I know that I am a little late in saying this but I am so glad that people all over the world are celebrating the great John Lennon's birthday. Being a Beatles fan, I credit my exposure to their music to be a primary influence over my decision to be a musician. Who am I kidding? It wasn't a decision. I have always maintained that one does not choose music, music chooses one. I can safely say, however, that John's influence has been prevalent all my life. When I was in junior high school, my brother bought me a copy of his greatest hits in the post-Beatle period, known as "Shaved Fish". I love intriguing titles and this collection certainly caught my attention. Even at this time, my desire to perform was irrepressible. Can you imagine (no pun intended) how the school officials felt when I played my version of "Cold Turkey" unashamedly?:) Then I started singing "Imagine". We never fully rehearsed as we should have in those days but we were just kids. we didn't even have access to a full drum kit; my drummer played his sticks on a makeshift ensemble of chairs and coverings; we were too poor to be ble to afford anything else. needless to say, this is one of my fondest memories of my early musicianship. To say that Mr. Lennon is one of the greatest 20th century artists is an understatement; he, along with three other geniuses, helped to define the 20th century as well as popular music in general. Happy Birthday Mr. Lennon:). BKT