“John Lennon – the greatest man in the world”

Done by Pavlov Andrey, grade 8

Childhood•Lennon was born in

war-time in England, on 9 October 1940. Throughout of his childhood he lived with his aunt and uncle, Mimi and George Smith, who had no children of their own, at Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue, Woolton.

Youth• Lennon was raised as an

Anglican and attended Dovedale Primary School. From September 1952 to 1957, after passing his Eleven-Plus exam, he attended Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool.

• His mother bought him his first guitar in 1956, an inexpensive Gallotone Champion.

• Lennon failed all his O-level examinations, and was accepted into the Liverpool College of Art only after his aunt and headmaster intervened.

The Beatles• At sixteen, John Lennon formed a

skiffle group called The Quarrymen, in March 1957.

Fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney joined as a guitarist. The band concluded their last Hamburg stint in December 1962. By now it had become the pattern that all four members contributed vocals, although Starr's restricted range meant he rarely sang lead.

• Lennon and McCartney had established a songwriting partnership; as the band's success grew, their celebrated collaboration limited Harrison's opportunities as a lead vocalist. Epstein, sensing their commercial potential, encouraged the group to adopt a professional attitude to performing.

Four members:John LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonRingo Starr

Beatlemania and touring years (1963–1966)

• In the wake of the moderate success of "Love Me Do", "Please Please Me" met with a more emphatic reception, reaching number two on the UK singles chart after its January 1963 release.

• Martin originally intended to record The Beatles' debut LP live at the Cavern Club.

• The band "rushed to deliver a debut album, bashing out Please Please Me in a day" and "Decades after its release, the album still sounds fresh, precisely because of its intense origins”.

1966–70: Studio years, break-up and solo work

• Deprived of the routine of live performances after their final commercial concert on 29 August 1966, Lennon felt lost and considered leaving the band. The anti-war, black comedy How I Won the War, featuring Lennon's only appearance in a non–Beatles' full-length film, was shown in cinemas in October 1967.

• The super group, comprising Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell, also backed a vocal performance by Ono in the film.

• Lennon and Ono were married on 20 March 1969, and soon released a series of 14 lithographs called "Bag One" depicting scenes from their honeymoon, eight of which were deemed indecent and most of which were banned and confiscated.

Death: December, 8 1980• Jose Perdomo, the Dakota's doorman, and a nearby cab driver saw Chapman standing in the shadows by the archway. Ono walked ahead of Lennon and into the reception area. As Lennon passed by, he looked at Chapman briefly and continued on his way. Within seconds, Chapman took aim directly at the center of Lennon's back and fired five hollow-point bullets at him from a Charter Arms .38 Special revolver in rapid succession. Chapman then removed his coat and hat in preparation for the police arrival to show he was not carrying any concealed weapons and sat down on the sidewalk.

• Doorman Perdomo shouted at Chapman, "Do you know what you've done?", to which Chapman calmly replied, "Yes, I just shot John Lennon.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles