Woman: The Incredible Life of Yoko Ono

By Alan Clayson, Barb Jungr & Robb Johnson

Born into a wealthy and powerful Japanese dynasty in 1933, Yoko Ono will always be famous as the wife and then widow of John Lennon, and for the extraordinary grip she exerted on his life. Her association with Lennon and The Beatles will always remain central to the story of Yoko Ono and her role in the arts and music industry over the last five decades. But there was far more to Yoko than that. She was already a noted presence on the cultural scene and a pioneer of performance art when she met the man who became her partner.

Vilified by the British press with a fury that now seems both racist and misogynist, and forever in the shadow of her celebrated husband, Yoko Ono has not been accorded the consideration she deserves as an artist, a musician and one of the twentieth century’s most iconic, fascinating and complex women. In this absorbing study written from the perspective of three very different authors, singer and essayist Barb Jungr analyses Ono’s artistic work and legacy, while noted music historian Alan Clayson and singer/songwriter Robb Johnson chronicle her extraordinary life.

Originally published in 2003, this perceptive book is essential reading for any student of feminism, and of the peace/arts movements of the 60s and 70s in which she played such an important part.

But most all, it is the intense and dramatic story of a pioneering woman who crossed boundaries and cultures and left an indelible stamp on the 20th century.

Noted rock critic and author Alan Clayson has written many books on music – including the best-sellers Backbeat, subject of a major film, an authorised biography of The Yardbirds and the only English-language life of Jacques Brel. He has written for journals as diverse as The Guardian, Record Collector, Mojo, Mediaeval World, Folk Roots, Hello!, The Times, The Independent, and, as a teenager, the notorious Schoolkids Oz. He is also an acclaimed songwriter and performance artist, both solo and fronting the legendary Clayson and the Argonouts.