John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Accusing glares were aimed at Yoko Ono when The Beatles played their last gig on the roof of their Apple record company offices in London and subsequently split in 1970. But, with the avant-garde artist by his side, John Lennon went on to produce some of his finest work as a solo star. Prior to the Beatles' split, the pair released a trio of experimental albums consisting of tape loops, free-form noise and their own heartbeats, before they celebrated their honeymoon with a bed-in, anti-war campaign in Amsterdam; where Lennon penned his first solo song Give Peace A Chance. Charting his battle with heroin addiction, Cold Turkey became a Top 5 UK hit, followed by the classic single Instant Karma (We All Shine On) and seminal album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970). Co-produced by Phil Spector, second album Imagine (1971) soon became a classic, reaching Number 1 in Britain and America, with the title track becoming a worldwide hymn to the great man after his murder in 1980. Happy Xmas (War Is Over), Jealous Guy and Woman were among the now classic tracks captured on the hugely successful compilation Lennon Legend (1997) and Lennon's remarkable honesty, wit and political vision lived on with a legacy as one of the world's greatest songwriters. After his death Yoko Ono continued to plough an experimental path in art and music, her raucous, pioneering, alternative recordings and staunch campaigning for gay and women's rights helping to inspire the likes of Patti Smith, Beth Ditto and Lady Gaga.