The Beatles started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Paul McCartney ballad ‘Yesterday’ giving the group their tenth US No.1. The track was not released as a single in the UK until 1976.
Beach Boy Brian Wilson finished recording the future classic song ‘Good Vibrations’, which went on to become the band’s third US number-one hit. As a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up “vibrations” from people, so that the dog would bark at “bad vibrations” Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.
Sean Taro Ono Lennon was born, the only child of John Lennon by Yoko Ono. John Lennon retired from music for five years to become a house-husband. Sean went on to become a singer, songwriter, musician and actor.
Marking what would have been John Lennon’s 45th birthday, Yoko Ono formally opened the three and a half acre garden at the Strawberry Fields site in New York’s Central Park. The area was planted with trees, shrubs and flowers gathered from across the world and with a $1m donation from Yoko.
On what would have been John Lennon’s 60th birthday, the book Lennon Remembers, The Complete Rolling Stone Interviews is released, containing material too controversial to publish years earlier.
The John Lennon museum opens in Japan on what would have been his 60th birthday. Yoko Ono allows it to operate for 10 years before terminating the agreement, as she feels Lennon’s spirit should stay in motion.
The Imagine Peace Tower was officially unveiled in Kollafjorour Bay near Reykjav’k, Iceland. The memorial to John Lennon from his widow, Yoko Ono, consists of a tall “tower of light”, projected from a white stone monument that has the words “Imagine Peace” carved into it in 24 languages.
A 1976 Rolling Stones album bought for £2 at a car boot sale sold for £4,000 at an auction. The ‘Black and Blue’ LP was signed by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison as well as members of the Rolling Stones. The seller obtained the album after haggling the cost down from £3.
