Immigrant of the Day: Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono Lennon (小野 洋子 Ono Yōko(ONO Yōko), born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese-American artist and musician. She gained international fame because of her marriage to British musician John Lennon (who had many well-publicized immigration trevails with the U.S. government). Ono currently lives in New York City.

Yoko Ono was born in 1933.  Her family moved to Scarsdale in the suburbs of New York City after World War II. She enrolled in nearby Sarah Lawrence College.

Ono first met John Lennon when he visited a preview of an exhibition of Ono’s at the Indica Gallery in London on November 9, 1966. Ono and Lennon married on March 20, 1969.

While still a Beatle, John Lennon wrote “The Ballad of John and Yoko”, and he alluded to her indirectly in “Julia”, a song dedicated to his mother, with the lyrics: “Ocean child calls me, so I sing a song of love” (The kanji 洋子 (“Yoko”) means “ocean child”). Other Lennon songs about Ono are said to include: “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, “Don’t Let Me Down”, “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, “Well Well Well”, “Oh Yoko!”, “I’m Losing You”, “Bless You”, and “Dear Yoko.” Ono and Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 when Lennon was still a Beatle, with Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, an album of experimental and difficult electronic music. That same year, the couple contributed an experimental piece to The White Album called “Revolution 9”. Ono also contributed backing vocals (on “Birthday”), and one line of lead vocals (on “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill”) to the White Album. Many of the couple’s later albums were released under the name the Plastic Ono Band. The couple also appeared together at concerts; when Lennon was invited to play with Frank Zappa at the Fillmore on June 5, 1971, Ono joined in as well. In 1969, the Plastic Ono Band’s first album, Live Peace in Toronto 1969, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival.

KJ