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Today would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday and the occasion is being marked all over the world, from his home town of Liverpool to his adopted home of New York City.

Here’s an overview of some of the events that are taking place to celebrate John Lennon’s 70th year.

October 9: Charity Concert NYC

A charity concert that will benefit Amnesty International will be held at the concert hall of the Society For Ethical Culture in New York City tonight. This is at the corner of West 64th Street and Central Park West, which is just six blocks from where Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980. The event will be headlined by The Quarrymen, which was John Lennon’s original band. Others scheduled to perform are Glen Burtnik, Tom Chapin, Marshall Crenshaw, Mark Hudson, Garland Jeffreys, Never Shout Never, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger, The Rivertown Kids, Blueberry Acres, Earl Slick and Neil Innes.

October 9: Liverpool pays tribute to John Lennon

The City of Liverpool will kick off its John Lennon Tribute Season today with:

The John Lennon Tribute Season is designed to mark both Lennon’s 70th birthday and the 30th anniversary of his death. It will conclude with the “Lennon Remembered” tribute concert at the 11,000 seat Echo Arena on December 9.

October 9: “LENNONYC” screening in New York City

PBS are screening “LENNONNYC” in Central Park. The two-hour documentary explores John Lennon’s relationship with New York City and features unseen footage, recording outtakes, and interviews with close friends and associates.

“LENNONNYC” will also air on PBS on November 22 at 9 p.m.

October 9: Lennon Ono Grant for Peace Awards in Iceland

Yoko Ono will be in Iceland to present the biannual Lennon Ono Grant for Peace Award to four recipients who have been selected based on their “courage and commitment to peace, truth and human rights.” She will also attend the annual lighting of the Peace Tower and perform with Sean Ono Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band in Reykjavik.

Here’s Yoko Ono’s 70th birthday message to fans:

November 2: Hard Rock Cafe concert

The “Imagine There’s No Hunger” Concert will take place at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood. The concert will benefit the Grammy Museum and WHY Hunger, which fights hunger and poverty worldwide.

November 12: Lennon Tribute Concert in New York City

A star-studded line up will pay tribute to John Lennon in a benefit concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on November 12. Artists scheduled to perform include Cyndi Lauper, Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Aimee Mann and others.

“John Lennon, Songwriter” exhibit

The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles has an ongoing exhibit titled “John Lennon, Songwriter” which examines Lennon’s life from his earliest musical influences through to his post-Beatles solo work. Among the items on display are his wire-rimmed glasses, a typewriter, original handwritten lyrics, drawings, and a number of instruments used by Lennon, including an Epiphone acoustic used at early Beatles sessions.

John Lennon “Gimme Some Truth” campaign
Lennon’s 70th birthday is also being marked by a series of CD releases under the “Gimme Some Truth” campaign. This includes remastered versions of his solo albums, available individually and as a box set, a second themed box set and a greatest hits set. The CDs were released on October 5. Go to our New Releases page for further details.

It’s hard to imagine what John Lennon would have been doing now if he hadn’t been murdered 30 years ago. I’m sure there would have been many great recordings over the last three decades and perhaps some missteps too. As tragic as his untimely death was, his fans can be heartened by the fact that his solo work and the music he made with the Beatles continues to reach people of all ages.

Let’s conclude with two of John’s great solo songs:

John Lennon – “Jealous Guy”

John Lennon – “Working Class Hero”