London, England, 1963. Though rock music fans have never ceased to debate the identity of the elusive "fifth Beatle," this extremely rare LP cover from the Monkey's own collection should resolve the long-running dispute once and for all: Forget Stuart Sutcliffe and Brian Epstein, forget Sir George Martin and Billy Preston—the real Fifth Beatle was none other than the Monkey himself. With his pioneering use of minor chord changes, introspective lyrics, and hooky melodies, the Monkey played a pivotal role in the formative years of bandmates John, Paul, George, and Ringo, helping them through the dark days and long nights of Hamburg's Rieperbahn and Liverpool's Cavern Club. Lamentably, as work began on the band's first album, Meet the Beatles, the Monkey had a spat with John Lennon over an alleged fling with a West German girlfriend, leading to his falling out with the group. With the Monkey's departure, the quintet became the quartet that would soon conquer the pop music world.

Following the flak, the cover art for first Beatles record was revised and the Monkey's image was airbrushed out. Several years later, in a reconciliatory gesture much appreciated by the Monkey, John penned a song dedicated to his long-lost bandmate. Lennon's "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey" proved to be one of the catchiest tracks on the Beatles' eponymous 1968 White Album.

Eldon, Iowa, United States, 1930. While roaming the breadbasket and soaking up the rural atmosphere, struggling artist Grant Wood spotted an eye-catching farmhouse that inspired one of his greatest works. Returning to his studio, Wood drafted his dentist Byron, his sister Nan, and his good friend the Monkey as models to fill out his Depression-era portrait of a Midwestern farming family. Pleased with his creation, which he titled "Midwest Gothic," Wood hung the painting in his studio.

Later that year, upon hearing of a contest launched by the Art Institute of Chicago, Wood began working feverishly on a copy of the canvas to send to Chicago. Out of humility, the Monkey urged Wood to leave him out of the replica. Wood honored his friend's request and dubbed the monkeyless version "American Gothic." The replica went on to take a prize in the contest, and was acquired by the Art Institute for its collection. Over time, "American Gothic" became one of the most recognized paintings in the pantheon of U.S. masterworks, but few of the thousands of people who view it each year realize that the archetypical farming couple portrayed in the piece was once a threesome.

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