including 3 time winner of Chicago and New York Beatlemania
Competitions
British Export
Roots and
Rhythms is an attempt to present entertainers/music that has had
significant impact on our American culture. Often the
presentations are once in a lifetime opportunities for the public to
see such people.
Past presentations have
included such greats as John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers, David "Honeyboy"
Edwards, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger, Laura
Love, David & Linda Laflamme, Jefferson Starship, and Johnny Dyer.
In
2011 the Series begins a new emphasis, presenting music and performers that
made significant contributions to American Music in the 1960s.
We begin this new emphasis by presenting
the works of former Beatle, John Lennon.
John Winston (later Ono) Lennon
was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England. In the mid-1950s he
formed his first band, The Quarrymen who, with the addition of
Paul McCartney
and
George Harrison,
later became
The Beatles.
After some years of performing in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany,
"Beatlemania" erupted in
1963 after the release of their singles
"Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me". The next year the Beatles flew to
America to appear on
"The Ed Sullivan Show"
and Beatlemania spread worldwide.
John and the Beatles continued to tour and
perform live until 1966, when protests over his calling the Beatles
phenomenon "more popular than Jesus" and the frustrations of touring made
the band decide to quit the road. They devoted themselves to studio work,
releasing albums such as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Magical
Mystery Tour" and the "White Album".
In the late 1960s John began performing and
making albums with his second wife
Yoko Ono,
as the Beatles began to break up.
After the release of John's biggest hit,
"Imagine", they moved to the US, where John was nearly deported because of
his political views.
Lennon was murdered by
Mark David Chapman,
a onetime Beatles fan angry and jealous over John's ongoing career.
Follow the links at the left to find out about upcoming presentations.
John Winston (later Ono) Lennon
was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England. In the mid-1950s he
formed his first band, The Quarrymen who, with the addition of
Paul McCartney
and
George Harrison,
later became
The Beatles.
After some years of performing in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany,
"Beatlemania" erupted in
1963 after the release of their singles
"Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me". The next year the Beatles flew to
America to appear on
"The Ed Sullivan Show"
and Beatlemania spread worldwide.
John and the Beatles continued to tour and
perform live until 1966, when protests over his calling the Beatles
phenomenon "more popular than Jesus" and the frustrations of touring made
the band decide to quit the road. They devoted themselves to studio work,
releasing albums such as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Magical
Mystery Tour" and the "White Album".
In the late 1960s John began performing and
making albums with his second wife
Yoko Ono,
as the Beatles began to break up.
After the release of John's biggest hit,
"Imagine", they moved to the US, where John was nearly deported because of
his political views.
Lennon was murdered by
Mark David Chapman,
a onetime Beatles fan angry and jealous over John's ongoing career.
