Bank High School High School). In his studies, he did not achieve much success either, quickly finding himself in class C for the most backward students. At the same time, Lennon regularly violated discipline and drew caricatures of teachers.
In the mid-1950s, following the release of Bill Haley's "Rock around the Clock", the rock and roll craze began in Liverpool. Lonnie Donegan's song "Rock Island Line" gave birth to skiffle, which quickly gained popularity among English youth. Skiffle was notable for the fact that its performance did not require extensive knowledge of music or the ability to play any instrument well. Thanks to this, many youth skiffle groups appeared in England in the 1950s. Rock and roll finally gained popularity after appearing in the United States.
The new hobby did not pass Lennon by, and in 1956 he and his school friends founded the group The Quarrymen, named after the school they all attended. Lennon himself played guitar in the Quarrymen. Besides him, there were five people in the group: another one also played guitar, two on drums, one person on banjo and one best friend Jonah Pete Shotton, - on a washboard. On July 6, 1957, Lennon met and accepted him into the Quarrymen. Soon McCartney brought his friend into the group.
After Lennon failed his GCSEs, he managed (with the help of his headmaster) to enroll at Liverpool Art College. There he became friends with Stuart Sutcliffe, whom he also attracted to the Quarrymen, and met his future wife Cynthia Powell.
In 1958 (July 15), John's mother died. As she was crossing the road, she was hit by a police officer in a car. Julia's death was a severe shock for Lennon. Later he dedicated several songs to her - “Julia”, “Mother” and “My Mummy’s Dead”. His mother's death greatly affected him in the future. Since Lennon was very attached to Julia, he looked for his mother in almost all women.
The Quarrymen band ceased to exist in 1959 when the name appeared - first Silver Beetles, then - The Beatles.
In 1960, The Beatles went abroad for the first time - to Hamburg, Germany, where they performed in clubs in the Reeperbahn, the center nightlife cities. In Hamburg, Lennon tried drugs for the first time. To Germany The Beatles between 1960 and 1963 came several times. Over the years they have managed to achieve local popularity in Liverpool and Hamburg.
Stuart (Stu) Sutcliffe, the most close person for Lennon during these years. Sutcliffe found a wife in Germany, photographer Astrid Kirchherr (born May 20, 1938). On April 10, 1962, Stu died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
At the end of 1961, Brian Epstein became the manager of The Beatles. He completely changed their image - the group changed their leather jackets to neat suits with the famous jackets without lapels, the musicians stopped smoking and swearing on stage. Lennon later admitted that he did not really like the change in image. However, the new image contributed to the rapid growth of The Beatles' popularity.
On August 23, 1962, John Lennon married Cynthia Powell. On April 8, 1963, John and Cynthia Lennon had a son, John Charles Julian Lennon. It was named after Julia, John's mother.
In 1963, Lennon “showed his teeth” for the first time, performing in front of the royal family. Announcing the next number, he exclaimed mischievously: "We ask those in the cheap seats to applaud. The rest can content themselves with jingling their jewelry!"
“Those in the cheap seats” greeted this call with thunderous applause. The "rest" - crowned and uncrowned Windsors - were shocked. The scandalous fame only contributed to the growth of the group's popularity, and Lennon from that time took on the role of leader - he announced numbers at concerts and was always the first to go on stage, although in fact it could not be said that one or another member of the Beatles was more important for the group than rest. If in the spring of 1963 they were well known only in Liverpool, then in October of the same year the whole country knew about them, and in 1964 world fame came to the Liverpool group.
In addition, Lennon tried himself as an actor. Not counting the films created by The Beatles, he once starred in a movie: it was the film “How I Won the War” (1967). The film was not a success with either audiences or critics. However, the film was fully in line with the spirit of the times, and as a historical artifact (against the backdrop of the events surrounding the Vietnam War) has a definite cultural and artistic value.
From 1964 to 1966, The Beatles were at the height of their fame. They constantly toured around the world, released albums twice a year, and starred in two films: “To the Rescue!” (Help!) and “A Hard Day's Night”.
In March 1966, Lennon, in an interview with the London Evening Standard newspaper, dropped a careless phrase, saying the following: “Christianity will go away. It will disappear and dry up. There is no need to argue; I'm right and the future will prove it. We are now more popular than Jesus; I don't know which will disappear first - rock and roll or Christianity. Jesus was okay, but his followers are stupid and ordinary. And it is their perversion that destroys Christianity in me.”
In the UK, no one paid attention to this phrase, but when, five months later, the American magazine Datebook put the phrase taken out of context on the cover, a scandal began in the USA. In the south of the country, whose residents are known for their religiosity, they publicly burned records The Beatles, radio stations stopped playing their songs. Even the Vatican condemned Lennon’s statement (in 2008, however, the Vatican forgave the musician, saying that his phrase could be regarded as “witness”). At the same time, the Beatles were preparing for a tour of the United States. Lennon was forced to apologize for his words, but the concerts during the tour were missing a huge number of spectators. Lennon received death threats: in Memphis, someone called The Beatles' room and said that he (Lennon) would be killed during the concert. After these tours, the Beatles decided to abandon concerts. They never performed on stage again.
In 1967, Lennon, influenced by Timothy Leary's book The Psychedelic Experience, became interested in drugs. He began to distance himself from the rest of the group and abandoned his role as its leader. After the death of Brian Epstein, Paul McCartney took over management of the Beatles. In 1967, McCartney took over the leadership of the group - the best, according to many, rock album of all time, “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was conceived and realized by him, as was the TV movie A Magical Mystery Tour. “The film was made by Paul and for Paul,” Lennon later told Rolling Stone magazine.
The songs from the albums of 1967-1968, although they were signed by Lennon - McCartney, in the vast majority of cases were the fruit of the creativity of only one of the Beatles. The White Album, released in 1968, shows how the band members differed from each other during this period.
During these years, Lennon composed songs that many later recognized as his the best works: philosophical “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Across the Universe”, psychedelic “I Am the Walrus” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, gloomy “A Day in the Life” and solemn "All You Need is Love", which became the hippie anthem.
Appearance Lennon, like the rest of the band, has changed a lot. The Beatles stopped dressing in neat suits and grew long hair, mustaches and sideburns. The famous round glasses appeared for the first time in Lennon's image.
In November 1968, Lennon's wife, Cynthia Lennon, divorced him. The reason for this was John's betrayal. Cynthia, returning from Greece, saw her husband and his mistress in her bed. On November 8, 1968, the divorce was formalized.
Lennon met avant-garde artist Yoko Ono in 1966 when he attended her exhibition at the Indica Art Gallery. Their living together began in 1968, when Lennon divorced his first wife, Cynthia. Soon she and Yoko became inseparable. As Lennon said then, they are not John and Yoko, but one soul in two bodies, John-and-Yoko.
On March 20, 1969, the marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was registered in Gibraltar. After his marriage, Lennon changed his middle name, Winston, to Ono, and his name was now John Ono Lennon.
The couple spent their honeymoon in continental Europe - Paris, Amsterdam and Vienna, after which they visited Montreal. Lennon's song about this marriage, "The Ballad of John and Yoko", was released in 1969. It was recorded together with McCartney (bass, drums).
“We dreamed of changing something in this world... but everything remained the same. Still selling guns South Africa, and blacks are killed on the street. People still live in poverty and have rats running around. Only crowds of rich loafers walk around London in fashionable rags. I don't believe in the Beatles myth anymore
Relations within the Beatles finally deteriorated in 1968. Lennon and Paul McCartney have accumulated many complaints against each other. Lennon, for example, was not happy with the fact that McCartney was pulling the blanket over himself, and he was dissatisfied with Lennon’s apathy and constant presence in the studio during Yoko Ono’s recordings (although at the beginning of their career the Beatles agreed not to invite wives and girlfriends to the studio). In addition, their creative collaboration practically ceased; Lennon leaned more and more towards psychedelic rock (“Strawberry Fields Forever”), acid rock (“I am the Walrus”) and avant-garde (“Revolution 9”).
In 1968, the Beatles were on the verge of breaking up, and even announced their departure (although in the end he still remained in the group). Many of the recordings on the White Album were made with an incomplete lineup, and Lennon recorded the song “Julia” alone.
The album "Abbey Road", released in 1969, was also organized by Paul McCartney - the concept of the album belonged to him. Abbey Road was actually the last Beatles album. Released in 1970, "Let It Be" was recorded almost entirely in January 1969 during the studio sessions that became the basis for the film "Let It Be." By the time the album was released, Lennon and McCartney had already announced that they were leaving the group.
In 1968, two years before the Beatles broke up, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's first album was released. "Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins". According to Lennon, the album was recorded in one night. There was no music on it: the record contained a chaotic collection of noises, moans and screams. It was remarkable album cover - it featured a photograph of a completely naked Lennon and Yoko Ono. In 1969, two studio albums were released: “Wedding Album” and “Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions,” which also contained virtually no music. In addition, a live recording of "Live Peace In Toronto 1969" was released. Lennon and Yoko Ono formed a group called the Plastic Ono Band.
John Lennon's period of political activity lasted from 1968 to 1972. The beginning of this period was the song “Revolution”, released as a single, and its variation “Revolution 1”, which ended up on the “White Album”.
That is, after the words with which Lennon renounces violence, the word “in” follows, which gives the line a completely opposite meaning. Another political song written for a Beatles album was “Come Together,” released on the Abbey Road album. At this time, Lennon had already taken a very definite position - he advocated world peace, and even returned the Order of the British Empire to the Queen - in protest against ... “British intervention in the Nigeria-Biafra conflict, against our support for the American war in Vietnam and against that that "Cold Turkey" is slipping down the charts."
After their wedding, they went to Amsterdam and announced that they would conduct a “bedside interview.” Journalists, who decided that the star couple would publicly have sex, gathered at the hotel, where it turned out that Lennon and Yoko Ono were just sitting in bed and talking about peace. Donning white pajamas and decorating their hotel room with flowers, John and Yoko sat in bed. The doors of the room were wide open around the clock. Any person from the street could enter them. And he entered. Television, photographers, and newspaper reporters spent days and nights in Lennon's rooms in Amsterdam and Toronto. They never left television screens, the front pages of newspapers and magazines. And along with the sensation, their call to end the aggression in Vietnam involuntarily seeped into the world.
After Amsterdam, the bed demonstration was repeated in Montreal, where Lennon impromptu composed the song “Give Peace a Chance,” which became the anthem of the pacifist movement. On December 15, 1969, the Lennons organized an anti-war concert under the slogan “The war will end if you want it.” On December 30 of the same year, British television showed a program dedicated to Lennon, and named him one of the three politicians decades (along with John Kennedy and Mao Zedong).
In 1969, John and Yoko had long hair during a bed action. On January 20, 1970, they cut each other's hair in Denmark. Violent political and musical activity led to the fact that at the beginning of 1970 Lennon began to have a psychological crisis. Dr. Arthur Yanov, who practiced primal therapy, brought him out of this crisis. With Yanov's help, Lennon managed to return to normal condition, and the treatments made a deep impression on him, which is evident on the 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, which became Lennon's most revealing record.
In 1971, the album “Imagine” was released, telling about Lennon’s utopian dreams. At this time he political position changed dramatically - he, along with Yoko Ono, took part in a rally in support of the Irish Republican Army, and on the cover of the single “Power to the People” the Lennons were depicted in army helmets.
Since September 1971, Lennon and Yoko Ono lived in New York. After a long battle with US immigration authorities, who refused to grant entry to the couple due to a drug scandal in 1969, the Lennons finally received the right to live in the US. John Lennon never visited Great Britain again.
Immediately after moving overseas, Lennon became involved in US political life. He advocated giving the Indians civil rights, for easing the conditions of prisoners in prisons, for the release of John Sinclair, one of the leaders of American youth, sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of marijuana (shortly after Lennon’s rally in support of Sinclair, he was released).
Lennon's last political album was Some Time In New York City (1972), after which his radicalist period ended. The 1973 album Mind Games showed that Lennon's political songs were a thing of the past.
At the beginning of 1973, US authorities issued Yoko Ono an official permit to reside in the country, while Lennon, on the contrary, was ordered to leave the United States within two months. Soon after this, the couple separated for more than a year. John fled to Yoko May Pang's secretary.
Separation from his wife and creative decline again led to a psychological crisis. Until the summer of 1974, Lennon was practically inactive, and when recording of the new album began in August, he had only one song ready. In October 1974, a new album was released under the title "Walls And Bridges". A year later, “Rock’n’Roll” was released, an album of songs that The Beatles sang even before fame came.
On October 9, 1975, Lennon's thirty-fifth birthday, his son, Sean, was born. After this, Lennon announced that he was ending his musical career and devoted the next 5 years to his son. In all these years, he only appeared in public twice - when he was finally given official permission to live in the United States. This happened in 1975, also on October 9. He was also invited to a private reception with US President Jimmy Carter along with Yoko. The second time was at the Grammy Awards in 1976.
Lennon's next album was released only in 1980. It was called "Double Fantasy" and received good feedback critics. This disc was destined to become the last in the work of John Lennon, whose life was cut short a few weeks after the release of the disc. Yoko Ono co-wrote the album.
On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was assassinated US citizen. On the day of his death, Lennon gave his last interview to American journalists, and at 22:50, when John and Yoko were entering the arch of their house, returning from the Hit Factory recording studio, Chapman, who had earlier that day taken Lennon’s autograph for the cover of the new album “ Double Fantasy, which had been released three weeks earlier, fired five shots into his back, four of which landed. In a police car called by the gatekeeper of the Dakota, Lennon was taken to Roosevelt Hospital in just a few minutes. But the doctors’ attempts to save Lennon were in vain - due to heavy blood loss, he died, the official time of death was 23 hours 15 minutes. He was cremated at Fairncliffe Cemetery (Greenburgh, Westchester, New York) and Lennon's ashes were given to Yoko Ono.
Chapman is serving a life sentence in a New York prison for his crime. He has already applied for early release ten times (most recently in August 2018), but each time these requests were rejected. Yoko Ono sent a letter to the New York State Department of Parole in 2000 urging her not to release Chapman early.
In 1984, John Lennon's posthumous album Milk and Honey was released. The songs were recorded in the last months of Lennon's life. It mainly consists of sessions for Double Fantasy.
John Lennon Family:
Father Alfred Lennon - (December 14, 1912 - April 1, 1976),
uncle Charles Lennon (1918-2002),
mother Julia Lennon (Stanley) - (March 12, 1914 - July 15, 1958),
Aunt Elizabeth Jane Stanley - (1908-1976),
Aunt Mimi (Mary) Smith (Stanley) - (April 24, 1906 - December 6, 1991),
uncle George Smith (1903-1955),
maternal sister Julia Deakins Baird (1947),
maternal sister Jacqueline Deakins (1949),
paternal brother David Henry Lennon (1969),
paternal brother Robin Francis Lennon (1973),
First wife Cynthia Lennon (Powell) (September 10, 1939 - April 1, 2015) - (marriage: August 23, 1962 - November 8, 1968),
son Julian Lennon (8 April 1963) - singer,
Yoko Ono's second wife Lennon (February 18, 1933) - avant-garde artist,
son Sean Lennon (October 9, 1975) - singer.
Lennon considered “Run for Your Life” and “It’s Only Love” to be his worst songs.
On December 8, 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono took part in a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The photographer was Annie Leibovitz. Five hours after the photo shoot, John Lennon was killed. The magazine was published in 1981. And this photograph is currently on sale at Swann Auction Galleries.
Plastic Ono Band's album was ranked #22 among the best of the best by Rolling Stone magazine.
John Lennon's song "Imagine" was titled " best composition of all times and peoples" by the professional American publication "Performing Songwriter". According to a poll conducted by the magazine, this anthem to world peace even surpassed the standard “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael, as well as “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. These compositions took second and third place respectively. Since 2006, “Imagine” has been heard in the last minutes of the passing “old” year in Times Square in New York. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine published the 500 greatest songs of all time, in which "Imagine" was ranked 3rd.
John Lennon discography:
Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)
Live Peace In Toronto 1969 ( live album, 1969)
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time In New York City (1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls And Bridges (1974)
Rock'n'Roll (1975)
Shaved Fish (compilation, 1975)
Double Fantasy (1980)
The John Lennon Collection (compilation, 1982)
Milk and Honey (1984)
Menlove Ave. (1986)
Live in New York City (live album, 1986)
John Lennon Anthology/Wonsaponatime (home demos, alternative versions, unreleased songs, 1998)
Acoustic (2004)
Working Class Hero - The Definitive Lennon (compilation, 2005)
The U.S. vs. John Lennon (soundtrack, 2006)
Double Fantasy Stripped Down (2010)
Filmography of John Lennon:
Directing works together with Yoko Ono:
1968 - Two Virgins / Two Virgins
1968 - Number 5 / No. 5
1969 - Honeymoon/Honeymoon
1969 - Abduction / Rape
1970 - Up Your Legs Forever
1970 - Freedom
1970 - Fly / Fly
1970 - Apotheosis / Apotheosis
1971 - Erection / Erection
1972 - Imagine / Imagine
Acting works of John Lennon:
1964 - A Hard Day's Night - John
1965 - Help! (Help!) - John Lennon
1967 - How I Won the War - Shooter Gripvid
1967 - Magical Mystery Tour - John/Narrator/Ticket Seller/Coffee Wizard/Sleek Waiter
1968 - Yellow Submarine - John
1968 - Two Virgins
1970 - Let It Be - John Lennon
1970 - Apotheosis
1971 - Dynamite Chicken - John Lennon
1977 - Fire in the Water
Films about John Lennon:
"Imagine: John Lennon" (1988)
"The John Lennon Story" (2001)
"John Lennon: Bringer of Good News" (2002)
"USA vs. John Lennon" (2006)
"The Assassination of John Lennon" (2006)
"Chapter 27" (2007)
"Becoming John Lennon" (2009)
"Five Bullets for Lennon" (2009)
"Naked Lennon" (2010)
"Wheel to Imagine" is an animated film about John Lennon.