The Stanley family (John’s mother Julia’s maiden name) didn’t like him and felt he was unstable and wouldn’t be a good provider, so he had several strikes against him from the start. This was a large part of his inspiration to leave Liverpool. When she did find out, she kept the information from being made public until 1998 after her adoptive mother passed away. Her name is Ingrid Pedersen and the secret was kept from her for most of her life. (Years later John would try in vain to locate his sister, but she was never found in his lifetime) She would later resurface. The baby, a girl named Victoria, was put up for adoption and sent to Norway. Alfred offered to raise the child and John, but Julia also declined. She wanted the man to move in with her, but he refused unless she divorced Alfred and put John up for adoption, which she refused. In his defense, he did send his checks back, and while he was away from his wife Julia, she had a child by another man, a soldier she met at the dance hall. John bears a powerful resemblance to his father (IMO)Īlfred Lennon was also known for being witty and from what I have read a reasonably good singer. Alfred would resurface after the Beatles became famous to ask John for some money. ((Other sources, claim that John’s parents decided that it was best if Julia raised their child) But if John had gone with his father, musical history would have been significantly different. According to legend, Alfred told John he had to choose between him and his mother. Alfred and John’s mother had a very turbulent marriage, and Alfred moved to New Zealand. He was a merchant marine who was absent for most of Lennon’s childhood. Actually, that is not nice for me to say that But Mr. I say, “Biological father” because I consider the word “sperm donor’ to be a tad disrespectable. Liverpool though, being a port city was an active target during WWII.Īlfred Lennon, John Lennon’s biological father. This was in fact not true, but John’s Aunt Mimi did tell people it was so. Lennon told people that the city was being bombed by the Luftwaffe at the exact moment he was born. John was named after his paternal grandfather and of course, Winston Churchill. Myth and legend can fester into “facts” John Winston Lennon was born on October 9th, 1940 at what was at the time a maternity hospital. I am open to correction especially if you can cite a source.Īs with any famous (or infamous) person. I guess since we are in disclosure mode, I think it is relevant to say that I am not a Beatles or John Lennon historian, I have read a lot of books on the Beatles and also on John Lennon, but if I say anything that doesn’t jibe with your understanding. Beethoven was also a godawful person, and I still get chills listening to the “9th Symphony” I can still appreciate the art, honor the artist and attempt to have a fully realized perspective of the honorable and not-so-honorable. He also wrote brilliant solo songs such as'”Imagine,” “Working class hero,'” “Grow old along with me” and many of the Beatles’ most timeless and beloved songs. There are unsubstantiated stories that he was physically abusive to both of his wives. Lennon had issues with anger-management, drug abuse, and was a pretty terrible father to his son Julian. Voltaire once famously said, “We owe the dead nothing but the truth.” But the truth is only appreciated by seeing the person as a whole, not just the qualities we like and admire. So full disclosure: John Lennon was a brilliant, thoughtful musician who had his share of demons (as we all do). I guess the first thing we should do is address what many people may see as the elephant or gorilla if you will, in the post. I wanted to pull together some pictures from my travels to some of the places we both have visited and to tell a small portion of his life’s story. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of John Lennon.
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