Brief biography of John Lennon

John Lennon was born in October 1940, during a German air raid on the Oxford Street maternity hospital, London. During his childhood, he saw little of his father, Freddie, who went AWOL while serving in the Navy. For several years, John was raised by his mother’s sister, Mimi.

In his early years, John was a mischievous student, who would be quick to get the micky out of teachers and other students. As a teenager, he got his first guitar and spent many hours playing it. His aunt Mimi used to say regularly:

“The guitar is all very well, John, but you will never live on it.”

After the Beatles were famous, John handed Mimi a silver platter made from this.

In the late 1950s, John formed a rock group called the Quarry Men Skiffle Band. This was the forerunner of the Beatles. In 1957 he met and formed a successful musical partnership with Paul McCartney. They complemented each other very well. Lennon focused on the more satirical aspects and McCartney veered towards the more upbeat, light-hearted qualities. Lennon was considered the leader of the Beatles, due to his superior age and also his musical abilities. However, it was McCartney who persuaded Lennon to allow George Harrison into the band as lead guitarist.

The Beatles’ first concert was at the Cavern club in Liverpool on March 21, 1961. After being turned down by many record labels, they finally signed a deal with Parlophone in 1962. During the Beatles’ huge success, during the 1960s John Lennon was often the figurehead of the group, although they maintained that the group’s decisions were democratic.

John Lennon was no stranger to controversy. In the early 1960s, he made an offhand comment about Jesus that led to a controversy among the group. John Lennon said that “the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ”. He claimed that this was a mere observation, which was probably true in England. However, it led to a boycott among Christians in the Deep South. There was also a wave of record burnings, although Lennon wryly commented that in order to burn them they had to buy them first.

John Lennon’s solo career

By 1969 the Beatles had started to break up, it was John Lennon who was the main factor behind this. After 1970, John Lennon created a very successful solo career, often with the help of his second wife, Yoko Ono. In the early 1970s, John Lennon also became a figurehead of the anti-war movement. His song “Give Peace a Chance” became an anthem for the anti-war movement. Because of his anti-war stance, the Nixon administration tried to have him deported, but after a long fight he was able to get a green card in 1976. His song “Imagine” has also become a tremendously influential song. ; it was voted the most popular song by the British public.

John Lennon was shot to death in 1980 by David Chapman, an obsessed fan. The death shocked the world, both musical and non-musical.