Birth Name
James Paul McCartney
Nickname
Macca
Height
5' 11" (1.80 m)
Mini Biography
Sir Paul McCartney is a key figure in contemporary culture as a singer, composer, poet, writer, artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and holder of more than 3 thousand copyrights. He is in the "Guinness Book of World Records" for most records sold, most #1s (shared), most covered song, "Yesterday," largest paid audience for a solo concert (350,000+ people, in 1989, in Brazil). He is considered one of the most successful entertainers of all time.
He was born James Paul McCartney on June 18, 1942, in Liverpool General Hospital, where his mother, Mary, was a medical nurse and midwife. His father, Jim, was a cotton salesman and a pianist leading the Jim Mac's Jazz Band in Liverpool. Young Paul McCartney was raised non-denominational. He studied music and art, and had a happy childhood with one younger brother, Michael. At age 11, he was one of only four students who passed the 11+ exam, known as "the scholarship" in Liverpool, and gained a place at Liverpool Institute for Boys. There he studied from 1953 to 1960, earning A level in English and Art.
At the age of 14, Paul McCartney was traumatized by his mother's sudden death from breast cancer. Shortly afterward, he wrote his first song. In July 1957 he met John Lennon during their performances at a local church fête (festival). McCartney impressed Lennon with his mastery of guitar and singing in a variety of styles. He soon joined Lennon's band, The Quarrymen, and eventually became founding member of The Beatles, with the addition of George Harrison and Pete Best. After a few gigs in Hamburg, Germany, the band returned to Liverpool and played regular gigs at the Cavern during 1961.
In November 1961, they invited Brian Epstein to be their manager, making a written agreement in January 1962. At that time McCartney and Harrison were under 21, so the paper wasn't technically legal, albeit it did not matter to them. What mattered was their genuine trust in Epstein. He improved their image, secured them a record deal with EMI, and replaced drummer Best with Ringo Starr. With a little help from Brian Epstein and George Martin, The Beatles consolidated their talents and mutual stimulation into beautiful teamwork, launching the most successful career in the history of entertainment.
The Beatles contributed to music, film, literature, art, and fashion, made a continuous impact on entertainment, popular culture and the lifestyle of several generations. Music became their ticket to ride around the world. Beatlemania never really ended since its initiation; it became a movable feast in many hearts and minds, a sweet memory of youth, when all you need is love and a little help from a friend to be happy. Their songs and images carrying powerful ideas of love, peace, help, and imagination evoked creativity and liberation that outperformed the rusty Soviet propaganda and contributed to breaking walls in the minds of millions, thus making impact on human history.
All four members of The Beatles were charismatic and individually talented artists, they sparked each other from the beginning. Paul McCartney had the privilege of a better musical education, having studied classical piano and guitar in his childhood. He progressed as a lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, as well as a singer-songwriter. In addition to singing and songwriting, Paul McCartney played bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, piano and keyboards, as well as over 40 other musical instruments.
McCartney wrote more popular hits for the Beatles than other members of the band. His songs Yesterday, Let It Be, Hey Jude, Blackbird, All My Loving, Eleanor Rigby, Birthday, I Saw Her Standing There, I Will, Get Back, Carry That Weight, P.S. I Love You, Things We Said Today, "Hello, Goodbye," Two of Us, Why Don't We Do It in the Road?, Helter Skelter, Honey Pie, When I'm 64, Lady Madonna, She's a Woman, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," Mother Nature's Son, Long And Winding Road, Rocky Raccoon, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Fool on the Hill, You Never Give Me Your Money, Your Mother Should Know, The End, Yellow Submarine, and many others are among the Beatles' best hits. Yesterday is considered the most covered song in history with over three thousand versions of it recorded by various artists across the universe.
Since he was a teenager, McCartney honored the agreement that was offered by John Lennon in 1957, about the 50/50 authorship of every song written by either one of them. However, both were teenagers, and technically, being under 21, their oral agreement had no legal power. Still, almost 200 songs by The Beatles are formally credited to both names, regardless of the fact that most of the songs were written individually. The songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney was really working until the mid-60s, when they collaborated in many of their early songs. Their jamming on a piano together led to creation of their first best-selling hit 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' in 1963.
In total, The Beatles created over 240 songs, they recorded many singles and albums, made several films and TV shows. Thousands of memorable pictures popularized their image. In their evolution from beginners to the leaders of entertainment, they learned from many world cultures, absorbed from various styles, and created their own. McCartney's own range of interests spanned from classical music and English folk ballads to Indian raga and other Oriental cultures, and later expanded into psychedelic experiments and classical-sounding compositions. His creative search has been covering a range of styles from jazz and rock to symphonies and choral music, and to cosmopolitan cross-cultural and cross-genre compositions.
Epstein's 1967 death hurt all four members of The Beatles, as they lost their creative manager. Evolution of each member's creativity and musicianship also led to individual career ambitions, however, their legacy as The Beatles remained the main driving force in their individual careers ever since. McCartney and The Beatles made impact on human history, because their influence has been liberating for generations of nowhere men living in misery beyond the Iron Curtain.
Something in their songs and images appealed to everybody who wanted to become free as a bird. Their songs carrying powerful ideas of real love, peace, help, imagination and freedom evoked creativity and contributed to breaking chains and walls in the minds of millions. The Beatles expressed themselves in beautiful and liberating words of love, happiness, freedom, and revolution, and carried those messages to people across the universe. Their songs and images helped many freedom-loving people to come together for revolutions in Prague and Warsaw, Beijing and Bucharest, Berlin and Moscow. The Beatles has been an inspiration for those who take the long and winding road to freedom.
McCartney was 28 when he started his solo career, and formed his new band, Wings. His first solo album, "McCartney," was a #1 hit and spawned the evergreen ballad "Maybe I'm Amazed", yet critical reaction was mixed. He continued to release music with Wings, that eventually became one of the most commercially successful groups of the 70s. "Band on the Run" won two Grammy Awards and remained the Wings' most lauded work. The 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre" stayed at #1 in the UK for nine weeks, and was highest selling single in the UK for seven years. In 1978 McCartney's theme "Rockestra" won him another Grammy Award. In 1979, together with Elvis Costello, he organized Concerts for the People of Kampuchea. In 1979, McCartney released his solo album "Wonderful Christmastime" which remained popular ever since.
In 1980 McCartney was arrested in Tokyo, Japan, for marijuana possession, and after a ten-day stint in jail, he was released to a media firestorm. He retreated into seclusion after the arrest, and was comforted by his wife Linda. Yet he had another traumatic experience when his ex-band-mate, John Lennon, was shot dead by a crazed fan near his home in New York City on December 8, 1980. McCartney did not play any live concerts for some time because he was nervous that he would be "the next" to be murdered.
After almost a year of absence from the music scene, McCartney returned in 1982 with the album "Tug of War," which was well received by public and enjoyed great critical acclaim. He continued a successful career as a solo artist, collaborated with wife Linda McCartney, and writers such as Elvis Costello. During the 80s, McCartney released such hits as 'No More Lonely Nights' and his first compilation, "All the Best." In 1989, he started his first concert tour since the John Lennon's murder.
In 1994, the three surviving members of The Beatles, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr, reunited and produced Lennon's previously unknown song "Free as a Bird." It was preserved by Yoko Ono on a tape recording made by Lennon in 1977. The song was re-arranged and re-mixed by George Martin at the Abbey Road Studios with the voices of three surviving members. The Beatles Anthology TV documentary series was watched by 420 million people in 1995.
During the 1990s McCartney concentrated on composing classical works for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, such as "The Liverpool Oratorio" involving a choir and symphony, and "A Leaf" solo-piano project, both released in 1995. That same year he was working on a new pop album, "Flaming Pie," when his wife Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and caring for his wife during her illness meant only sporadic public appearances during that time. The album was released in 1997 to both critical and commercial success, debuting at #2 on both the UK and US pop charts. That same year he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as Sir Paul McCartney for his services to music.
In April 1998, Linda McCartney, his beloved wife of almost 30 years, mother of their four children, and his steady partner in music, died of breast cancer. McCartney suffered from a severe depression and undergone medical treatment. He spent much of the next year away from the public eye, emerging only to campaign on behalf of his late wife for animal rights and vegetarian causes.
He eventually returned to the studio, releasing an album of rock n'roll covers in 1999. "Run Devil Run" made both Entertainment Weekly and USA Today's year-end top ten lists. McCartney also slowly returned to the public spotlight with the release of his another classical album, "Working Classical" in November 1999, in recording by the London Symphony Orchestra. His 2000 release "A Garland for Linda" was a choral tribute album, which raised funds to aid cancer survivors.
In 2000 he was invited by Heather Mills, a disabled ex-model, to her 32nd birthday. McCartney wrote songs dedicated to her, he and Mills developed a romantic relationship and became engaged in 2001. However, the year brought him a cascade of traumatic experiences. On September 11, 2001, Paul McCartney was sitting on a plane in New York when the World Trade Center tragedy occurred in front of his eyes, and he was able to witness the events from his seat. Yet there was another sadness, as his former band-mate George Harrison died of cancer in November, 2001.
Recouperating from the stressful year, McCartney received the 2002 Academy Award-nomination for the title song to the movie Vanilla Sky (2001), and also went on his first concert tour in several years. In June, 2002, Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills married in a castle in Monaghan, Ireland. Their daughter, Beatrice Milly McCartney, was born in October 2003. Four years later, the high profile marriage ended in divorce, after a widely publicized litigation.
In 2003 Paul McCartney rocked the Red Square in Moscow with his show "Back in USSR" which was attended by his former opponents from the former Soviet KGB, including the Russian president Vladimir Putin himself, who invited McCartney to be the guest of honor in the Kremlin. In 2004 Paul McCartney received a birthday present from the Russian president. In June 2004, he and Heather Mills-McCartney stayed as special guests at suburban Royal Palaces of Russian Tsars in St. Petersburg, Russia. There he staged a spectacular show near the Tsar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg where the Communist Revolution took place, just imagine.
In 2005 the Entertainment magazine poll named The Beatles the most iconic entertainers of the 20th Century. In 2006, the guitar on which Paul McCartney played his first chords and impressed John Lennon, was sold at an auction for over $600,000.
On June 18, 2006, Paul McCartney celebrated his 64th birthday, as in his song "when I'm Sixty-Four." McCartney's celebrity status, made it a cultural milestone for a generation of those born in the baby-boom era who grew up with the music of The Beatles during the 1960s. The prophetic message in the song has been intertwined with McCartney's personal life and his career.
In 2007 McCartney left his longtime label, EMI, and signed with Los Angeles based Hear Music. He learned to play mandolin to create a refreshing feeling for his latest album "Memory Almost Full," then appeared in Apple Computer's commercial for iPod+iTunes to promote the album. In June 2007 McCartney appeared together with Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Guy Laliberté in a live broadcast from the "Revolution" Lounge at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
His 3-DVD set "The McCartney Years" with over 40 music videos and hours of Historic Live Performances is set for release in November 2007. His classical album "Ecco Cor Meum" (aka.. Behold My Heart), recorded with the Academy of St. Martin of the Fields and the boys of King's college Choir, was voted Classical Album of the Year in 2007.
On the long and winding road of his life and career, Sir Paul McCartney has been a highly respected entertainer and internationally regarded public figure.
"Whenever you're going through difficult times, I'm at the moment, it's really cool to be able to escape into music" says Paul McCartney.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov
Spouse
Heather Mills (11 June 2002 - 17 March 200
(divorced) 1 child
Linda McCartney (12 March 1969 - 17 April 199
(her death) 4 children
Trade Mark
Frequently plays the Hofner bass guitar.
Trivia
He is one of Britain's wealthiest men: according to the High Court judgment Sir Paul's total fortune comes to £387,012,000.
Still plays his 1964 Epiphone acoustic guitar which he used to compose "Yesterday".
Although all his songs for The Beatles are still credited as "Lennon - McCartney" he individually wrote almost half of all 200 songs for The Beatles, such as "Yesterday", "Let it Be", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Helter Skelter", "Eleanor Rigby", "Yellow Submarine", "Hey Jude" and many more. Only songs in earlier albums are really joint efforts with John Lennon. The co-credit was because of a handshake deal the two had made in their teens.
His song "Yesterday" is one of the most popular songs of all time. Whilst he was looking for the right lyrics, he was temporarily using the line "Scrambled Eggs" until he came up with "Yesterday" in the final version of the song, as it is now known to the world. It became one of the most recorded songs of all time, with more than 3,000 known versions.
Awarded for classical compositions of choral and orchestral music.
During his engagement to Jane Asher, Paul (with John Lennon) wrote several songs for Jane's older brother, Peter Asher, of the singing duo Peter and Gordon, including their #1 hit "World Without Love". He also wrote the song "Woman" for them, under the pseudonym of Bernard Webb.
He was respected by The Beatles producer, George Martin for his superior musicianship, musical inventiveness, and multi-instrumental abilities. Martin said that Paul McCartney was the one with enough attention span to sit at the piano, or in the studio as long as it takes to compose the best melody and harmony for their songs.
Plays piano on the song "Let it be." Performed "Let It Be" at Live Aid in 1985. During this performance, Bob Geldof, David Bowie, Alison Moyet and Pete Townshend (of The Who) all came on stage towards the end to sing backup vocals.
His four children with Linda McCartney are Heather McCartney (adopted from her previous marriage), photographer Mary McCartney, top fashion designer Stella McCartney and musician/sculptor James McCartney. Paul was married to rock photographer Linda Eastman on March 12, 1969 at the Marylebone Register Office.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Beatles January 20, 1988. Citing business differences, he did not attend the induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City with his former bandmates George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award, in 1992.
His later musical compositions have included classical works, such as the acclaimed 'Liverpool Oratorio' and 'Standing Stone'.
He is in the Guinness Book of World Records with 60 gold discs and sales of over 100 million singles.
Owns the double bass that once belonged to Elvis Presley's bassist Bill Black. He plays the instrument on his solo sessions at his studio.
Played over 40 various instruments on two of his solo albums, 'McCartney' (1970) and 'McCartney II' (1980).
According to McCartney, the name of the rock group Wings was inspired by daughter Stella McCartney's birth, which was premature and traumatic; Stella and her mother both almost died. As his daughter was being born by emergency cesarean section, Paul sat outside the operating room and prayed that she be born "on the wings of an angel."
Had wanted The Beatles to do a club tour shortly before they broke up. John Lennon disagreed, thinking that if they did tour again, it should have been in stadium-sized venues.
Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001."
Animal-rights activist, vegetarian, and anti-landmine activist. Created Paul and Linda McCartney charity foundation and several other charities. Donated millions to humanitarian causes across the world, and has been involved in charity recordings and concert performances.
Owns the copyrights to Buddy Holly's song catalogue, and also numerous other compositions, including "Ramblin' Wreck From Georgia Tech".
Owns a Steinway concert piano model B made in Hamburg. He takes the piano along on his concert tours around the world.
Claims his nights in a Japanese prison in 1980 were the only time he had been separated from then-wife, Linda McCartney.
Has written several songs about his former bandmate John Lennon, including "Dear Boy", "Too Many People", "Dear Friend", "Let Me Roll It" and "Here Today."
Holds a record with 29 #1 singles on the American charts with The Beatles, Paul McCartney & Wings, and as a solo artist (including one duet with Stevie Wonder).
Fined $200 in 1973 for growing marijuana on his Scotland farm. Arrested and jailed briefly in Japan in 1980 for carrying same substance.
Made an honorary detective by the New York City Police Department for the benefit concert he gave for 9/11 victims, April 2002.
Won last-minute court order preventing Christie's from auctioning his handwritten lyrics to the song "Hey Jude." Paper with lyrics scrawled on it had been expected to bring up to $116,000 at auction scheduled for April 30, but England's High Court, ruled for Sir Paul the day before, deciding that the valuable artifact from The Beatles will remain at auction house until ownership is finally determined by agreement or trial.
Won prize for drawing of a church at age 11. In 2002, from May-August, over 70 of his paintings from past 20 years on view at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, England.
Daughter, Stella McCartney, was born on September 13, 1971.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 (as a solo artist).
His first guitar was a Zenith archtop f-hole acoustic. He got it at the Rushworth and Drapers Music Store in Liverpool when he was 14, as a gift from his father (brother Mike McGear got a banjo at the same time, but broke his arm at Boy Scout camp a few weeks later).
His song "When I'm 64" was written for his father Jim's 64th birthday.
He wrote his first song, "I Lost My Little Girl", when he was 14. It was never recorded by the Beatles, and was not one of the songs McCartney and Lennon lost in 1969, when their publishing company Northern Songs was sold.
His father, Jim, was a musician, and had a band called Jim Mac's Jazz Band. Paul has fond memories of lying on his bedroom floor and listening to his father play piano.
Along with writing "Hey Jude" for Julian Lennon the summer his parents broke up, Paul also jokingly proposed to Cynthia Lennon, in the wake of his own breakup with Jane Asher. Cynthia appreciated the laugh they both shared-- and the single red rose that Paul had brought.
Was the only member of The Beatles to graduate from Britain's equivalent of high-school; he majored in Art.
Usually considered the most "conventional" of The Beatles, but Paul has had his share of far-out ideas, including the germ of the TV-movie Magical Mystery Tour (1967) (TV), and a "self-portrait" published as a 1960s magazine cover, a psychedelic painting a la Pablo Picasso.
Set up John Lennon's "home studio" for him at Kenwood, with its chain of tape decks; Lennon used this setup to make song demos for the Beatles, and later the infamous 'Two Virgins' album with Yoko Ono (which Paul gave its cover quote).
A lyric sheet to his song "Yesterday" is featured on the front cover of the Marillion album "Script for a Jester's Tear" (released 1983).
In 2002 he changed the writing credits to many of the songs he made with The Beatles to "McCartney & Lennon", to a large public outrage. It is a common misconception, however that this was the first time he had done this. He made the same credit change on his 1976 live album "Wings Over America" to little or no public scrutiny, and to no public comment from John Lennon (who was still alive at the time). Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) also listed the credit "Songs Composed by Paul McCartney" - including the Beatles songs performed in the movie.
Has homes in London, New York and Beverly Hills, an estate in Scotland, and a ranch in Arizona.
Eleven years after the breakup of The Beatles, along with Ringo Starr he played on George Harrison's, "All Those Years Ago", about the death of his singing partner, John Lennon. The last Harrison song he and Starr played on was "When We Was Fab", which takes a look back at The Beatle years.
The three surviving members of The Beatles appeared on three separate episodes of "The Simpsons" (1989). Starr appeared in a 1991 episode of "Brush with Greatness," Harrison appeared in a 1993 episode of "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," and McCartney appeared in a 1995 episode of "Lisa The Vegetarian".
Contributes "Calico Skies" to the "Warchild Hope" album (released 21 April 2003).
Met his first wife Linda McCartney in a London nightclub called the Bag O'Nails.
Cousin of Kate Robbins and Ted Robbins.
In 1998, his song "Blackbird" was covered by Marillion for their live album "Unplugged at the Walls".
Is half of the techno duo The Fireman.
In 1971, he produced (but did not perform on) "Thrillington", an instrumental version of the album "Ram" he recorded with his wife Linda. The songs were presented in orchestral versions, and Paul's work as producer and director was pseudonymously credited to "Percy 'Thrills' Thrillington". The album was not well received by the critics, but is now a much sought-after collectable.
Paul Mccartney Biography
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