John Lennon - The History of Rock Music

John Lennon

John Lennon was always the most outspoken of all The Beatles and this, alongside his very apparent talent made him the most notable of the band. Even after the band broke up and Lennon took time out of the spotlight to raise his son, the public clamored for news and in formation and more importantly new material from the singer and were eventually rewarded at the start of the 1980s. Sadly, the world was stunned in December 1980 when John Lennon was shot dead by Mark Chapman in New York. The singer left behind a massive legacy and even to this day, his songs of love, peace and hope ring out throughout the world.

John Lennon's Early Years

John Winston Lennon was born on the 8th of October 1940 to Julia and Alf Lennon but with Alf being away from home for a considerable period of time, Julia struggled to bring the child up by herself. Eventually John went off to live with his aunt Mimi and Mimi would become a huge influence on the singer whilst his mother Julia would take more the role of a sister as opposed to a mother. However, it was Julia who encouraged John to take up music and taught him to play the banjo. Lennon was a talented child with music and art being a particular interest to the child and it was no surprise when he was admitted into the Liverpool College of Art.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Tragedy had already struck Lennon at this point when Julia was killed by a drunk driver in July 1958 and the loss of his mother would be a profound influence on Lennon and also gave him a strong bond with Pal McCartney, who had also lost his mother at an early age.

Lennon and McCartney were playing in a band called The Quarrymen which eventually became The Beatles, with the bands trip to Hamburg in 1960 being the genesis for their development and career. Although great for the band in terms of bonding and gaining live skills, it was tough on Lennon who was in a serious relationship with Cynthia Powell back in Liverpool. In 1963, Powell discovered she was pregnant and so the pair quickly married before the birth of Lennon's first son Julian, who would later become a musician. As the success of the band exploded, Lennon felt increasingly trapped by having a wife and on at home and underwent a depressing state of mind for a few years. Lennon tried to channel this through songs and can be heard in tracks like 'Help', which although upbeat and extremely popular, contain lyrics indicating the depths of anguish Lennon would feel about the turmoil in his life.

Things eventually came to a head when The Beatles and their partners headed off to Bangor in Wales for a retreat with the Maharishi and Cynthia was left behind on the platform. This was symbolic to Cynthia and marked the beginning of the end of the relationship although Lennon brought it to a conclusion after his affair with Yoko Ono. The Lennon's were soon divorced and the public backlash against Yoko One was long and loud and for many Beatles fan, still exists today. Lennon and McCartney both found that the public were not enamored with the women they choose to spend the majority of their life with but Yoko One caused many troubles within the group, particularly in the way that she would be beside John at all time, even during recording sessions. Like most young boy who grow up together, the Beatles were starting to drift apart as they grew older but there is no doubt that Ono caused a further division which sped up the break up of the band.

Although acting as a division when it came to the band, Yoko Ono was a huge influence on John and she played a massive role in John becoming the political activist that many people remember him for. Even during his time in The Beatles with Ono, Lennon was starting to move in an avant-garde style and their wedding in 1969 was followed by a honeymoon which the pair opened to the public and declared they were staying in bed for peace. For many fans, this was a step too far and they believed that this new woman had turned John Lennon crazy but Lennon was all too well aware of the power of publicity and was keen to use hi worldwide fame and exposure into gaining attention for what he believed to be worthwhile causes. This shone through in his musical output at the time with Lennon tackling issues such as feminism, racism and the British Governments overdue presence in Ireland. All of this was in marked contrast to the musical output of McCartney which was mainly in a more pop vein but which occasionally tried to compete with John with regards to political statements.

Lennon and Ono moved to New York in 1971 but this brought further problems for Lennon and he was heavily pursued by President Nixon who believed him to be anti-war and a backer of his opponent in the Presidential campaign. Lennon was unable to leave America for the following few years for fear he would never be allowed to return and this, as well as the birth of his son Sean, led Lennon to retiring from the music industry to become a house husband and bring up his son. A talent like Lennon could never stay hidden for too long and the world was overjoyed when plans for the release of 'Double Fantasy', an album containing songs by Lennon and Ono were announced for 1980. The album was well received and was extremely popular but the release of the album was overshadowed by the events of the 8th of December 1980 when Lennon was shot four times in the back By Mark Chapman. It was such a tragic and pointless end to a life who promoted peace around the world and to one which had finally mustered the motivation to make music again.

If anything, Lennon has become even more popular and feted in the years since his death and he remains one of the most influential and inspirational recording artist of all time who will be remembered for his messages of peace and love as much for his music.

The History of John Lennon

The Beatles Release “Abbey Road”

The Beatles released “Abbey Road” on October 1st, 1969 in the USA and September 26th, 1969 in the UK. “Let It Be” was the final album released by The Beatles although it was actually recorded before “Abbey Road“, making the “Abbey Road” sessions the final sessions The Beatles worked on together as a band.
The fact that The Beatles managed to reconvene after the disastrous “Abbey Road” sessions was deemed to be miraculous. What may have been the saving grace was the decision to get George Martin back in to produce the “Abbey Road” sessions. He managed to broker an uneasy peace between the warring Paul McCartney and John Lennon and helped negotiate a path through the debris to pick out the gems, and unbelievably delivered the most coherent record The Beatles ever produced.

The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus Filmed

The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus was filmed over 18 hours on December 11th and 12th, 1968. Featuring The Rolling Stones, The Who and a Supergroup called Dirty Mac featuring Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and John Lennon amongst others it was due to be shown by the BBC, but Mick Jagger held it back as he was unhappy with their performance. Tragically it would also be the last time Brian Jones would perform with The Rolling Stones, and died in his swimming pool little more that 6 months later.

Paul McCartney Meets John Lennon of The Quarry Men

It was Saturday, July 6th, 1956 and John Lennon’s skiffle group, The Quarry Men, were playing Woolton Village Church Garden Fete. In the audience, lured along by his friend at the promise of lots of pretty girls to chat up, was a 15 year old Paul McCartney.

15 year old Paul McCartney obviously impressed John Lennon when they were introduced and he was soon asked to join, later joined by his friend George Harrison. It was the start of something very special.