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McCartney, Sir Paul (18th June 1942-Present)

He was born James Paul McCartney in Walton Hospital, Liverpool.  His mother was a nurse and his father, James, was a self-taught pianist and band leader.  He first learned to play the trumpet which he stopped when it formed a callous on his lip and stopped him singing and playing at the same time.  When skiffle music appeared, he went on to learn and play the acoustic guitar.

His mother died when he was only 14 and it said that this is when his bond with John Lennon came about, as he had also lost his mother at an early age.  He joined the band The Quarrymen which later evolved into The Beatles and he and John Lennon went on and became one of the most famous songwriting teams in the history of music. The Beatles songs were always credited to them both regardless of which one wrote the song with “Yesterday” being the most famous example of where it was solely written by Paul McCartney.

He was the first Beatle to record an outside project, when he composed the soundtrack for the 1966 film The Family Way starring Hayley Mills.  The soundtrack won an Ivor Novello Award for “Best Instrumental Theme”.  He was said to have been the major creative influence behind Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour as well as the suite on the Abbey Road album.

In 1969 rumours started to spread that he had died and people would find so called clues in the song  ” A Day in the Life” and playing “Revolution #9” backwards.

After The Beatles broke up in 1970 he released the solo album McCartney for which he composed, sang and played all the instruments.  He formed the group Wings which was one of the most successful bands of the 1970s with hits that included “Live and Let Die” and “Mull of Kintyre” and they dissolved around 1981.

He went on to remain an extremely successful solo artist in the 1980s with many chart hits and in the 1990s he composed the classical Liverpool Oratorio.  He has since composed further classical music which includes Standing Stone and Working Classical.

He has performed on 22 No. 1 singles and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.  He received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.  He was married to the photographer Linda Eastman from 1969 until her death from breast cancer in 1998.  He remarried Heather Mills, an ex-model, in 2002 , separating in 2006, and got married for a third time to Nancy Shevell in October 2011.

He has worked under pseudonyms that include Apollo C. Vermouth, The Fireman and Twin Freaks as well as Paul Ramone which was the inspiration for the naming of the band The Ramones.

Paul McCartney recordings
Check My Machine (Paul McCartney)
Parlophone R6037B (UK 45 picture sleeve)

Coming Up (Paul McCartney)
Parlophone R 6035A (UK 45)

I’ll Give You a Ring (Paul McCartney)
Parlophone R6056 (UK 45)
Columbia 18-03018 (ZSS 170218) (US 45 picture sleeve)

No More Lonely Nights (Ballad) (Paul McCartney)
(Parlophone R 6080)( UK 45 picture sleeve)                                 

No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version) (Paul McCartney)
(Parlophone R 6080)(UK Picture sleeve)                                   

Pipes of Peace (Paul McCartney)
(Parlophone R 6064)( UK 45 PS)

So Bad (Paul McCartney)
(Parlophone R 6064) (UK 45 Picture Sleeve)

Take It Away (Paul McCartney)
Parlophone R6056 (UK 45)
Columbia 18-03018 (ZSS 170217) (US 45 picture sleeve)

Waterfalls (Paul McCartney)
Parlophone R6037 A (UK 45 PS)

Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus recordings
We All Stand Together (Paul McCartney)
(Parlophone R6086)(UK 45)

Paul McCartney and the Finchley Frogettes recordings
We All Stand Together (Humming Version)(Paul McCartney)
(Parlophone R6086)(UK45)

Paul McCartney and Wings recordings
Coming Up (Live in Glasgow) (Paul McCartney)
Parlophone R 6035B (UK 45)

Beatles Recordings
If I Fell (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
Capitol, X-6283, X45037 (US 45)

Got to Get You into My Life (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
Capitol, 4274, S45-X45624 (US 45 PS)

And I Love Her (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
Capitol, X-6283, X45039 (US 45)

Helter Skelter (John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Capitol, 4274, S45-X46494 (US 45)

Sources:

  1. http://www.paulmccartney.com/main.php
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney