JOHN PIANO TO ARRIVE AT THE BEATLES STORY MUSEUM ON THURSDAY

The piano played by John during his last years in New York is currently making its way to Liverpool.

It is expected to be put on display to the public at The Beatle’s Story museum in the city’s Albert Dock in time for the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend’s music festivals.

The piano was used to record some of the last music John Lennon composed before he died at the hands of a gunman on December 8, 1980.

According to Jack Douglas, an engineer who worked at the Record Plant Studio in New York at the time, it affectionately became known as “the John Lennon Piano” because he would move it to every studio he was working in.

Lennon is said to have loved the piano’s honky tonk sound as it reminded him of early American Rock and Rhythm & Blues. Originally a traditional upright made by the New England Piano company, it had been converted by inserting tacks into the hammers to give it a harpsichord-like percussive sound.

Not only can the piano be heard on Walls and Bridges and Double Fantasy but John also used it to compose songs with Elton John and David Bowie.

On the day he died, John Lennon spent many hours working at the piano on Walking On Thin Ice, the final cut of which he was holding when he was shot. The song was later released by Yoko Ono and became a critical and commercial success.

Martin King, the director of The Beatles Story museum, said: “It was one of John’s favourites and played by other major artists too. It will be a busy time for us.”

The piano was also used by a number of other artists including Bob Dylan, Pete Townsend, Cheap Tricks, Aerosmith, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper and Don McLean, who used it on his American Pie sessions.