John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon, (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), was best known as a singer, songwriter, poet and guitarist for The Beatles. His creative career also included the roles of solo musician, political activist, artist, actor and author. As half of the legendary Lennon-McCartney songwriting team, he heavily influenced the development of rock music, leading it towards more serious and political messages.

Memorial

A crowd gathered outside the Dakota the night of Lennon's death. Ono sent word that their singing kept her awake and asked that they re-convene in Central Park the following Sunday, for ten minutes of silent prayer (see also the 1980 Central Park Vigil - Tribute to John Lennon). Her request for a silent gathering was honoured all over the world.

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December 9, 1980, Bruce Springsteen at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA noted after hearing of Lennon's death "It's a hard night to come out and play but there's nothing else you can do." He ended the show with a spirited performance of "Twist and Shout".

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A special commemorative issue of Rolling Stone magazine released shortly after the murder featured as its cover a photo taken the morning of the shooting by Annie Leibovitz showing a nude Lennon in an embryonic pose kissing a fully clothed Ono.

Related Topics:
Rolling Stone - Annie Leibovitz - Embryo

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Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel remembered Lennon in their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park, performing a song titled "The Late Great Johnny Ace". (Johnny Ace had been a promising singer-songwriter, who had also died tragically, in the 1950s.) Simon and Garfunkel had tried recording in the 1970s with Lennon and Harry Nilsson; their one session together had unfortunately yielded no results.

Related Topics:
Paul Simon - Art Garfunkel - 1981 - Johnny Ace - 1950s - Harry Nilsson

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The Strawberry Fields Memorial was constructed in Central Park across the street from the Dakota, in memory of Lennon. (When George Harrison died in 2001, people congregated on the "Imagine" mosaic circle in Strawberry Fields.)

Related Topics:
Strawberry Fields Memorial - George Harrison - 2001

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In 1988, Warner Bros. produced a documentary film, ' (sanctioned in part by Yoko Ono). The movie was a biography of the former Beatle, featuring interviews, rarely seen musical material, and narration by Lennon himself (formed from interviews and tapes recorded by Lennon). It also introduced "Real Love", one of the last songs composed by Lennon, in an early demo (a later demo would form the basis for the version rehashed by The Beatles for The Beatles Anthology). The following year, at an auction of Beatles memorabilia, Lennon's jukebox was sold at Christie's for 2,500 pounds. The Mellotron that Lennon used to record, amongst other songs, "Strawberry Fields Forever", is currently owned by Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails.

Related Topics:
1988 - Warner Bros. - Demo - The Beatles Anthology - Following year - Auction - Lennon's jukebox - Christie's - Mellotron - Trent Reznor - Nine Inch Nails

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Specially selected radio stations aired a syndicated series called The Lost Lennon Tapes in 1990. Hosted by Lennon publicist Elliot Mintz, the show spotlighted raw sessions from throughout Lennon's career with and without The Beatles, including rare material never released to the public. During the concert on September 21, 2001, Neil Young (an avowed devotee of Lennon) sang "Imagine."

Related Topics:
The Lost Lennon Tapes - 1990 - Elliot Mintz - September 21 - 2001 - Neil Young

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In 1995, the band Oasis released a song called "Don't Look Back in Anger", from their second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. The piano at the beginning of the song is taken from "Imagine".

Related Topics:
1995 - Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Imagine

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In October 2000 John Lennon Museum was opened in Ono's hometown Saitama, Japan, to preserve knowledge of his works and career.

Related Topics:
2000 - John Lennon Museum - Saitama - Japan

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In March, 2002, his native city, Liverpool, honoured his memory by renaming their airport "Liverpool John Lennon Airport," and adopting as its motto a line from his song "Imagine": "Above us only sky". In the same year, Lennon was voted 8th by the British public in the "100 Greatest Britons" poll run by the BBC. BBC History Magazine commented that his "generational influence is immense."

Related Topics:
2002 - Liverpool - Liverpool John Lennon Airport - Imagine - 100 Greatest Britons - BBC

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On October 31, 1994, Phish, a jam band, paid tribute to Lennon and the Beatles by covering The Beatles album (also known as the White Album).

Related Topics:
1994 - Phish - Jam band - The Beatles

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In 2004 Madonna paid tribute to Lennon by singing a cover of "Imagine" during her anti-war themed "Re-Invention World Tour." Also in 2004, A Perfect Circle recorded a cover of "Imagine" on their album eMOTIVe.

Related Topics:
2004 - Madonna - Imagine - A Perfect Circle - EMOTIVe

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In 2005, a musical titled Lennon was shown for the first time in San Francisco. It received a very lacklustre response from theatre critics and Beatles fans alike.

Related Topics:
2005 - Musical - San Francisco

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In 2005, Cowboy Junkies covered "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier" on their anti-war album, "Early 21st Century Blues".

Related Topics:
2005 - Cowboy Junkies - Early 21st Century Blues

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John Lennon Park was built in Cuba as a memorial to the musician.

Related Topics:
John Lennon Park - Cuba

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Lennon's son with Cynthia, Julian Lennon, enjoys a notable recording career of his own, as does his son with Yoko, Sean Lennon.

Related Topics:
Julian Lennon - Sean Lennon

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Throughout his solo career, Lennon appeared on his own albums (as well as those of other artists like Elton John) under such pseudonyms as Dr. Winston O'Boogie, Mel Torment (a play on singer Mel Tormé), and The Reverend Fred Gherkin.

Related Topics:
Elton John - Pseudonym - Mel Tormé

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A biographical Broadway musical titled Lennon will premiere at New York City?s Broadhurst Theater on August 14, 2005. Written and directed by Don Scardino from Lennon's own words in interviews and songs, Lennon features nine diverse actors and actresses portraying the singer-songwriter at various stages in his life backed by an onstage 10-piece band. The play was produced with the endorsement of Yoko Ono, who gave permission for the production to use two unpublished Lennon songs, India, India and I Don't Want to Lose You, and who attended preview performances of the show at New York City's Broadhurst Theater on August 5 & 6, 2005. the Musical had been premiered in San Francisco to poor reviews and subsequently reworked, to a much better reception.

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