Thirty years ago, the music world was shattered by the sudden death of John Lennon. When he and The Beatles emerged in the early 1960s, they upended the soundtrack of our lives for the good. They took us on a long and winding road on which we met walruses and blue Meanies, Eleanor Rigby and Sgt. Pepper, Michelle and Jude. When the band broke up, each member went his own way, but the great music continued.

Originally known as "the smart one" of The Beatles, Lennon released his first solo album before the group split up in 1970, and he continued to make music for another decade. For five years after the end of the band, Lennon recorded music with his wife Yoko Ono. But in 1975, he took a break from the music industry to be with his family and raise his second son, Sean.

Before Sean was born, Lennon and Ono lived in New York City. In order to have a "normal" life, this former Beatle and his wife needed a way to get around their adopted hometown incognito. John simply told Yoko to drive my car, rather than get a ticket to ride on the subway... or a yellow submarine.

You might think a forward-thinking artist such as John Lennon would drive some earth-friendly little car. But in 1972, there was a much stronger focus on the problems in the Far East rather than any oil-based problems in the Middle East. Which is why the couple purchased a new Chrysler Town & Country station wagon. Yes,