The childhood of the future Beatle
John Winston Lennon is the name given to a boy born in Liverpool on October 9, 1940. Lennon's mother Julia was effectively a single mother, since the boy's father Alfred did not live with his family.
When Julia met her second husband, John was given to her sister to raise. The boy moved in with Mimi Smith at the age of four.
The mother rarely visited her son; she was more likely to be friends with him than to carry out parental responsibilities. John did very poorly at school. By nature, the boy was endowed with high intelligence, but due to boredom and routine duties, he was incapable of science.
But in his creativity, John realized himself to the fullest. He sang in a choir ensemble, was an excellent painter, studied journalism, and independently taught himself to play various instruments.
The roaring 50s became real rock and roll years. Everyone, young and old, sought to create their own groups and ensembles. John also got excited about the idea of his own musical project. He invited school friends to join the group “The Quarrymen”.
A year later, the group received “new blood” in the person of a boy from another school. This is how Paul McCartney joined the team. George Harrison also joined the ensemble with him.
School ended, and John Lennon still couldn't pass his final tests. He was not accepted into any college except art. By that time, the group already had Paul, George and newcomer Stuart Sutcliffe playing in the group. The name of the group created by Lennon changed several times until the abbreviation “The Beatles” came out.
He would have turned 71 - rare photos of John Lennon
John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool. A truly great musician and poet, a man who changed this world. He is respected by fans of various musical genres. People who are generally far from music know about him. And this does not depend on generation. He left an indelible mark on history and culture. And it is not just words. Today he would have turned 71 years old. Probably if he were alive he would continue to create. But even after living for only 39 years, he left us a huge legacy. So today let's look at rare photographs of John Lennon and remember this genius, because as long as a man is remembered, he remains alive
Lennon with his mother Julia and his beloved dog in the second photo. John's parents separated shortly after his birth. When Julia Lennon found another man, four-year-old John was taken in by his maternal aunt Mimi Smith. 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: “The guitar is a nice 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.
John's first band was The Quarrymen, named after the school he all attended. In the photo from left to right: George Harrison, here he is only 14 years old, John Lennon - 16 and Paul McCartney - 15. Initially, the group included only Lennon's school friends Peter Shotton and Eric Griffiths, but in 1957 he took Paul and then Harrison. In August 1960, the group was renamed The Beatles.
And this photograph was kept in a closet for almost fifty years and was discovered by BBC documentarians. It shows John Lennon standing next to Quarrymen manager Nigel Whalley on Lime Street in Liverpool.
John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney before the performance
John Lennon snorts coca on the set of A Hard Days Night
Lennon and McCartney in a very informal setting
John Lennon with his wife Cynthia, George Harrison with his wife Pattie Boyd, Paul McCartney with his friend Jane Asher and Ringo Starr with their “Guru” Maharishi Mahesh during their fascination with India.
John Lennon and his wife Cynthia at a nightclub in New York on February 11, 1964.
John Lennon gets his hair cut short by German hairdresser Klaus Baruck for the film How I Won the War
Michael Crawford and John Lennon on the set of How I Won the War. Lennon never served in the army, but he had to try on the uniform of a British soldier during filming
Lennon and Mick Jagger in New York. Despite the fact that they played in rival bands, their relationship was quite friendly
John Lennon with son Julian
The song Hey Jude was dedicated to Julian Lennon, who was having a hard time with his parents' divorce.
Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol and John Lennon
Photos of John and his wife Yoko taken at their country home in Ascot, Berkshire, shortly before the couple moved to America
John Lennon with son Sean
While recording in the studio with Yko Ono
Runs away from a fan during a concert
John Lennon on Bankstreet in New York in 1971
Lennon with his son Julian and his new wife Yko Ono
On December 8, 1980, Leibovitz photographed Lennon for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. After several attempts to take a single portrait of Lennon (what the magazine wanted from the photographer), the musician insisted that both he and his wife Yoko Ono be on the cover. She asked John to take off his clothes and cuddle up to Yoko. The photographer herself recalls it this way: “Yoko asked if she needed to take off at least the top part of her clothes, and I answered no, she didn’t, not yet understanding what exactly the image should be like. When John hugged her, it looked amazingly strong. It was like she was cold and he was warming her up. The first test on Polaroid delighted them both. John said: “In this shot you showed our relationship exactly as it is. Promise me he'll be on the cover." I looked into his eyes and realized that the deal was done.” This is probably the last photo of John Lennon. Five hours after this shooting he was killed.
Photo from the personal archive of John Lennon
Till tomorrow!
The Beatles: formation
If earlier young guys did covers of popular hits, then in the 60s they began to write their own songs. In Liverpool, the Beatles, and that’s what they were called everywhere except in their homeland, were already quite famous at that moment. Subsequently, the Beatles appeared in Hamburg. At first they were invited to play only in nightclubs.
The image of the Beatles at the dawn of their formation was no different from the image of other rock groups. They wore hair like Elvis and dressed in leather.
The group received a new image with the arrival of Brian Epstein. He came up with the Beatles' signature style.
Changes occurred in 1961. At the same time, the group “lost” one of its members. Stuart Sutcliffe settled in German lands with a photographer and simply beautiful girl Astrid Kircher, to whom, by the way, the Beatles owe their fashionable hairstyles.
Now the style of the boy rock band was laconic and formal. Strict suits and professional behavior on stage greatly distinguished the Beatles from the standard rock ensembles of the time.
Expected success
When the Beatles performed at the Royal Concert Hall, success came to them. There, John Lennon uttered his catchphrase that those who sit in “expensive” seats can jingle their fancy jewelry rather than clap.
After the first singles and records, England and the whole world were gripped by Beatlemania. Lennon became a superstar, and also remained the ideological inspirer of the group.
For many years, all members of the Beatles literally worked their butts off. Their life was spent on tour, and their life lived out of suitcases. In 1967, the ensemble completed its tour. The main activity of the musicians was recording records.
It was then that John lost interest in working with Paul, Ringo, and also George. Before this, young people came up with new songs together.
Lennon left his post as the group's mastermind and began solo projects in his own style.
The Beatles broke up in 1970. The last two years of work were marred by serious disagreements in the team.
Surprisingly, sales of the group’s albums only increased after the musicians stopped collaborating.
The Lennon case: why the legendary Beatle was actually killed
Bullets over Manhattan
This year has been a special one for John Lennon.
The Beatles had already broken up by that time, which was a consequence of the contradictions that had accumulated in the group: Lennon and McCartney fought for leadership, and solo experiments began. In addition, John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono began to come to the Beatles' rehearsals. Until now, many fans blame her for the breakup of the group - she had too much influence on John. Together they were engaged in artistic creativity and music, organized high-profile actions for world peace, and after the breakup of the Beatles, they left for New York - there Yoko could be closer to her daughter from her first marriage.
Their common child with John, son Sean, was also born in New York. After this, a period of reclusion began for Lennon; he did not release new songs for five years and broke this pause in 1980 by recording the entire album Double Fantasy. This work was highly praised by critics, and Beatles fans rejoiced, awaiting the group's reunion. John himself was inspired and full of strength.
Everything ended overnight. On December 8, 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrived from the recording studio to the fashionable Dakota house in Manhattan, where they lived. John got out of the limousine after his wife and followed her, loaded with a tape recorder and cassettes. Then five shots rang out. Blood, screams, the sound of broken glass... An ambulance arrived with lightning speed, but Lennon could no longer be saved - he had lost 80 percent of his blood.
The police arrived literally a minute later. They didn’t have to catch the killer: Mark Chapman remained at the crime scene. He sat down on the asphalt under a streetlight and began reading his favorite book, Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye.
“He was an icon. I killed him because he was very, very, very famous and that's the only reason. And I was very, very, very much looking for fame and being selfish,” Chapman explained his action.
However, some researchers are confident that the killer did not act alone. Thus, American crime journalist Fenton Bresler conducted his own independent investigation and suggested that Chapman could be a recruited agent of the American intelligence services. In his book “The Assassination of John Lennon,” he wrote that the CIA, even before the war, had developed a method of hypnotic control over people carrying out their special missions. It is quite possible that this was exactly the state Mark Chapman was in.
Moreover, the intelligence services were actively interested in the activities of John Lennon. So, back in 1973, the musician admitted that he noticed surveillance near his house, and was also sure that his conversations were being monitored. The American authorities did not like the influence he had on young people. In addition, Lennon openly opposed the Vietnam War, calling the Pentagon a “brothel of aggression” and the generals “bouncers.”
British intelligence was also interested in the musician when he began giving money to the British Labor Party and Irish nationalists. In general, many people found the politically active John Lennon inconvenient. “My husband was killed... It’s not hard to guess why,” said Yoko Ono.
But whether anyone participated in organizing the crime of the century is still unknown. Officially, one person has been identified as the killer: Mark Chapman. His trial lasted only one day, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
He achieved what he dreamed of - world fame. But he became famous as a symbol of a nonentity who was jealous of his bright and strong talent. Next to the eternally young and eternal genius John Lennon.
Larisa PLAKHINA
Lennon solo
"Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins" is Lennon's first solo project, recorded two years before the band officially disbanded. John's personal album did not contain songs familiar to the human ear. Psychedelic screams and laments accompanied by unusual music raised many questions among fans. And the album itself was recorded in just one night.
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - John's second solo album already contained songs he had written. This record practically became a hit. The subsequent “Imagine” repeated the success of the Beatles, breaking popularity records.
Lennon's musical solo work was subsequently marked by five more albums, as well as a couple of collections and several recordings of concerts.
In addition to music, John was involved in directing and tried his hand at acting. He played in the following films:
- "Hard day's Night";
- "So be it";
- “How I won the war”;
- And many other tapes.
His own directing was aimed at social films with political overtones. John also showed himself as a poet, publishing three collections of poems and puns.
Solo career
John Lennon recorded his first independent album in 1968 and called it “Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins.” Yoko Ono also took part in the work on this disc. It was a psychedelic musical experiment that was recorded in one night. There are no songs on this record; it consists of a fragmentary set of sounds, screams and moans. The following works “Wedding Album” and “Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions” are in a similar vein.
The first "song" album was John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, released in 1970. And the next album, “Imagine,” released a year later, practically repeated the success of the last albums of “The Beatles.” The title song became the singer's signature song and is still considered one of the anti-political and anti-religious anthems.
In Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the song was ranked #3.
Subsequently, John Lennon released 5 more studio albums, several collections and concert recordings.
Lennon's life off stage and on tour
In 1962, Lennon took the burden of marriage onto his creative shoulders for the first time. He married a girl, Cynthia Powell. A year later, the couple had a boy, Julian.
Five years later, Cynthia left Lennon. The reason was his endless tours and everything that was connected with them. A year later, the couple divorced.
In 1966, John accidentally met artist Yoko Ono. Their first meeting took place at an exhibition of the Japanese woman Yoko, who painted paintings in the avant-garde style.
Two years later, Yoko and Lennon officially got married. They maintained a very close relationship throughout their entire life together. Yoko and John even wrote songs together. In 1975, their son Sean was born into their family. That's when Lennon left his own solo career.
About personal
When the musician entered art college, he began a relationship with fellow student Cynthia Powell, who later became his wife. They had a son, Julian. But the marriage was very shaky, since John was constantly on tour, and his wife spent her days alone. Fame fell on Lennon, which Cynthia could not cope with; she could not put up with her husband’s constant infidelities and drug addiction and left him.
While still married, John met the avant-garde Japanese artist Yoko Ono, with whom he fell in love. He found everything in her.
He believed that they had one soul for two bodies and this love gave the musician another life. Soon the couple had a son, Sean.
How did the celebrity die?
At the end of the 80s, Lennon released another album, which became his last. So on December 8 of the same year he gave an interview for a magazine in New York. Afterward, Lennon generously signed autographs for fans on the street. Among the crowd was his killer, Mark Chapman. The young guy also asked the singer for an autograph. Mark then quietly followed Lennon and Yoko to their home.
When the Lennon couple had already entered the arch in front of their own entrance, Chapman shot the singer in the back several times. Yoko managed to call an ambulance, but the doctors were unable to help Lennon because the singer had lost a lot of blood. On this day, John Lennon was killed by a fanatic who indicated the reason for his action only during the investigation. Chapman said he dreamed of becoming as popular as Lennon.
The killer of the Beatles founder received a life sentence. The idol was cremated. His wife scattered the singer's ashes in New York's Central Park. Thus the era of the Beatles finally ended.
Afterwards, other members of the group tried to perform together, but they did not gain their former popularity. Lennon will forever remain in the memory of fans as the spiritual leader of the Beatles. His human phenomenon still raises many questions today.
In 2002, Liverpool authorities renamed the main airport in honor of the singer.
After Lennon's death, monuments, busts and walls of memory bearing his name were erected around the world.
Biography of John Lennon
In March 1957, Lennon and his school friends formed the band The QuarryMen, named after the school they all attended, Quarry Bank Grammar School. On July 6, 1957, a month after his first audition, Lennon met guitarist Paul McCartney at a party held in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton. It was on this evening, according to Lennon, that the idea of creating The Beatles was born. In March 1958, McCartney convinced John to accept George Harrison into the group. Until 1960, The Beatles were known only in Liverpool and played mainly arrangements of popular American songs. In the summer of 1960, the group's first foreign performances took place in Hamburg. In April 1961, during their second tour in Hamburg, their first professional recording took place - as an accompanying ensemble for singer Tony Sheridan, the group recorded the single My Bonnie. While working in the studio, Lennon recorded one of his first songs, Aint She Sweet. At the same time, the group first appeared before the public with new hairstyles - hair combed over the forehead and ears, and wearing jackets without collars or lapels.
In Germany, the first contract was signed for the group consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best, who was the group's drummer at that time.
In October 1962, with new drummer Ringo Starr and producer George Martin, the band released their first single, Love Me Do, which reached No. 17 in the UK charts.
Inspired by American singer Roy Orbison, Lennon wrote the next single, Please Please Me, which topped the charts in the UK.
In August 1963, The Beatles released their single She Loves You. This event marked the beginning of a national and worldwide boom in popularity that moved beyond the musical and cultural phenomenon into the social and political sphere.
From 1963 to 1971, The Beatles released 13 studio albums, which included 211 songs.
The group has won ten Grammy music awards. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, The Beatles are the most financially successful music group in the United States. In the UK, the group's albums occupied the first line of the music charts more often than other artists. The American magazine Rolling Stone ranked The Beatles first in its list of the greatest performers of all time. The Beatles also topped Billboard's list of the most successful bands of all time.
By 1965, Lennon and McCartney were no longer writing songs together, although under the terms of the contract (and by mutual agreement) the song of each of them was considered a joint work.
In June 1965, “for their outstanding contribution to the prosperity of Great Britain,” Queen Elizabeth II awarded The Beatles the Order of the British Empire (in 1969, Lennon returned his order, citing British support for the Vietnam War).
In 1966, John Lennon found himself at the center of a scandal, declaring in an interview: “We are already more popular than Jesus Christ.” The phrase led to widespread outrage among the American public, accompanied by the burning of the band's records across the country, and after some time Lennon was forced to apologize to everyone whose feelings he had offended.
In 1967, the later famous composition A Day in the Life was written, the only thing the group composed of two completely different songs - one written by Lennon, the other by McCartney.
In August 1967, The Beatles producer Brian Epstein died and McCartney actually took over the leadership of the group. This change hurt Lennon, and disagreements began.
In 1966, Lennon met Japanese artist and musician Yoko Ono, whom he married in 1969 after his divorce from Cynthia.
This event largely predetermined the future fate of the musician, changing his worldview. The newlyweds immediately began a campaign for peace, trying to attract public attention; Lennon composed the song Give Peace a Chance, which later became the pacifist anthem.
In September 1969, Lennon left the Beatles immediately after recording the Abbey Road album. News of the breakup was kept secret until McCartney announced his departure in April 1970, the month before the band released the single Let It Be, recorded just before Abbey Road.
John Lennon, together with his wife and a number of invited musicians (Klaus Wurmann, Eric Clapton, Andy White, etc.) created the Plastic Ono Band. One of John's best solo albums was the album Imagine, recorded in the summer of 1971, which instantly took the top line in the charts in England and the USA.
In 1971, John Lennon left for the United States and settled in New York, where he was actively involved in political activities; the presidential administration took a number of actions to deport the singer from the country.
In October 1974, his album Walls And Bridges appeared, and in 1975, Rock'n'Roll was released, which included songs that the Beatles sang before their fame.
On April 18, 1975, John Lennon made his last public appearance.
After the birth of his son Sean on October 9, 1975, Lennon announced his retirement from music. His next album, Double Fantasy, appeared only in 1980.
On December 8, 1980, near his home in New York, John Lennon was fatally shot by his mentally ill fan, Mark David Chapman, to whom he had autographed a Double Fantasy record just hours earlier.
On December 14, 1980, tens of millions of people around the world observed ten minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon. The urn containing John Lennon's ashes is buried in New York. Mark David Chapman was sentenced to life imprisonment. After 20 years in prison, he applied for early release five times, but was refused each time “for reasons of public safety and peace.”
John Lennon was awarded an Oscar (1971) for best music and original screenplay for the film Let It Be, and a Grammy (1971, 1997).
In 2002, a monument to the musician was unveiled at the Liverpool airport, which bears the name of John Lennon.
On October 9, 2009, John Lennon's birthday, a lunar crater located in the Lake of Dreams was named the John Lennon World Crater.
In December 2013, one of the craters on Mercury was named after Lennon.
John Lennon was married twice. Married to Cynthia Powell, he had a son, Julian (born in 1963), who became a singer and musician. Married to Yoko Ono, their son Sean (born in 1975) was born; he also followed in his father’s footsteps and became a singer, composer and musician.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Lennon: amazing facts
There are many amazing facts associated with the life of the legendary John Lennon. For example, the following can be said about his life:
- Lennon was born right during the German bombing of Liverpool;
- In 1966, one of his statements offended all Christians. The church only forgave him in 2008;
- For a while, Don Lennon was a drug addict. Then he managed to overcome his addiction with the help of meditation;
- Lennon was dissatisfied with almost all of the Beatles' songs, as well as with his own voice, because Paul sang more than he did;
- John's relationship with Yoko was not cloudless; he left the family several times;
- The entire Beatles team was fond of vegetarianism for a long time, but John remained a meat eater;
- The singer hated war and actively advocated a peaceful sky for the whole world;
- As a child, Lennon was briefly a Boy Scout, but was not very successful;
- Since 1971, the singer became a resident of New York, and never again visited his homeland in Liverpool;
- John's oddity was that he loved sleeping in empty coffins;
- Lennon also selflessly loved to play Monopoly. I always had a pocket version of the game with me, and even played it on airplanes;
- After the accident in 1969, John never drove a car again.
An asteroid, as well as streets in various cities, were named after the most famous Beatle. In 2010, in the UK, Lennon's image was placed on the five pound coin. The singer was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The unheard-of popularity of a guy who couldn’t even finish school properly undoubtedly amazed the whole world. The songs he wrote are rightfully considered the best among all the Beatles' songs. Even Lennon's solo career was a stunning success.
John Lennon was the soul of the Beatles, he led the group, leading it to the top and success. Lennon at one time was able to do what other rock bands could not do. He came up with the concept and made his group the most recognizable music brand in the world. Only a truly very talented and gifted person could pull this off. Therefore, John Lennon is called an excellent strategist, a genius of his time, they attribute hidden subtext to his talent and actions, and they still idolize him and his work.
Lennon is a creator
What many people know about John is that he created the most popular band of all time and was an excellent musician. But he was extraordinarily talented and showed himself in other forms.
John starred in films, for example, “A Hard Day’s Night,” “To the Rescue,” “How I Won the War,” etc.
Together with his wife Yoko, John was involved in directing; they shot various films dedicated to political and social themes.
Lennon also took up writing back in the 60s, and by 1986 he had already published three novels: “I Write as It’s Spelled,” “The Wanderer on the Wheel,” and “Oral Skywriting.” These are stories with the author's characteristic manner of sprinkling black humor, puns and playing with words.
