BIOGRAPHY:

Energy, warmth and incredible talent not only in music, but also in other areas – such is Her Majesty’s Knight Sir Paul James McCartney. The work of the composer, performer, writer and artist reflects the beauty of the world around him and inspires this amazing person to continuously create new projects.

The founder of the British rock group The Beatles, Sir James Paul McCartney, was born in 1942 in a maternity hospital in the suburbs of Liverpool. His mother Mary worked at the clinic as a nurse at the time, and later took a new position as a home midwife. The boy’s father, James McCartney, is Irish and was a gunsmith at a military factory during the war. With the end of hostilities he became a cotton merchant.

In his youth, James studied music; in the 20s, he was part of one of the then famous jazz bands in Liverpool. Paul’s father could play the trumpet and piano. He instilled his love of playing music in his children: the elder Paul and the younger Michael.

At the age of 5, Paul entered a Liverpool school. Here, at the age of 10, he took part in his first concert and received an award, and a year later he was transferred to a secondary school called the Liverpool Institute, where he studied until his seventeenth birthday. In 1956, the McCartney family suffered a heavy loss: Mary’s mother died of breast cancer. After her death, Paul withdrew into himself.

Music became his way out. Thanks to his father’s support, the boy mastered playing the guitar and wrote his first musical compositions. It was this sad fact of the musician’s biography that largely influenced his rapprochement with John Lennon, who also lost his mother in his youth.

During his studies, Paul McCarthy showed himself to be an inquisitive student; he did not miss a single significant theater premiere, was interested in art exhibitions, and read fashionable poetry. In parallel with his studies at college, Paul was engaged in a small business: he worked as a traveling salesman. This experience became a useful acquisition for his entire future life: McCartney can easily carry on a conversation with anyone, he is open and friendly to everyone around him. The boy received a literary education from his school teacher, and it was in literature that Paul had the only A in his exams. At some point, the young man decided to become a theater director, but he failed to enter the institute, since he submitted his documents too late. In 1957, the significant first meeting of the future creators of The Beatles took place. Paul McCartney’s school friend invited him to try out for a youth group called The Quarrymen, whose founder was Lennon. At that time, John was still poor at playing the guitar, and Paul happily shared his knowledge with his new friend.

The relatives of both teenagers were hostile to the strong youthful friendship that had emerged. But this did not affect the relationship of the young people, and they continued to compose music together. Paul McCartney invited George Harrison to the renewed team of The Quarrymen, who would later become one of the members of the legendary quartet The Beatles..

By 1960, the young musical group was already performing at venues in Liverpool; Paul and John changed their previous name to the more sonorous The Silver Beatles, which after a tour to Hamburg was shortened to The Beatles. In the same year, Beatlemania began among the band’s fans.

The first songs that caused a storm of uncontrollable emotions among the public were Long Tall Sally and My Bonnie. Despite this, the recording of the first disc at Decca Records failed, and after touring to Germany, the music group entered into a second contract with the Parlophone Records label. At the same time, the fourth legendary member, Ringo Starr, appeared in the quartet, and Paul McCartney himself changed his rhythm guitar to bass guitar.

Within two years, the group’s first hits, Love Me Do and How Do You Do It?, appeared, the authorship of which belonged entirely to Paul McCartney. From the first singles, the young man showed himself as a mature musician; all members of the group listened to his advice.

From the very beginning, the band’s image was different from other musical groups of that time. The musicians were focused on their creativity, they looked like real intellectuals. And if in the first albums John and Paul composed compositions independently, then later they came to co-creation.

In 1963, the single She Loves You topped the popular music chart in the UK and stayed at the top for almost two months. This fact officially secured the group’s status as the most popular group.

1964 was a breakthrough year for The Beatles on the world stage. The musicians went on tour in Europe and then went to the USA. The quartet was greeted by crowds of fans; at their concerts, fans threw real hysterics. The Beatles finally conquered the United States after their performance on the central television channel in the Ed Sullivan Show program, which was watched by more than 70 million viewers.

The Beatles break up:

In many ways, Paul’s removal from the group’s affairs was influenced by the difference in the philosophical views of the musicians. In addition, the appointment of the dubious Alan Klein to the role of group manager, against whom only McCartney opposed, finally split the team.

On the eve of his departure from The Beatles, McCartney created several immortal singles: Hey Jude, Back in the U.S.S.R. and Helter Skelter, which were included in the list of songs on the White Album. The cover of the latter had a special design: it was completely white, without any photos.

Interestingly, this is the only record in the world that is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest selling record. The latest album, Let It Be, was Paul McCartney’s final album as a member of the quartet.

McCartney managed to finally settle his legal cases with The Beatles by the beginning of 1971. Thus, the legendary group ceased to exist, which over the course of several years of creativity created six “diamond” albums, took first place in the list of 50 greatest performers, received 10 Grammy awards and one Oscar.

Solo career Since 1971, largely thanks to his wife, Paul began a solo career. The first album of the group Wings, in the creation of which the Philadelphia Orchestra took part, took first place at the top of the charts in the UK and second place in the USA, and the duet of Paul and Linda McCartney was named the best in their homeland.

McCartney’s former colleagues spoke negatively about the musician’s new experience, but Paul continued to compose songs for a duet with his wife. The supergroup also included famous British musicians Denny Lane and Danny Savell.

Several times after this, Paul and John participated in joint concerts, they maintained a calm and friendly relationship until Lennon’s death, which occurred in 1980. A year after the death of his friend, Paul stopped his musical activities as part of the group Wings for fear of being killed, like Lennon. With this band, Paul managed to release the album Band on the Run, which became their most successful project.

After Paul McCartney released the album Tug of War, which is considered the best disc in the singer’s solo career. For his family, the musician acquired several ancient estates and built a personal music studio in his mansion.

In 1982, the singer received another award from the Brit Awards as best artist of the year. He worked hard and fruitfully. He dedicated his new songs from the album Pipes of Peace to the theme of disarmament and peace on the planet.

In the 80s and 90s, Paul McCartney recorded many collaborations with other famous artists such as Tina Turner, Elton John, Eric Stewart. Paul experimented with arrangements, often recording songs accompanied by the London Orchestra. The musician’s work is a combination of flops and hits.

1999 was the year for McCartney to recognize his solo talent. The musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.

Without departing from rock and pop music, Paul McCartney wrote many works of the symphonic genre. The pinnacle of the British musician’s classical work is considered to be his fairy tale ballet “The Ocean Kingdom,” which was performed by the Royal Ballet in 2012. The former lead singer of The Beatles created soundtracks for British cartoons. In 2015, an animated film based on the script by Paul McCartney and his friend Jeff Dunbar, “High in the Clouds,” was released.

In 2012, Paul presented a video for his song My Valentine. The singer, who turned into a director, called Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp for filming. This is not the first time the stars have collaborated.

In 2016, it was announced that Sir Paul McCartney would be starring in the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales. In this film, the famous British artist played along with the permanent cast of the cult film: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush.

The scene in which the pop star performed his own song was included in the final version of the film. This is McCartney’s first role in a feature film, having previously acted mainly in documentaries. In 2017, the film was released.

In 2016, Paul began the One on One tour. The first performance took place in April in Fresno, California, and ended in Indio, California in October.

The next touring year opened with McCartney’s show in Newark, New Jersey, and ended in Long Island.

In 2017, the singer teamed up with Ringo Starr to record the Beatles drummer’s new album. McCartney performed a “great bass line”. Before this, the musicians met to collaborate in 2010.

The main event of 2018 was the release of the solo album Egypt Station. Each composition has its own flavor, acting as a unique station of musical culture. There are 16 tracks in total. The album took first place in the Billboard 200 chart. During the same period, two new songs were recorded: Home Tonight and In A Hurry.

Paul McCartney released a collection of compositions McCartney III. The album is a continuation of the collections of the same name numbered I and II. The tracks were recorded by the musician alone, the instruments were layered one by one, layer by layer.

During the same period, the musician posted on Instagram (the social network is banned in the Russian Federation, it belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation) a photograph that is 35 years old. The photo shows Freddie Mercury at Wembley Stadium, where a huge charity concert took place in 1985. The proceeds from the event were used to help the people of Ethiopia.

Conflict with Michael Jackson:

In 1983, at the invitation of Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson came to him, with whom they began working together on several songs: The Man and Say, Say, Say. A true friendship began between the musicians. Together they attended several social events.

The British musician, having decided to teach his friend about business, gave him advice to acquire the rights to some music. A year later, at a joint meeting in the United States, Jackson jokingly mentioned that he was going to buy The Beatles songs, after which he carried out his intention within a few months. With this act he shocked Paul McCartney and became his enemy.

In the early 2000s, the first tour of the king of rock and roll took place in Russia. The concerts on Red Square in Moscow took place as part of the star’s Back In The World world tour. In the Russian capital, Paul McCartney met with President Vladimir Putin at his Kremlin residence.

A year later, the leader of the Fab Four gave a solo concert on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. Subsequent performances of the pop star took place mainly on Vasilyevsky Spusk, as well as at the Olympic Stadium. During these same years, he came to Kyiv with a solo concert.

In 2012, he also came to the defense of the Russian controversial group Pussy Riot and wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin.

Personal life:

In his youth, the musician’s personal life was stormy. He met his first serious love in 1959. A couple of years later, Dot Ron even became pregnant with Paul’s child, and the lovers were actively planning their wedding. But the girl had a miscarriage, after which the relationship between them gradually faded away.

Romance with Jane Asher:

McCartney met Jane Asher in 1963. Communication with her greatly influenced the musician’s worldview. The girl was a sought-after actress, despite her young age, and often went on tour. Over the course of the five years that the love affair lasted, Paul McCartney became close to Jane’s parents, who occupied a special position in London’s high society.

The young man moved into the penthouse of the six-story Asher mansion. Together with Jane’s family, McCartney attended avant-garde theater productions, became acquainted with modern musical trends and listened to classics. During this time, Paul created some of his most famous works – Yesterday and Michelle. Gradually, the musician moved away from his friends in the group. He devoted all his leisure time to communicating with the owners of famous art galleries and became the main buyer in a bookstore devoted to the study of psychedelics.

After breaking up with Jane Asher, which occurred on the eve of their wedding due to Paul’s infidelity, the musician was left alone, but soon met the girl who became his first wife.

Marriage to Linda McCartney:

Linda Eastman was one year older than McCartney and worked as a photographer. With his wife and her daughter Heather from his first marriage, Paul McCartney settled outside the city in a small mansion and began to lead a fairly secluded lifestyle.

In their marriage, Paul and Linda McCartney had three children: daughters Mary and Stella, son James.

In 1997, he was awarded an English knighthood and became Sir Paul McCartney. A year later, the singer experienced a great tragedy: his wife Linda McCartney died of cancer.

Second wife Heather Mills After some time, the musician found solace in the arms of former model Heather Mills, without forgetting his first wife. In her honor, he created an album and released a film with photographs and photographs of Linda. Proceeds from the sale of the discs went towards donations for the treatment of cancer patients.

In 2001, he learned that he had lost another old friend, George Harrison. But the bitterness of Paul McCartney’s losses was brightened by the appearance of his third daughter, Beatrice Millie, in 2003. The girl instilled hope in her father, and he got a second wind for creativity.

However, the appearance of a child did not save this marriage. In 2006, divorce proceedings began, and only 2 years later the relationship was officially terminated. According to the court decision, the musician paid his ex-wife about $34 million.

Third marriage:

In 2007, the musician began dating Nancy Shavell, an American businesswoman. The woman did not need money, unlike the singer’s second wife Heather. After 4 years spent together, the lovers got married.

Now Paul McCartney and his family live on his estate in America.

Paul McCartney now:

In April 2022, McCartney began a big tour – he went on a world tour called Got Back. At the first concert, Paul put on an amazing performance, performing the hit I’ve Got A Feeling alongside John Lennon on the big screen. The audience was delighted with this duet.

At the same time, it was announced that the ex-lead singer of The Beatles would attend the Glastonbury festival as a headliner. Considering the performer’s age (80 years), this automatically made him the oldest participant in the event in its entire history.

Discography:

1970 – McCartney
1971 – Ram
1973 – Red Rose Speedway
1980 – McCartney II
1982 – Tug of War
1983 – Pipes of Peace
1986 – Press to Play
1991 — “Back in the USSR”
1989 – Flowers in the Dirt
1991 – Unplugged
1993 – Off the Ground
1997 – Flaming Pie
1999 – Run Devil Run
2001 – Driving Rai
2005 — Chaos and Creation in the Backyar
2007 – Memory Almost Full
2012 — Kisses on the Bottom
2013 — New
2018 – Egypt Station
2020 – McCartney III

Interesting Facts:

In 2019, Paul released a book for children.
The Mrs Vanderbilt single did not become popular in the USA and Great Britain, but in the USSR the composition was sung everywhere.

The song “Hey Jude” was created by the singer in a duet with Lennon for the son of Lennon and Yoko Ono, Julian. The song was performed at Royal Albert Hill by such stars as Elton John, Eric Clapton, Sting, Mark Knoepfel and Phil Collins.

Since the mid-80s, the singer tried himself not only in music, but also in painting. McCartney exhibited regularly in New York galleries. He has already written more than 500 paintings.

The musician is also involved in charity work. While remaining a vegetarian, the musician gives concerts against the creation of fur clothing, believing that innocent animals are unfairly suffering for the sake of human whims.