R.I.P. John Lennon

Today is the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death, a very sad anniversary indeed. John Lennon was one of the Beatles, a very popular British band in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, they were the biggest band when I was in high school

I remember the first time I heard a Beatles' song. It was "I Want To Hold Your Hand."  When I first heard it on the radio in January 1965, I couldn't believe what a fabulous band this was. I was a freshman in high school; John F. Kennedy, our president, had just been murdered in November. Everyone needed something to be happy and excited about. The Beatles were just what we needed.

The Beatles were a huge hit in Great Britain and in Europe. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was their first single and first album released in America. In February 1965, the band came to the United States and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, a Sunday night variety show. Teenagers all over were glued to their black-and-white TV sets to watch them perform. Their style was called "mod," for modern. They had longer hair than most boys had, with long bangs. Girls would scream and faint at their concerts. They were the beginning of the British invasion of bands such as the Rolling Stones.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney (the cute Beatle) wrote most of the bands songs. Lennon and McCartney were an extremely prolific song writing team. The other Beatles were George Harrison (the quiet Beatle, who died a few years ago from a brain tumor) and Ringo Starr, the drummer who wore lots of rings. John was the intellectual; he wrote poetry and drew pictures. He had been an art student. The Beatles were always innovative. Everything they did was so different from what they had done previously. They introduced the Western world to the Indian music of Ravi Shankar. 

When the Beatles split up in the 1970s, they each continued music on their own. John met and married a Japanese artist, Yoko Ono, and became a peace activist. They lived in New York City. Paul and his wife Linda made many songs for movies and other activities. George worked with people such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison. Ringo worked in movies and other endeavors.

Thirty years ago, as John and his wife walked home from dinner in New York City, a deranged fan shot and killed John. The world was in shock. We had lost a great artist and visionary. One of his most famous songs is "Imagine." You should look up the lyrics and read them. We would like to live in such a world that he imagined. Rest in Peace, John.