Paul McCartney (b.1942,) fully Sir James Paul McCartney, is an English pop and rock singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist. One of the most successful rock stars in the history of the genre, he was a founder member and the bass player of the Beatles and wrote most of their songs in collaboration with John Lennon. After the group broke up, he formed Wings 1971–81, and later became one of the most popular solo performers of all time.
Born in Liverpool, McCartney grew up in a working-class environment. On July 6, 1957, he met Lennon at Woolton Village Fete and joined his skiffle group. They became fast friends after Lennon learned that McCartney could not only tune and play the guitar but also recall the lyrics of the latest rock-and-roll songs that were brought over by American sailors docking at the Liverpool port.
McCartney and Lennon formed a legendary songwriting partnership that went on to compose 180 songs altogether. After McCartney’s friend George Harrison joined them in 1958, they formed the Beatals, which they later renamed Silver Beetles, and finally the Beatles. Drummer Pete Best enlisted in 1960.
The Beatles played at various clubs around England and in Hamburg, Germany. They then returned to England and played at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where businessman Brian Epstein discovered them. After enrolling as their manager, Epstein signed the Beatles with EMI records in 1962 and had drummer Pete Best replaced by Ringo Starr.
By 1963, the Beatles were the most famous rock and roll band in England. The following year, they took America by storm with their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. ‘Beatlemania’ swept across Europe and America; the Beatles’ every movement was sure to be accompanied by crowds of screaming young girls and enthusiastic admirers.
After the break-up of the Beatles, McCartney formed a new band, Wings. Their “Mull of Kintyre” (1977) outsold any of the Beatles’ hits to become the United Kingdom’s most successful single to date. In 1995, McCartney participated in a brief reformation of the Beatles.
McCartney is also one of the most popular solo performers of all time in terms of both sales of his recordings and attendance at his concerts. During the 1990s, McCartney turned to classically inspired work, such as Liverpool Oratorio (1991) and Standing Stone (1997.) Driving Rain (2001) marked a return to pop music and was followed by Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005,) Memory Almost Full (2007,) and New (2013,) as well as the oratorio Ecce Cor Meum (2006) and the ballet score Ocean’s Kingdom (2011,) which was commissioned by the New York City Ballet.
McCartney invested shrewdly in song rights, augmenting to his wealth from the Beatles period, and is now one of the world’s wealthiest men. He is a strong advocate of vegetarianism and animal rights, and campaigns to discharge the indebtedness of less-developed countries.
McCartney’s autobiographical film Give My Regards to Broad Street appeared in 1984. The comprehensive Beatles Anthology (2000) is the official history of the band. Barry Miles’s Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now (1997) is an authorized biography.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Paul McCartney
Imagine the thrill for us going on the Ed Sullivan Show, especially when they told us it was the biggest show ever. I still remember one of the producer guys coming into our dressing room just before we went on and saying
—Paul McCartney
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.
—Paul McCartney
Topics: Vegetarianism
Painting is a magical process that I like, where you conjure something out of nothing; you get a little idea that leads you through … You can go into a trance while you’re doing it, so it’s a nice contrast to real life.
—Paul McCartney
Topics: The Artist
I definitely did look up to John. We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest.
—Paul McCartney
Topics: Wit
Love is all you need.
—Paul McCartney
Topics: Love
The issues are the same. We wanted peace on earth, love, and understanding between everyone around the world. We have learned that change comes slowly.
—Paul McCartney
Topics: Change
In the end, the love you get is equal to the love you make.
—Paul McCartney
I love to hear a choir. I love the humanity to see the faces of real people devoting themselves to a piece of music. I like the teamwork. It makes me feel optimistic about the human race when I see them cooperating like that.
—Paul McCartney
Topics: Cooperation, Help
Somebody said to me, “But the Beatles were anti-materialistic.” That’s a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, “Now, let’s write a swimming pool.”
—Paul McCartney
Topics: Consumerism
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