Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and composer from Walton in Liverpool. Born in 1942, he is best known for his work with the Beatles, where he serves mainly as bassist while also sharing songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. The Lennon-McCartney partnership becomes one of the most successful and influential in popular music.

Early life and the Beatles

McCartney grows up in Liverpool and teaches himself piano, guitar, and songwriting in his youth. His father, a jazz musician, and rock and roll performers such as Little Richard and Buddy Holly influence him. In 1957 he joins John Lennon’s skiffle group, the Quarrymen, which develops into the Beatles in 1960. He contributes as songwriter, vocalist, bassist, keyboardist, guitarist, and occasional drummer.

Within the Beatles, McCartney writes or co-writes songs including “And I Love Her”, “Yesterday”, “Eleanor Rigby”, and “Blackbird”, which are widely covered by other artists. He also plays a major part in the creative direction and studio experimentation behind works such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, and Abbey Road. After Brian Epstein dies in 1967, McCartney takes on a greater leadership role. The group’s internal disagreements and business disputes lead to its public break-up in 1970.

Solo work and Wings

McCartney begins his solo career with the album McCartney in 1970. In 1971 he forms Wings with his wife Linda McCartney, Denny Seiwell, and later Denny Laine. Wings becomes one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1970s and records hit songs such as “My Love”, “Band on the Run”, “Listen to What the Man Said”, “Silly Love Songs”, and “Mull of Kintyre”. After Wings ends in 1981, he continues as a solo artist.

His solo hits include “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”, “Coming Up”, “Pipes of Peace”, “Ebony and Ivory” with Stevie Wonder, and “Say Say Say” with Michael Jackson. He releases a large number of studio albums, live recordings, and collaborative projects.

Other projects and collaborations

McCartney also works in classical music, electronic music, film soundtracks, and orchestral composition. His classical works include Liverpool Oratorio, Standing Stone, Working Classical, and Ecce Cor Meum. Under the name the Fireman, he collaborates with Youth on several electronic projects. He also contributes music to film, television, and video games, including “Hope for the Future” for Destiny.

He appears in or leads a number of group projects beyond the Beatles and Wings, including the Quarrymen, the Silver Beatles, the Beatles, the Beat Brothers, Twin Freaks, the Fireman, Sound City Players, Rockestra, the Justice Collective, R.A.D.D. (Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving), and George's Band.

Recognition and later activity

McCartney is one of the world’s best-selling music artists. He writes or co-writes 32 songs that reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and sells more than 100 million records as a solo artist. He is among the few recording artists to sell over 100 million records both as a solo performer and as a member of a band.

His honours include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, first with the Beatles in 1988 and later as a solo artist in 1999. He receives an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and multiple Grammy Awards. He is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965 and is knighted in 1997 for services to music. He also receives a Primetime Emmy Award as a producer of The Beatles: Get Back.

McCartney continues to record and perform into the 2020s, with albums including Egypt Station and McCartney III. He publishes The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present and releases 1964: Eyes of the Storm, a collection of photographs from the early Beatlemania period. In 2022 he headlines Glastonbury as its oldest solo headliner.

Personal life and charitable work

McCartney marries Linda Eastman in 1969; they remain together until her death in 1998 and have three children, with McCartney also adopting her daughter from a previous relationship. He later marries Heather Mills in 2002 and Nancy Shevell in 2011. He supports animal welfare, vegetarianism, anti-landmine campaigns, poverty relief, and music education, and performs at major benefit events including Live Aid, Live 8, the Concert for New York City, the Concert for George, and 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief.

Labels and genres

His associated labels include McCartney Music Ltd., Northern Songs Ltd., MPL, and Maclen Music, Inc. His music spans classical, folk, pop, pop rock, pop soul, and rock.