Paul McCartney is a popular British musician, writer and more recently an artist. Paul gained popularity thanks to his participation in the cult band The Beatles. In 2011, McCartney was recognized as one of the best bass players of all time (according to Rolling Stone magazine). The vocal range of the performer is more than four octaves.
Childhood and youth of Paul McCartney
James Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 in a suburban Liverpool maternity hospital. His mother worked in this maternity hospital as a nurse. She later took a new position as a home midwife.
The boy's father was indirectly associated with creativity. James McCartney was a gunsmith at a military factory during the war. When the war ended, the man made a living by selling cotton.
In his youth, Paul McCartney's father was into music. Before the war, he was part of a popular team in Liverpool. James McCartney could play the trumpet and piano. His father instilled his love for music into his sons.
Paul McCartney says he was a happy child. Although his parents were not the richest residents of Liverpool, a very harmonious and cozy atmosphere reigned at home.
At the age of 5, Paul entered the Liverpool school. He performed on stage for the first time and received an award for his performance. Some time later, McCartney was transferred to a secondary school called the Liverpool Institute. At the institute, the guy studied until the age of 17.
This period of time was very difficult for the McCartney family. In 1956, Paul's mother died of breast cancer. The guy took the blow of fate hard. He withdrew into himself and refused to go out in public.
For Paul McCartney, music was his salvation. The father was very supportive of his son. He taught him to play the guitar. The guy gradually came to his senses and wrote the first songs.
Death of Paul's mother
The loss of his mother greatly influenced the formation of relations with his father, John Lennon. John, like Paul, lost a loved one at an early age. A common tragedy brought father and son closer together.
During his studies, Paul McCartney showed himself as an inquisitive student. He tried not to miss theatrical performances, read prose and modern poetry.
In addition to being in college, Paul was trying to earn his living. At one time, McCartney worked as a traveling salesman. This experience was later useful to the guy. McCartney easily kept up a conversation with strangers, was sociable.
At some point, Paul McCartney decided that he wanted to work as a theater director. However, he failed to enter a higher educational institution, as he passed the documents too late.
Paul McCartney's participation in The Beatles
In 1957, the future soloists of the cult band met The Beatles. Friendship grew into a powerful musical tandem. A school friend of Paul McCartney invited the guy to try his hand at The Quarrymen. The founder of the team was Lennon. John was not good at guitar, so he asked McCartney to teach him.
It is interesting that the relatives of teenagers in every possible way dissuaded young people from their occupation. However, this did not affect the guys' decision to create music. Paul McCartney invited George Harrison to the updated composition of The Quarrymen. In the future, the last musician became part of the legendary group The Beatles.
By the early 1960s, the musicians were already performing in front of the public. To attract attention, they changed their creative pseudonym to The Silver Beatles. After a tour in Hamburg, the musicians called the band The Beatles. Around this period of time, the so-called "Beatlemania" began among the fans of the group.
The first tracks that made The Beatles popular were: Long Tall Sally, My Bonnie. Despite the increase in popularity, the recording of the debut album at Decca Records was unsuccessful.
Contract with Parlophone Records
Soon the musicians signed a contract with Parlophone Records. Around the same time, a new member, Ringo Starr, joined the band. Paul McCartney swapped rhythm guitar for bass guitar.
And then the musicians replenished the piggy bank with new compositions that increased their popularity. The songs Love Me Do and How Do You Do It? deserved considerable attention. These tracks are by Paul McCartney. From the first tracks, Paul showed himself as a mature musician. The rest of the participants listened to McCartney's opinion.
The Beatles stood out from the rest of the bands of the time. And although the musicians were focused on creativity, they looked like real intellectuals. Paul McCartney and Lennon originally wrote songs for the albums separately, then the two talents came together. For the team, this meant one thing - the “tide” of a new wave of fans.
Soon the Beatles presented the song She Loves You. The track took the 1st position of the British chart and held it for several months. This event confirmed the group's status. The country was talking about Beatlemania.
1964 was a breakthrough year for the British group on the world stage. The musicians conquered the inhabitants of Europe with their performance, and then went to the territory of the United States of America. Concerts with the participation of the group made a splash. Fans literally fought in hysterics.
The Beatles took America by storm after performing on TV on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was watched by more than 70 million viewers.
Breakup of The Beatles
Paul McCartney lost interest in The Beatles. Cooling was caused by different views on the further development of the team. And when Alan Klein became the group's manager, McCartney finally decided to leave his offspring.
Before leaving the group, Paul McCartney wrote a few more tracks. They became immortal hits: Hey Jude, Back in the USSR and Helter Skelter. These tracks were included in the album "White Album".
The White Album was incredibly successful. This is the only collection that was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling album in the world. Let It Be is the last album by The Beatles to feature Paul McCartney.
The musician finally said goodbye to the group only in 1971. Then the group ceased to exist. After the breakup of the group, the musicians left 6 priceless albums to the fans. The team took 1st place in the list of 50 famous performers of the planet.
Solo career of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney's solo career began in 1971. The musician noted that at first he was not going to sing alone. Paul's wife, Linda, insisted on a solo career.
The first collection "Wings" was successful. The Philadelphia Orchestra took part in the recording of the collection. The album reached number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the United States. The duet of Paul and Linda was named the best in their homeland.
The rest of The Beatles spoke negatively about the work of Paul and his wife. But McCartney did not pay attention to the opinion of former colleagues. He continued to work in a duet with Linda. During this time, the duo recorded tracks along with other artists. For example, Danny Lane and Danny Saywell participated in the recording of some tracks.
Paul McCartney was only friends with John Lennon. The musicians even appeared at joint concerts. They communicated until 1980, until the tragic death of Lennon.
Paul McCartney's fear of repeating the fate of John Lennon
A year later, Paul McCartney announced that he was leaving the stage. Then he was in the group Wings. He explained the reason for leaving by the fact that he fears for his life. Paul did not want to be killed, like his friend and colleague Lennon.
After the dissolution of the band, Paul McCartney presented a new album, Tug of War. This record is considered the best work in the solo discography of the singer.
Soon Paul McCartney bought several old houses for his family. In one of the mansions, the musician set up a personal recording studio. Since then, solo compilations have been released much more frequently. The records received excellent reviews from music lovers and music critics. McCartney did not keep his word. He continued to create.
In the early 1980s, the British performer received an award from the Brit Awards as the best artist of the year. Paul McCartney continued to work actively. Soon the musician's discography was replenished with the album Pipes of Peace. McCartney devoted the collection to the theme of disarmament and world peace.
Paul McCartney's productivity did not decline. In the early 1990s, the musician recorded top tracks with Tina Turner, Elton John, Eric Stewart. But not everything was so rosy. There were compositions that can be called unsuccessful.
Paul McCartney did not deviate from the usual genres. He wrote tracks in the style of rock and pop music. At the same time, the musician composed works of the symphonic genre. The pinnacle of Paul McCartney's classical work is still considered the ballet-tale "Ocean Kingdom". In 2012, Ocean Kingdom was performed by the Royal Ballet Company.
Paul McCartney rarely, but aptly, composed soundtracks for various cartoons. In 2015, an animated film written by Paul McCartney and his friend Jeff Dunbar was released. It's about the movie High in the Clouds.
Since the mid-1980s, Paul McCartney has also tried himself as an artist. The celebrity's work has regularly appeared in prestigious galleries in New York. McCartney painted over 500 paintings.
Personal life of Paul McCartney
The personal life of Paul McCartney is quite eventful. The musician's first serious relationship was with a young artist and model, Jane Asher.
This relationship lasted for five years. Paul McCartney became very close to the parents of his beloved. They occupied a special position in the high society of London.
Soon the young McCartney settled in the Asher mansion. The couple began to enjoy family life. Together with the family, Jane McCartney attended avant-garde theatrical productions. The young man got acquainted with classical music and new directions.
During this period of time, McCartney is inspired by feelings. He created hits: Yesterday and Michelle. Paul devoted his leisure time to communicating with the owners of famous art galleries. He became a regular customer of bookstores dedicated to the study of psychedelics.
Headlines began to flicker in the press that Paul McCartney had broken up with the beautiful Jane Asher. The fact is that the musician cheated on his beloved. Jane exposed the betrayal on the eve of the wedding. For a long time after the breakup, McCartney lived in absolute solitude.
Linda Eastman
The musician still managed to meet a woman who became the whole world for him. It's about Linda Eastman. The woman was slightly older than McCartney. She worked as a photographer.
Paul married Linda and moved with her, her daughter Heather from his first marriage, to a small mansion. Linda gave birth to three children from the British singer: daughters Mary and Stella and son James.
In 1997, Paul McCartney was awarded an English knighthood. Thus, he became Sir Paul McCartney. A year after this momentous event, the musician experienced a great loss. The fact is that his wife Linda died of cancer.
Heather Mills
Paul took a long time to recover. But he soon found solace in the arms of model Heather Mills. At the same time, McCartney still talks about his wife Linda in an interview.
In honor of his wife, who died of cancer, Paul McCartney released a film with her photographs. He later released an album. The proceeds from the sale of the collection, McCartney directed to a donation for the treatment of cancer patients.
In the early 2000s, Paul McCartney faced another loss. George Harrison died in 2001. The musician came to his senses for a long time. The birth of his third daughter Beatrice Milli in 2003 helped him heal the trauma. Paul talked about how he got a second wind for creativity.
Nancy Shevell
After some time, he divorced the model, who gave birth to his daughter. McCartney proposed to businesswoman Nancy Shevell. The musician was familiar with Nancy during the lifetime of his first wife. By the way, she was one of the people who tried to dissuade him from marrying Heather.
In the process of divorcing his second wife, Paul McCartney lost a significant amount of money. Heather sued her ex-husband for several million pounds.
Today, Paul McCartney lives with his new family on his estate in the United States of America.
Paul McCartney's spat with Michael Jackson
In the early 1980s, Paul McCartney invited Michael Jackson to meet. The British musician offered to record joint compositions for the singer. As a result, the musicians presented two tracks. We are talking about the songs The Man and Say, Say, Say. It is interesting that initially there were quite warm relations between the musicians, even friendly ones.
Paul McCartney decided that he understood business more than his American counterpart. He offered to buy him the rights to some music. A year later, in a personal meeting, Michael Jackson mentioned that he would like to buy the songs of The Beatles. Within a few months, Michael carried out his intentions. Paul McCartney was beside himself with anger. Since then, Michael Jackson has become his most ardent enemy.
Interesting facts about Paul McCartney
- During the first performance of The Beatles, Paul McCartney lost his voice. He was forced to simply open the role and whisper the words from the songs.
- The first musical instrument that McCartney learned to play was not the guitar. On his 14th birthday, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father.
- The artist's favorite band is The Who.
- In the early 1970s, the musician received an Oscar for the track to the movie "So Be It".
- Long before Steve Jobs created Apple, John Lennon and Paul McCartney created the record label Apple Records. Interestingly, the band's tracks continue to be released under this label.
Paul McCartney today
Paul McCartney never stops writing music. But, in addition, he is actively involved in charity. The musician invests in the movement for the protection of animals. Even with his first wife, Linda McCartney, he joined a public organization to ban GMOs.
Paul McCartney is a vegetarian. In his songs, he talked about the cruelty of people who kill animals for fur and meat. The musician claims that since the time when he excluded meat, his health has improved significantly.
In 2016, it became known that Paul would star in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This came as a huge surprise to the fans. This is the first role in a feature film.
In 2018, Paul McCartney's discography was replenished with a new album. The compilation was called Egypt Station, which was recorded in studios in Los Angeles, London and Sussex. Producer Greg Kurstin took part in 13 tracks out of 16. In honor of the release of the album, McCartney gave a number of concerts.
A year later, the singer released two new tracks at once. Compositions Home Tonight, In A Hurry (2018) were recorded while working on the Egypt Station album.
In 2020, Paul McCartney took part in an eight-hour online concert. The musician wanted to support fans who were unable to attend his concert due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Paul McCartney in 2020
On December 18, 2020, the presentation of the new LP by Paul McCartney took place. The plastic was called McCartney III. The album was topped by 11 tracks. Recall that this is the artist's 18th studio LP. He recorded the record during the coronavirus pandemic, and the quarantine restrictions that it caused.
The title of the new LP hints at a direct connection with the previous records of McCartney and McCartney II, thus forming a trilogy of sorts. The cover and typography of the 18th studio album was designed by artist Ed Ruscha.
