The Life and Times of John Lennon By John Alimena & Jackson Morton

General Info Born October 9th 1940 Assassinated December 8th 1980 An English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the band the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music FUN FACT: He was born during a German air raid in World War 2

Early Life His parents separated at the age of 4, he later left to live with his aunt Mimi Father was a seaman, not very involved in his sons life at all Mother introduced him to music, teaching him how to play the banjo and the piano, later buying him his first guitar His mother was fatally struck by a car in 1958. Her death was one of his most traumatic events in john’s life.

John Lennon & the Beatles Lennon met Paul McCartney at a church fete on July 6, 1957 McCartney introduced George Harrison to Lennon the following year, and Harrison and art college buddy Stuart Sutcliffe also joined Lennon's band. The Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein in 1961 at Liverpool's Cavern Club, where they were performing on a regular basis. Lennon wrote numerous songs for the band including their first single “love me do” which was released in 1962 and reached No. 17 He wrote “please please me” which was their first single to top the charts

Influences In the Beatles Music Lennon was known for realising conventional rock and roll, to quickly coming out with new alternative drug-influenced exotic instrumentation/lyrics and tape abstractions The first sample was the single "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever," followed by the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), considered by many to be the greatest rock project in musical history

Issues within the band By 1968 after the tragic death of their manager Brian Epstein and the failure to gain much popularity from follow up albums issues began to arise, Lennon's artist partnership with second wife Yoko Ono had begun to cause serious tensions within the group Lennon left the Beatles in September 1969, just after the group completed recording Abbey Road.

Solo Career Lennon’s first major breakthrough was his 1971's Imagine, the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed of all Lennon's post-Beatles efforts. The title track was later named No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's "All-Time Best Songs" list In 1972, while battling to stay in America, Lennon performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City to benefit mentally handicapped children and continued to promote peace. It was one of the most influential & politically controversial concerts of the decade He went on to release many successful albums such as Mind Games (1973), Walls and Bridges (1974) and collaborated with many famous musicians such as Elton John

Madison Square Garden Concert Imagine Concert

Assassination After a brief hiatus from the music industry In 1980, John Lennon returned with the album Double Fantasy, featuring the hit single "(Just Like) Starting Over." Tragically, just a few weeks after the album's release, Mark David Chapman, a deranged fan, shot Lennon several times in front of his apartment complex in New York City. Lennon died at New York City's Roosevelt Hospital on December 8, 1980, at the age of 40. <- Mark Chapman

Impact and Social Change of his Death John Lennon’s assassination continues to have a profound impact on pop culture. Following the tragic event, millions of fans worldwide mourned as record sales soared. And Lennon's untimely death still evokes deep sadness around the globe today, as he continues to be admired by new generations of fans.

Music Career’s Impact on Social Change Lived life openly to the public eye Lennon’s song “imagine” has become an international anthem for peace Lennon has made controversial statements such as “We are famous than Jesus now” which was the first major acknowledgement of pop cultures influence on mass population. Keys to stoking popular opinion on the war in vietnam

explain how John Lennon's music evokes feelings and emotions toward real world social issues today? Discussion Question