Many people feel that the only important thing about Yoko Ono is that she was the cause of the breakup of the musical group the Beatles. Those people would be suprised when they find out the importance of her work not just as an avant-garde artist, but as a now-realized important contributor to music; not just the wife of John Lennon, but an artist unto herself.

Ono was born in Tokyo, Japan, to a family of unsuccessful artists who drove her to be successful in ways they could not. Her father was a gifted piano player, but was not allowed to pursue it as a career, while her mother was a struggling artist. The family moved to the United States in 1951, after moving between there and Japan over the years. By the early ‘60s, Ono became an important part in the Fluxus avant-garde art movement in New York, and began perfoming musically as well.

At an art exhibit of hers in London in 1968, Ono met Lennon, then-lead singer of the Beatles. Ono has said that she had never heard the group’s music before, but the two soon became inseparable. Their meeting came at a time when the Fab Four were starting to fight, and they eventually disband due to the turmoil. For this reason, many Beatles fans consider Ono to be the reason for the fighting, when in actuality the band had already been fighting for some time. Ono formed the Plastic Ono Band in 1969, and released a debut album the following year. Many critics felt her singing was terrible, and the music she made was unlistenable. However, years later, many saw that she was simply ahead of her time.

Ono left music for a large part of the ‘70s due to the birth of the now-married couple’s son Sean, but returned with Lennon on the 1980 release Double Fantasy. The album became a huge hit, both commercially and critically. Despite John’s tragic murder later that December, Ono carried on with her music and art. Since then, she has also contributed much of Lennon’s unreleased music and films in various collections, including the 1988 film Imagine, and the 1998 album set The John Lennon Anthology.

Ono has contributed to stage productions as well, including her own New York Rock in 1994. Today, Ono performs in public on occassion and continues to release her own albums, including the 1997 album A Story. Son Sean, also a successful musician, occassionally performs with his mother, as the two did for a benefit concert for the Kosovar refugees early in 1999.
Climb to Fame
Avant-garde artist with the Fluxus group, and wife of the late John Lennon.
Work History
(1960s) Member of the Fluxus art group.

(1961) Held debut musical performance at the Villiage Gate in New York city.

(1968) Held an art exhibit of work in London, where she met John Lennon.

(1970) Released the album Plastic Ono Band.

(1980) Released the album Double Fantasy.

(1989) Held an art exhibit at the Whitney Museum.

(1994) Wrote and composer the stage production New York Rock.

(1998) Produced the John Lennon Anthology set.
Awards
Yoko Ono has also won numerous Awards