Yoko Ono Sues Singer Lennon Murphy Over Use of the Name 'Lennon'

Yoko Ono sued the singer-songwriter Lennon Murphy over her use of the name "Lennon." Ono, who likely would have remained known to only a handful of the cognoscenti of the avant-garde New York art scene of the early 1960s but for her marriage to the late John Lennon, had earlier signed off on the singer's use of "Lennon" as her professional stage name. Via her attorney, the same attorney who is now suing Lennon Murphy for Yoko, Ono had given Lennon Murphy permission to trademark the name "Lennon."

The irony is that the singer-songwriter Lennon Murphy was named by her mother Kathleen for John Lennon, the author of the song Imagine, which asked the question "Imagine no possessions." For Yoko Ono, John Lennon is her most valuable possession.

Born in Ronkonkoma on New York's Ling Island on March 31, 1982, Lennon Anne Murphy signed a record contract with Arista soon after her 18^th birthday. Her debut album 5:30 Saturday Morning was released by Arista on 9/11/01, and yielded the single "Brake of your Car". Recording and performing as "Lennon," Murphy eventually left Arista. After releasing two CDs independently in 2004, she became an opening act for the late 2006 tour of Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe, which coincided with the release of her album Damaged Goods. She plans to release a new CD in 2008.

As a singer-songwriter, Lennon Murphy admits to being influenced by Barry Manilow. In an interview with Concert Livewire, Lennon admitted that, "Barry Manilow I love. And it took me a long time to not be afraid to say that, because I mean you're in the rock genre and you don't wanna say that you would fucking kill to see him live. And I finally realized one day I don't fucking give a shit. I hate to say it, I love Barry Manilow."