John Lennon

       Apart from being an international superstar and a gifted musician, John Lennon was also a liberal political peace activist towards the end of his life. His classical style, creative music and powerful lyrics literally defined the sixties. "John And Yoko said they would stay in bed for a week to 'protest against all the suffering and violence in the world.' There was plenty to protest against. The civil rights movement, begun so optimistically with marchers linking arms and singing 'We Shall Overcome,' had been shattered by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Race riots ricocheted through  the streets of New York, Los Angeles, London and Johannesburg. As the Vietnam War reached new levels of ferocity, protestors poured into the streets. Cops hurled tear gas canisters and waded into the crowds, cracking skulls with their billy clubs. Catholics rioted in Londonberry; Soviet tanks rumbled through Prague chasing down unarmed students. The issues were radically different, but the frustration, alienation, and profound distrust of authority were worldwide." (Partridge, pg 2) Lennon led marches and concerts that involved political change. He also wrote protest songs that that were used all over the world, not just in the U.S.