Paul McCartney

Sir

Paul McCartney
Sir; Paul McCartney;
	McCartney in 2021
Born	James Paul McCartney; 18 June 1942 (age 82); Liverpool, England
Nationality	English
Occupation	Singer; songwriter; musician; producer; composer; businessman;
Years active	1957–present
Spouse(s)	Linda Eastman; (m. 1969; died 1998); Heather Mills; (m. 2002; div. 2008); Nancy Shevell; (m. 2011);
Partner(s)	Jane Asher; (1963–1968)
Children	Heather; Mary; Stella; James; Beatrice;
Relatives	Jim and Mary (parents); Mike McGear (brother);
	Musical career
Genres	Rock; pop; classical; electronic;
Instruments	Vocals; bass guitar; guitar; keyboards;
Labels	Apple; Capitol; Columbia; Decca; Hear Music; Parlophone; Polydor; Swan; Vee-Jay;
Associated acts	The Quarrymen; The Beatles; Wings; The Fireman;
	Paul McCartney's voice
	from the BBC programme Front Row, 26 December 2012.
	Problems listening to this file? See media help.
Website	paulmccartney.com
Signature

Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and composer. He is internationally known as a singer and bassist of the Beatles. With singer and guitarist John Lennon, he contributed music and lyrics to a lot of the band's songs.

Early Life

Paul was born at Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Past is Walton Hospital) in Walton, Liverpool, England. His parents are Jim and Mary McCartney, he has a brother, Michael McCartney and a stepsister, Ruth. He was born James Paul McCartney, but goes by his middle name. His mother died of Breast Cancer in 1956.

The Quarrymen (1957–1962)

Paul first met John Lennon in 1957, after Paul saw John's band, The Quarrymen, playing a live performance. Paul auditioned for the band and joined instantly. A year later, Paul asked the band to have George Harrison audition, at first, they did not want George because he was 15 years old and was considered "too young". However, Paul convinced them to have George in the band. In 1960, the Quarrymen would change their name a lot, having names such as "Johnny and the Moondogs" and "The Silver Beetles".

The Beatles (1962–1970)

McCartney with Lennon, Harrison and Starr, 1964

In 1962, The Beatles signed to Parlophone Records. They were found and managed by Brian Epstein from 1962, until Brian's death from an overdose of drugs in 1967.

Their first song released was Love Me Do. One year later, their first album, Please Please Me was made.

McCartney began writing songs before he was sixteen, and has written well over two hundred. His most famous song is "Yesterday", recorded by the Beatles in 1965. Since then around 2000 artists have recorded the song and currently holds the world record for the song that has been covered the most times.

Other songs written by McCartney for The Beatles include "Can't Buy Me Love", "Hey Jude", "Penny Lane", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Let It Be".

Often, Beatles songs would have "Lennon/McCartney" written on the record, and it would look like that they had written it together. In fact, most Lennon/McCartney songs were written by only one of them, or with one adding only small parts to the other's work. Each counted on the other to help make their songs better, so they agreed to share the credit equally.

After appearing on the television program, The Ed Sullivan Show, in the United States, The Beatles would gain great success. This would be known as Beatlemania.

The Beatles most well known albums are Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (known by fans as the "White Album"), and Abbey Road. The Beatles disbanded in 1970.

In the 1990s, the then-three living members, Paul, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, would record a song called "Free as a Bird", originally made as an unfinished demo by John Lennon in the late 1970s, shortly before he died. They would finish the lyrics and record and release it. It was produced by musician Jeff Lynne, instead of the Beatles producer George Martin, who was hard of hearing due to old age.

Wings

Since the Beatles had stopped working together in 1971, McCartney started a new band called Wings with his wife Linda. Wings also had many hit records, including "Band On The Run" and "Mull Of Kintyre". McCartney wrote "Live and Let Die", which became the theme song to a James Bond film with the same title. Wings disbanded in 1981.

Solo music

McCartney had other hit songs, and also wrote and starred in the movie, Give My Regards to Broad Street, with Linda. The theme song from the movie, "No More Lonely Nights", was also a hit, but the movie did poorly,^[2] and McCartney's popularity suffered. He had to work hard to prove his talent was still strong. He co-wrote new songs with Elvis Costello, and began touring more often than he had in years.

Along with popular music, McCartney also began composing classical music, including an oratorio about Liverpool.

Honours

McCartney was knighted for his contributions to music and to British culture, and for his charity work.

He bought John Lennon's former school, Quarry Bank, which he then turned into a performing arts school.

In 1990, the minor planet 4148 was named "McCartney" in his honour.^[3]

In 2010, he was honoured by President Barack Obama with the Gershwin Prize for his contributions to popular music.^[4] He returned to the White House later that year as a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors.^[5]

In 2012, he became the last Beatle to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[6]

Collaborations

Later McCartney recorded a single called "Ebony and Ivory" with Stevie Wonder.

Paul recorded the songs "The Girl is Mine" and "Say, Say, Say" with Michael Jackson.

A song with Jackson called "The Man" was released on McCartney's fifth solo album Pipes of Peace. He and Jackson became friends, but this ended after Jackson outbid McCartney for ownership of the publishing company which owned most of the Beatles's music.

Personal life

McCartney married Linda Eastman, a photographer, in 1969. She had a daughter, Heather, whom he adopted. McCartney and Linda had three more children together, named Mary, Stella and James. Stella became a popular fashion designer after she grew up.

Linda died in 1998 of breast cancer (McCartney's mother also died from the same disease in 1956). He married model Heather Mills in 2002; the couple's child Beatrice was born in 2003. McCartney and Mills separated in 2006, and, after a long battle over a settlement, McCartney and Mills divorced in March 2008.

McCartney married New Yorker Nancy Shevell, 51, in a civil ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, London, on 9 October 2011. The couple had been dating since November 2007.^[7]