You say it’s your birthday? Well, it’s Paul McCartney’s birthday too, yeah. Whether co-writing songs with John Lennon and The Beatles or releasing hit album after hit album and selling out massive venues worldwide on his own, McCartney has been one of the most popular, influential, and important figures in music for the past half century. His contributions to pop culture simply cannot be overstated, and we’re delighted to wish the not-dead Mr. McCartney many more happy returns.
Born in 1942 in Liverpool, young Paul first met John Lennon at a church gathering in 1957, where John’s band The Quarrymen was performing. Paul joined the group, and after a number of name and lineup changes, The Beatles were born. Over the next decade, the band found hysterical popularity worldwide, with hordes of screaming teenage girls gobbling up their albums, merchandise, and drowning out the PA systems at their concerts. After retiring from touring altogether, the group revolutionized studio recording techniques and the aesthetic palette of rock ‘n’ roll altogether, with brazenly experimental pop masterworks like “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” and the Side B medley of Abbey Road.
Creative conflict between McCartney and Lennon lead to the band’s dissolution in 1970, with McCartney swiftly releasing his first two solo records, on which he played all of the instruments by himself or with help from his wife, Linda Eastman McCartney. The two formed the band Wings in 1971, which landed huge hits with the title track to the James Bond film Live And Let Die and 1973’sBand On The Run. After the breakup of Wings in the early 1980s, McCartney released a popular string of solo albums, including the acclaimed Tug Of War (1982), Flowers In The Dirt (1989, co-written in part with Elvis Costello), and Flaming Pie (1997).
Paul’s wife Linda passed away from breast cancer in 1998; McCartney would later wed Heather Mills from 2002 until 2008 and is currently engaged to Nancy Shevell. He has four children from his marriage with Linda—Heather (adopted by Paul in 1969), Mary, Stella, and James McCartney.
Born in 1942 in Liverpool, young Paul first met John Lennon at a church gathering in 1957, where John’s band The Quarrymen was performing. Paul joined the group, and after a number of name and lineup changes, The Beatles were born. Over the next decade, the band found hysterical popularity worldwide, with hordes of screaming teenage girls gobbling up their albums, merchandise, and drowning out the PA systems at their concerts. After retiring from touring altogether, the group revolutionized studio recording techniques and the aesthetic palette of rock ‘n’ roll altogether, with brazenly experimental pop masterworks like “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” and the Side B medley of Abbey Road.
Paul’s wife Linda passed away from breast cancer in 1998; McCartney would later wed Heather Mills from 2002 until 2008 and is currently engaged to Nancy Shevell. He has four children from his marriage with Linda—Heather (adopted by Paul in 1969), Mary, Stella, and James McCartney.
