It can't be easy to grow up with famous parents -- especially when you plan to follow in their career footsteps. As tough as it can be for the typical (we use this phrase loosely) celebrity offspring, having the additional scrutiny of the expectations that come with having a Beatle for a father would seem next to impossible to overcome.
And yet each one of the Fab Four have had sons who have attempted to follow them into the family business, albeit with varying degrees of success.
Because John's son Sean is in town tonight performing at Dan's Silverleaf with his latest venture, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, we thought we'd rank the Beatles' musical offspring.
See who comes out on top after the jump.
5. James McCartney
Unlike his pair of noteworthy sisters, Sir Paul's shyest offspring has
spent most of his life trying to stay out of the limelight as much as
possible. Other than adding some guitar work on Paul's last couple of
albums, McCartney's only son has only recently begun to feel comfortable
releasing his own material. His latest EP, Available Light, was released
this past September to almost no fanfare.
4. Julian Lennon
Back in 1984, Julian became the first Beatle kid to enter into the public
spotlight. Despite scoring a No. 1 hit with "Too Late for
Goodbyes," he faced an excessive amount of scrutiny from an unforgiving
public. Pretty unfair when you consider the fact that he wasn't even
raised by his famous father.
3. Sean Lennon
Besides getting a taste of the spotlight as 'that kid from Moonwalker,'
Lennon seems to have caught all the breaks in life that his half-brother
missed out on. Other than a trio of well-received semi-experimental solo
albums, Sean has also been involved with Japanese trip-hoppers Cibo
Matto as well as his latest project, Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
2. Zak Starkey
Although Ringo gave Zak his first drum kit at age 10, he also never
had any intentions of his son following in his footsteps. Except, well, he did. Starkey had a brief stint touring and recording with Oasis, and has also spent the past 14 years
touring with The Who in place of his godfather, Keith Moon.
1. Dhani Harrison
That Harrison looks and sounds nearly identical to his deceased
father aren't the only reasons he's No. 1 in our book. There's also his work
with Jeff Lynne to complete George's final posthumous studio album,
Brainwashed; his work in art rock outfit Thenewno2; and his latest
effort, supergroup Fistful of Mercy. Of all the Beatles offspring who entered music, Harrison's is by far the most
compelling.