Important Dates in John Lennon’s Post-Beatles Career


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1970-Releases John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, one of the most powerful and influential records in
rock history.  It is a sparse album featuring only bass (Klaus Voormann), drums (Ringo) and piano
(Billy Preston) dealing with painful topics like the loss of his mother, father, and the Beatles.


1971-Releases the album Imagine, featuring the extremely popular title song. The album features an
anti-McCartney song called “How Do You Sleep,” on which George Harrison plays a mean slide guitar.


1972-Becomes active in the antiwar movement and permanently moves to New York City.


1973-Splits with Yoko, lives with May Pang (Yoko’s assistant) moves to Los Angeles and parties it
up with Ringo and other friends.


1974-Reunites with Yoko, and plays at what will be his final concert, with Elton John at Madison
Square Garden in New York on November 28.


1975-On October 9—his 35^th birthday—Yoko gives birth to their son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon.


1976-1979- Stays out of the public eye in order to raise Sean with Yoko. Travels to Japan to meet
Yoko’s family, vacations in the Bahamas. Finally receives his Green Card after being hunted and
harassed by the U.S. government for many years.


1980-Records and releases Double Fantasy, a very successful album with Yoko. He achieves several #1
hits including “(Just Like) Starting Over,” “Woman,” and “Beautiful Boy” about Sean.


December 8, 1980-While returning home from a recording session with Yoko, John Lennon is shot and
killed by a deranged “fan” outside the Dakota apartment building in New York City.


1981-present: Yoko releases much of John’s music posthumously, including a four-CD box set of
outtakes and alternate versions. She is the “keeper of the flame” when it comes to his music.


2006- The U.S. vs. John Lennon is released, a film detailing how the U.S. Government and President
Richard Nixon went after John and Yoko, finding them a “threat.” Definitely worth watching.


2007-present. A survey of musicians in Performing Songwriter magazine names “Imagine” the best song
ever written; John Lennon’s self-portrait image is everywhere, including a license plate in
Florida!


                              A few famous John Lennon tribute songs:

                           George Harrison: “All Those Years Ago” (1981)

                                Paul McCartney: “Here Today” (1982)

                                 Elton John: “Empty Garden” (1982)

                          Paul Simon: “The Late Great Johnny Ace” (1983)