Fans of the late John Lennon will undoubtedly commemorate what would have been his 70th birthday on Oct. 9 in a variety of ways.

One such celebration will be the “Imagined: The John Lennon Song Project,” a thoughtfully re-imagined tribute by folk/rock artists Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step and Tom Dean of Devonsquare.

Together, Fowler and Dean will put on three CD release shows in Maine to kick off a fall tour celebrating the genius and artistry of Lennon that will extend into 2011.

Those shows will be on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17-19, at Gracie Theatre in Bangor, the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath and Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, respectively.

Tickets are still available at the Chocolate Church (chocolatechurcharts.org/tickets) and a limited number are remaining at Stone Mountain (stonemountainartscenter.com). For tickets to the show at Gracie Theatre, call 941-7129 or e-mail [email protected].

The “Imagined” CD combines a number of Lennon’s songs in new and unexpected ways, weaving melody, lyric and song together in a series of single songs and mini-medleys. The CD also features Dean’s former band mate Alana MacDonald and a host of talented musicians who provide backing on acoustic and electric guitars, bass, cello, violin, mandolin, accordion, chromatic harmonica and percussion.

Aztec Two-Step burst onto the scene with its self-titled debut album on Elektra Records in 1972. Since then, Fowler and Neal Shulman have spent a lifetime making music together as the folk/rock duo Aztec Two-Step. As their recording career continued, so did the critical acclaim. In 1987, “Living in America” received the New York Music Award for Best Folk Album and was named in Billboard’s year-end critic’s poll.

In June 2007, Real Simple, a popular national lifestyle magazine, named “Aztec Two-Step” one of the top five classic folk albums joining work by Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Tom Rush and Phil Ochs. Aztec Two Step continues to be one of acoustic music’s most popular and enduring acts.

For 30 years, Dean, MacDonald and Herb Ludwig toured the United States and Europe and released five CDs. In 1988, Atlantic Records chairman Ahmet Ertegun heard them and signed them immediately to his record company. Their CD “Walking On Ice” was released to critical acclaim in 1988. Its title track reached the Top 20 on the national AC charts and was a breakthrough NAC hit.

Tracks on the “Imagined” CD include “I’ll Get You / Imagine,” “I’ll Cry Instead,” “Girl,” “Come Together/I Am The Walrus,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away / Norwegian Wood,” “Rain,” “A Day In The Life /Across The Universe,” “You Can’t Do That /I Call Your Name,” “Julia,” “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party,” “Help!,” “The Word / We Can Work It Out,” “In My Life,” “Tomorrow Never Knows / Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” “Johnny’s An Angel” and “I Should Have Known Better.”

All songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, except “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Johnny’s An Angel” by Fowler.