John Winston Lennon was born October 9, 1969 at the Oxford Street Maternity Hospital after the English prime minister Winston Churchill. Because his parents fought over him during his early childhood, he lived with his aunt Mimi while he was in Dovedale Primary School. Afterwards he took a test that determined wheter he would go to an academic or a vocational school. He was enrolled in Quarry Bank School. "Every student wore a regulation tie and blck blazer, with an embroidered patch bearing the school's Latin motto: Ex hoc metallo virtutem (From this rough metal we forge virtue)... Misbehavior resulted in black marks from the housemaster. Enough black marks and they would be sent to the dreaded headmaster, who kept a punishment book. Corporal punishment - being struck across the hands, legs, or butt with a cane - was the norm." (Partridge, pg 17-18). Lennon, Pete Shotton, Don Beattie and Mike Hill. They were known as the Quarry Men, after the name of their school. After one of Lennon's small, nieghborhood performances, a younger boy came up to him and showed him a song that was too hard for the Quarry Men to play. This boy was Paul McCartney, and although he was two years younger than Lennon, he outplayed him on the guitar. Reluctantly, Lennon let him join the Quarry Men. John Lennon realised he wasn't the most academic person, and failed all his tests. However, with the help of his aunt and his headmaster, he was able to get into the Liverpool Art College. Although he was an artistic person, he hated college because there was so much discipline and rules. However, he was really social and soon had a girlfriend. Paul and John developed a good friendship even if they were from different social classes. John was middle class and had a much larger house than McCartney. They both raised money and bought two electric guitars, but could not afford amps. Instead, they plugged their guitars onto the back of Lennon's radio. One day when they were practicing, Paul talked to John about a kid that could play the guitar better than them. This kid was George Harrison. The only problem was that he was even younger and poorer than McCartney. John wasn't sure if he should let him in the band until he heard him play. Harrison was incredible. Lennon couldn't afford to not have him in the band. For about a year, the Quarry Men went to Hamburg, Germany to work in strip clubs and bars. They were soon deported for working underage and for minor crimes. The band decided it was time to change their name. They did not go to Quarry Bank anymore, so it was no longer applicable. In 1962, The Beatles decided they needed a new drummer their old one, Pete Best, did not show up to gigs and was unreliable. Instead they allowed the talented Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey). Soon after the band was complete, they traveled to the U.S. and started recording songs. The Beatles did a tour in the U. S. that lasted only 33 days. They played 31 shows in 35 cities. They also did shows in Germany, Australia and Italy. Beatlemania was sweeping the world, and Lennon was loving it. At first. After a while, Lennon got tired of the fame and got involved in LSD and marijuana. Soon he was trying Heroin and other dangerous drugs. Lennon was emotionally instable, so McCartney had to pull the Beatles together. One thing the Beatles were serious about was the Vietnam War. (Continued in the Actions Page)