John Winston Lennon was born on 9^th October, 1940 in Liverpool, England. His parents Julia and Alfred Lennon separated when he was 4 years old, and he spent the most of his childhood and subsequent years with his Aunt Mimi. Julia visited her son regularly over the years, and introduced him to the world of music.

His mother was also the one who bought him his first guitar in 1956. She died in a car accident when Lennon was 17 years old in July 1958.

Known to be somewhat of a mischief maker during his school years, he ended up at the Liverpool College of Art with the efforts of those who believed in the creative talent they saw in him. He was expelled in his final year owing to disruptive and disrespectful behaviour.

Heavily influenced by Elvis Presley and rock, he formed the skiffle band Quarrymen when he was 15. Lennon met Paul McCartney in 1957 and with him formed one of the most dynamic singer-song writing duos in musical history. Alongside McCartney, they recruited George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best, becoming The Beatles in 1960. The rest of the members all looked up to Lennon, seeing him as a 'hero' of sorts, as he was the oldest, the one with the sharp and acerbic wit.

After being discovered in 1961 by Brian Epstein, they were signed up for a record deal with EMI. They produced their first single Love Me Do in October, 1962.

The Beatles rocketed to fame in the UK during 1963. In 1964, they made a breakthrough in the US, being the first British band to do so, sparking a time period that came to be known as Beatlemania. Beatlemania was characterised by successful tours, raging fans, books and movies, and opened the door to the 'British invasion' of rock bands, as such as The Rolling Stones, Oasis, etc. However, it began to lose some of its footing in 1966 when Lennon made a controversial comment that was regarded as 'anti-Christian' in the US.

In August 1966, they went on a break and returned with the album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club that was met with great critical acclaim. However, the band suffered from a great blow and a general loss of direction with Epstein's death in 1967. Group members begun to diverge in different directions and disbanded officially in 1970 as tensions festered between them.

In 1970, Lennon realised his solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band which contained the track Imagine that has been universally and critically recognised as one of the greatest songs of all time. Lennon, along with his second wife Yoko Ono staged a peaceful protest in bed and recorded Give Peace A Chance in 1969 in regard to the Vietnam War.

The couple separated in 1973 but reconciled in 1974, where Lennon took a break from his musical career to focus on being a better father to his son by Ono, Sean.

In 1980, he re-emerged with the album Double Fantasy. A few weeks later, he was shot by an instable fan in New York City. He died on 8^th December 1980, in Roosevelt Hospital.

His tragic death is still mourned by millions. Lennon is admired by many after his death, who remember him as a rebellious peace advocate, a politically active pacifist who did not backtrack from his beliefs in the face of stronger opponents and a man with commendable musical abilities. The Beatles have been hailed as the band that revolutionisedrock and roll, and gave new meaning to pop music. Lennon was subsequently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and 1994; as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist, respectively.