Julia Lennon
March 12, 1914 – July 15, 1958
Julia Lennon did more for popular music than give birth to John Lennon, she unknowingly contributed to the greatness he later became by being perhaps his only early champion when it came to music. Julia gave John his first guitar as a child. And when he couldn’t quite learn the chords, she helped him by teaching him on a smaller banjo and ukele. This all against the wishes of her sister, Mimi Smith, who was raising John at the time since it was not, at the time, socially acceptable that Julia was living with another man after John’s biological father basically abandoned the family. Perhaps another of Julia’s lasting impressions on John were the times she played early Elvis Presley records for him. In the year prior to her death, Julia was reportedly one of John’s pre-Beatles band, the Quarrymen’s biggest fans, dancing and cheering for them at at least one early show. Unfortunately Julia was never able to see the greatness her son eventually became. On the evening of July 15, 1958, Julia was struck and killed by a car driven by an off-duty policeman who was drunk at the time. Julia was just 44 at the time.