John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE, was an English singer-songwriter who gained worldwide fame as one of The Beatles' founding members and formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century together with Paul McCartney. Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved as a teenager in the skiffle craze, his first band, The Quarrymen, evolving into The Beatles in 19. As the group began to disintegrate towards the end of t... hat decade, Lennon launched a solo career that would span the next decade, punctuated by critically acclaimed albums, including John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine." Lennon revealed in his music a rebellious nature and acerbic wit, his wries. He moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in Richard Nixons administration's lengthy attempt to deport him, while the anti-war movement adapted his songs as anthems. Disengaging from the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, Lennon re-emerged with a new single and a comeback album, Double Fantasy, in October 1980, but was killed weeks after their release on the sidewalk outside his home in the Dakota. Ironically, "Imagine" (imagine all people living in peace) was a featured cut from this album. Lennon's album sales alone in the U.S. stand at 14 million units, and as a performer, writer or co-writer he is responsible for 27 singles number one on the U.S. Hot 100 chart. In 2002, he was voted eighth by a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons, and in 2008 Rolling Stone ranked him as the fifth greatest singer ever. In 1987 he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 1994 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.READ MORE