John Lennon
Friday, May 9, 2008 3:51 pm posted by Admin (58 views)
John Lennon Biography
Background information
Birth name: John Winston Lennon
Born: 9 October 1940(1940-10-09)
Liverpool, England
Died: 8 December 1980 (aged 40)
New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s): Rock, pop, experimental
Occupation(s): Singer-songwriter, Musician, Poet, Artist, Peace activist
Instrument(s): Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Bass guitar, Vocals
Years active: 1957 – 1975, 1980
Label(s): Parlophone, Capitol, Apple, EMI, Geffen
Associated acts: The Beatles
Plastic Ono Band
The Dirty Mac
Website www.johnlennon.com
Source: wikipedia.org
While in the Beatles, Lennon displayed an outspokenness that immersed the band in controversy and helped redefine the rules of acceptable behavior for rock stars. He famously remarked in 1965 that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” - a statement that was more an observation than a boast, but that resulted in the band’s records being burned and removed from radio station playlists in the U.S. He criticized America’s involvement in Vietnam, and, as the Sixties progressed, he became an increasingly important symbol of the burgeoning counterculture.
Source: johnlennon.com
1980: John Lennon shot dead
Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician’s New York apartment.
The 40-year-old was shot several times as he entered the Dakota, his luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West
Side, opposite Central Park, at 2300 local time.
He was rushed in a police car to St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he died.
His wife, Yoko Ono, who is understood to have witnessed the attack, was with him.
In Context
John Lennon was shot four times in the back by Mark Chapman who had asked the former Beatle for his autograph only hours before he laid in wait and killed him.
Chapman pleaded guilty to gunning down Mr Lennon and is currently serving life in Attica prison near New York. In October
2004 he failed for the third time to secure his release.
He said he had heard voices in his head telling him to kill the world-famous musician.
Twenty years after his death millions of fans paid tribute to Mr Lennon in his home town of Liverpool and in New York.
His widow launched a campaign against gun violence in the United States to mark the anniversary.
Source: bbc.co.uk
JOHN LENNON REMEMBERED: BIGGER THAN JESUS
On 4th March, 1966 the Evening Standard published an interview between Maureen Cleave and John Lennon entitled How Does A
Beatle Live? In the course of a description of The Beatles and their everyday life in Weybridge, Cleave quoted Lennon as saying:
“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that. I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first - rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.”
Source: bbc.co.uk
