Looking back at the history of rock and roll, two figures truly stand head and shoulder above everyone else: Elvis Presley and John Lennon. Presley, because he was the first, the innovator and established the style, the sound, the wardrobe and the attitude for rock and roll's rebellion. But Lennon and The Beatles took music to another level. In their capable hands, it became art, it became worthy of intellectual discussion and it took on the establishment with generational and cultural warfare.

Lennon might have been murdered on this day in 1980, but his legacy, his music and his example live on. The Beatles, also featuring the brilliant Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and the other George (Martin), were always Lennon's band. His inner turmoil, his chronic pain at being rejected as a kid and his devotion to rock and roll as a troubled teen drove The Beatles from Liverpool dives to Hamburg beer dens to theaters and stadiums around the world.

When he discovered that being at the "toppermost of the poppermost" was more nightmare than dream, he withdrew from his mates and isolated himself until ready to break apart the band he created. more on this story

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