John Lennon was an English rock song writer in the 60's and 70's. He was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and United Kingdom. At the age of four Lennon went to stay with his aunt Mimi because his parents separated. His father was a merchant seaman and didn't see him much in his early life. Him mother Julia got married again and came to see John and Mimi often. Julia taught John how to play banjo and piano then bought him his first real guitar. Shortly after this John had herd some catastrophic news. John herd that his mother was hit by a car and was announced dead. This took a toll on Lennon not having his mother around anymore.
He didn't have very good grades at school but he was very artistic. His instructor told him he should try to go to school for art. He went to Liverpool College of Art and was accepted. John met Paul McCartney when he was 17 years old in 1957. John decided to invite Paul over to practice with him and thats when The Beatles began. At the time Elvis Presley had just got big and this inspired Lennon to create his first band the Quarry Men named after his school "Quarry Bank High School". The following year McCartney introduced George Harrison to John. Harrison and his college buddy Stuart Sutcliffe joined the band. They didn't have a drummer until a year later in 1960 when they found Pete Best. There first recording was "That'll be the day". After recording this song they decided to change there name to the Beatles.
They started playing at local events and places for money. They were preforming at Liverpool's Cavern Club there manager accepted a record contract with there new drummer Richard Starkey better known as Ringo Starr. In 1962 Lennon married for his first time to Cynthia Powell. He had his oldest child (Julian) with Cynthia. She was forced to keep a low profile during Beatlemania. John and Cynthia got divorced in 1968. The following year John married his next wife Yoko Ono who he had met three years before at the Indica Art Gallery. By this time the Beatles have made it big and made it from England over to America.
There first event in America was when they were on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. In 1965 they preformed to 55,600 fans at New York's Shea Stadium. At the time this was a record breaking amount of fans. After awhile the band starts to fall apart. It started when there manager Epstein overdosed on sleeping pills. They then made the Magical Mystery Tour album and it was a bust. John started spending more time with his wife and that was also tearing the group apart. They had a peace protest by staying in bed naked and getting interviewed and made the song Give Peace a Chance. They put that song under Ono's band "The Plastic Ono Band".
It was on September 1969 when John told the group he was leaving. In April 1970 McCartney announced he was done with the band. It wasn't long after that they both went solo. In September of 1971 John and Ono mover to the United States and was always being threatened with deportation because of the Nixon Administration. John was then kicked out of the United Stated because of a marijuana charge from 1968. He believed he was being kicked out for being a peace protester. After Nixon resigned Lennon was granted permission back into the country. In 1972 Lennon preformed at Madison Square Garden in New York City to promote peace. In the fall of 1973 John and Ono got divorced. In 1974 they got close again and had a child named Sean on Johns 35th birthday. After this John left the music business to focus on being a good father and husband. In 1980 John decided to return to the music world and he was shot just weeks later. Mark Chapman was a crazed fan who had shot John many times in front of his apartment complex. John is now in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
He didn't have very good grades at school but he was very artistic. His instructor told him he should try to go to school for art. He went to Liverpool College of Art and was accepted. John met Paul McCartney when he was 17 years old in 1957. John decided to invite Paul over to practice with him and thats when The Beatles began. At the time Elvis Presley had just got big and this inspired Lennon to create his first band the Quarry Men named after his school "Quarry Bank High School". The following year McCartney introduced George Harrison to John. Harrison and his college buddy Stuart Sutcliffe joined the band. They didn't have a drummer until a year later in 1960 when they found Pete Best. There first recording was "That'll be the day". After recording this song they decided to change there name to the Beatles.
They started playing at local events and places for money. They were preforming at Liverpool's Cavern Club there manager accepted a record contract with there new drummer Richard Starkey better known as Ringo Starr. In 1962 Lennon married for his first time to Cynthia Powell. He had his oldest child (Julian) with Cynthia. She was forced to keep a low profile during Beatlemania. John and Cynthia got divorced in 1968. The following year John married his next wife Yoko Ono who he had met three years before at the Indica Art Gallery. By this time the Beatles have made it big and made it from England over to America.
There first event in America was when they were on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. In 1965 they preformed to 55,600 fans at New York's Shea Stadium. At the time this was a record breaking amount of fans. After awhile the band starts to fall apart. It started when there manager Epstein overdosed on sleeping pills. They then made the Magical Mystery Tour album and it was a bust. John started spending more time with his wife and that was also tearing the group apart. They had a peace protest by staying in bed naked and getting interviewed and made the song Give Peace a Chance. They put that song under Ono's band "The Plastic Ono Band".
It was on September 1969 when John told the group he was leaving. In April 1970 McCartney announced he was done with the band. It wasn't long after that they both went solo. In September of 1971 John and Ono mover to the United States and was always being threatened with deportation because of the Nixon Administration. John was then kicked out of the United Stated because of a marijuana charge from 1968. He believed he was being kicked out for being a peace protester. After Nixon resigned Lennon was granted permission back into the country. In 1972 Lennon preformed at Madison Square Garden in New York City to promote peace. In the fall of 1973 John and Ono got divorced. In 1974 they got close again and had a child named Sean on Johns 35th birthday. After this John left the music business to focus on being a good father and husband. In 1980 John decided to return to the music world and he was shot just weeks later. Mark Chapman was a crazed fan who had shot John many times in front of his apartment complex. John is now in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame