McCartney Beatles. Life position of Paul McCartney

Name: Paul McCartney

Age: 76 years old

Height: 181

Activity: singer, musician, composer, artist, writer

Family status: married

Paul McCartney: biography

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

In his youth, James studied music, in the 20s he was a member of one of the then famous jazz bands in Liverpool. Paul's father could play the trumpet and piano. He instilled his love for music in his children: the older Paul and the younger Michael.

At the age of 5, Paul entered the 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, which was called the Liverpool Institute, where he studied until his seventeenth birthday. In 1956, the McCartney family suffered a severe loss: Mary's mother died of breast cancer. After her death, Paul withdrew into himself.

Music was his outlet. Thanks to the support of his father, the boy learns to play the guitar, he writes the first musical compositions. It was this sad fact of the musician's biography that largely influenced his rapprochement with, who also lost his mother in his youth.

During his studies, Paul McCarthy manifests himself as an inquisitive student, he does not miss a single significant theatrical premiere, is interested in art exhibitions, and reads fashionable poetry. In parallel with his studies at college, Paul is engaged in a small business: he works as a traveling salesman. Such an experience became a useful acquisition for his entire future life: McCartney can easily keep up a conversation with any person, he is open and friendly to everyone around him. At some point, the young man decided to become a theater director, but he failed to enter the institute, as he submitted the documents too late.

In 1957, the significant first meeting of the future creators of the Beatles took place. A school friend of Paul McCartney invited him to try his hand at a youth group called The Quarrymen, founded by Lennon. In those days, John still had a poor command of the technique of playing the guitar, and Paul was happy to share his knowledge with a new friend.

The relatives of both teenagers perceived the strong youthful friendship with hostility. But this did not affect the relationship of young people, and they continued to compose music together. Paul McCartney invites George Harrison to the renewed The Quarrymen, who will later become one of the members of the legendary quartet The Beatles.

By 1960, the young musical group was already performing at the venues of Liverpool, Paul and John changed their former name to the more sonorous "The Silver Beatles", which, after touring in Hamburg, was shortened to "The Beatles". In the same year, Beatlemania begins among the fans of the band.

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 the Decca Records studio failed, and after touring in Germany musical group enters into a second contract with the label "Parlophone Records". At the same time, the fourth legendary member Ringo Starr appears in the quartet, and Paul McCartney himself changes rhythm guitar to bass guitar.

Within two years, the first hits of the group “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.

The image of the group from the very beginning was different from other musical groups of that time. The musicians were focused on their work, they looked like real intellectuals. And if in the first albums John and Paul composed compositions on their own, 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 band, and the country started talking about Beatlemania.

1964 was a breakthrough year for The Beatles on the world stage. The musicians go on tour in Europe, and then go to the USA. The quartet is greeted by crowds of fans; at their concerts, fans throw real tantrums. 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.

Breakup of The Beatles

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

On the eve of his departure from The Beatles, McCartney creates several immortal singles: "Hey Jude", "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Helter Skelter", which were featured on the White Album song list. The cover of the latter was distinguished by a special design: it was pure white, without any photos.

Interestingly, this is the only record in the world that was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest sold out. The last album "Let It Be" was the final in the work of Paul McCartney as part of a quartet.

McCartney managed to finalize the court cases with The Beatles by the beginning of 1971. So the legendary band ceased to exist, which in a few years of its existence created six "diamond" albums, took first place in the list of the 50 greatest performers, received 10 Grammy awards and one Oscar.

Solo career

Since 1971, largely thanks to his wife Linda, Paul began a solo career. The very 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 was named the best in their homeland.

McCartney's former colleagues expressed themselves 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 Danny Lane and Danny Seiwell.

Several times after that, Paul and John participated in joint concerts, they maintained a quiet friendly relationship until Lennon's death, which occurred in 1980. A year after the death of a friend, Paul stopped his musical activities as part of the Wings group due to fear of being killed, like Lennon.

After the dissolution of the Wings group, Paul McCartney creates the Tug of War album, which is considered the best disc in the singer's solo career. For his family, the musician acquires several old estates and creates a personal music studio in his mansion. McCartney's new albums regularly receive high marks from critics and are also popular with the public.

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

In the 80s and 90s, Paul McCartney recorded many collaborations with other famous performers, such as Eric Stewart. Paul experiments with arrangements, often recording songs with the London Orchestra. Often in his work, failures are combined with hits.

Not departing from rock and pop music, Paul McCartney writes many works of the symphonic genre. The pinnacle of the British musician's classical work is considered to be his ballet fairy tale Ocean Kingdom, which was performed by the Royal Ballet Company in 2012.

The former lead singer of The Beatles creates 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.

Since the mid-80s, the singer has tried himself not only in music, but also in painting. McCartney exhibits regularly in New York galleries. More than 500 paintings belong to his pen.

Personal life

At the same time, a girl appeared in Paul McCartney's personal life, communication with which greatly influenced the musician's worldview. It was a young artist, model Jane Asher. During the five years during which love story, Paul McCartney became close to Jane's parents. They occupied a special position in the high society of London.

The young man settled in the penthouse of the six-story Escher mansion. Together with the family of Jane McCartney, he attends avant-garde theatrical productions, he gets acquainted with modern musical trends and listens to the classics. At this time, Paul creates some of his most famous works - "Yesterday" and "Michelle". Gradually, the musician moves away from his friends in the group. He devotes all his leisure time to the owners of famous art galleries and becomes a major customer in the store of books devoted to the study of psychedelics.

After breaking up with Jane Asher, which happened on the eve of their wedding due to Paul's infidelity, the musician does not remain alone for long. Soon he meets a girl who becomes his first wife. 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 the marriage of Paul and Linda McCartney, three children were born: 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 in his life: his wife Linda McCartney died of cancer.

After some time, the musician will find solace in the arms of former model Heather Mills, while not forgetting his first wife. In her honor, he will create a whole album, release a film with pictures and photographs of Linda. All proceeds from the sale of CDs will go to donations for the treatment of cancer patients.

In 2001, he learns that he is losing another of his old friends, George Harrison. But the bitterness of the loss of Paul McCartney was brightened up by the appearance of the third daughter, Beatrice Milli, in 2003. The baby gave hope to her father, and he got a second wind for creativity.

After some time, the British singer broke up with his second wife and soon married for the third time to American businesswoman Nancy Shavell. Paul McCartney knew his third wife during Linda's lifetime. Nancy was one of those who at one time tried to dissuade the musician from a second marriage to Heather, warning him about the bride's dishonesty. Such warnings proved to be prophetic. In the process of divorce, Heather denounced a decent amount of several million pounds from her ex-husband.

Today, Paul McCartney lives with his new family on his estate in America.

Conflict with Michael Jackson

In 1983, at the invitation of Paul McCartney, he comes to him, with whom they begin working together on several songs: "The Man" and "Say, Say, Say". A real friendship began between the musicians. Together they attended several social events.

A British musician, having decided to teach his friend about business, advises him 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 plunged Paul McCartney into shock and became his enemy.

public position

In addition to music, the artist is actively involved in charity. He invests a lot of money in the movement to protect our smaller brothers. Together with his first wife Linda McCartney, the singer joined a public organization to ban GMOs.

Remaining a vegetarian, the musician gives concerts against the creation of fur clothes, which is the reason for the cruel treatment of innocent animals.

After the start of active operations in the East, Paul McCartney appealed to the authorities about stopping the use of anti-personnel mines.

Together with Ringo Starr, McCartney gave a concert in defense of transcendental meditation.

Paul McCartney in Russia

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

A year later, the leader of the Liverpool Four gave a solo concert on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The subsequent performances of the pop star took place mainly on Vasilyevsky Spusk, as well as at the Olimpiysky Stadium. In the same years, he comes 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.

Paul McCartney now

In 2016, Sir Paul McCartney was announced to star 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 composition of the cult picture:, and.

The scene in which the pop star performs his own song will be included in the final cut of the film. This is McCartney's first role in a feature film, having previously appeared mainly in documentaries. The release of "Pirates of the Caribbean" is expected closer to the middle of 2017.

Discography

• "McCartney" - (1970)
• "Ram" - (1971)
• "McCartney II" - (1980)
• "Tug of War" - (1982)
• "Pipes of Peace" - (1983)
• "Press to Play" - (1986)
• "Back in the USSR" - (1991)
• "Flowers in the Dirt" - (1989)
• "Unplugged" - (1991)
• "Off the Ground" - (1993)
• "Flaming Pie" - (1997)
• "Run Devil Run" - (1999)
• "Driving Rain" - (2001)
• "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" - (2005)
• "Memory Almost Full" - (2007)
• "New" - (2013)

From The Beatles to his solo career, Paul McCartney has been at the forefront of the music world for over 60 years. In addition to such a sharp career, he experienced many adventures and an eventful life. And his birthday is a great occasion to once again admire this talented person.

For Paul McCartney it all started in Liverpool in 1942. His father was a professional musician and helped his son learn to play the guitar. Paul also learned to play the piano.

Paul McCartney, his father James and brother Michael at home in Liverpool in 1961.

By the age of 15, McCartney had met John Lennon, who had already put together a band called The Quarrymen. Paul and George Harrison joined the Lennon group in 1958.

After going through several titles, they settled on The Beatles and went on tour as their success grew.

They also have a new drummer - Ringo Starr. And so the famous Liverpool Four was born.

The Beatles in June 1963.

With their catchy ballads, the Beatles gathered a whole army of fans, who by the beginning of the 60s had become real crazy fans of the group. This is how Beatlemania was born. Wherever the group went, crowds of female fans immediately followed them. People were so obsessed with this group that John Lennon once said, "We're more popular than Jesus."

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison fool around with Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Mohammed Ali, Miami Beach, Florida, 1964.

The Beatles also starred in films starting in 1964. In total, they released four films: "A Hard Day's Evening", "Help!", "Magical Mystery Journey" and "So Be It". During the filming of the last film in 1969, the film crew followed the group around for four weeks to make a documentary that ended with the group's problems, which just kept coming.

The Beatles at the release of their album Sgt. Pepper in 1967.

After years of non-stop recording, touring, and hanging out together, the Beatles began to wear out. Finally, the group gave the last joint concert in 1966, after which they decided to take a break. By 1970, The Beatles had broken up.

Paul McCartney seemed to have found his destiny when he met Linda Eastman. Their romance was like a scene from the movie Almost Famous, only with true love. Linda met Paul at a concert in London which she was filming as a photographer. A few days later they came to a party together, and a year later they indulged in passion in New York. On March 12, 1969, they got married. They had four children - Mary, Stella, James and Linda's daughter from a previous relationship - Heather.

Paul and Linda McCartney on their wedding day in 1969.

After giving birth to four children, Linda focused on her musical career with the band Wings. The group's first lineup included Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Lane and Denny Seiwell, and later Henry McCullough. Over the years, various members of the group have appeared and disappeared.

Paul McCartney in concert with the Wings in 1979.

Paul McCartney with wife Linda and daughter Stella at London Heathrow Airport in 1979.

Paul won 15 (!) Grammys, both as part of The Beatles and in his solo career. He received his first award in 1965 with the band as "Best New Artist" and his last in 2012 as a producer for Band on the Run. In 1990, he received a Grammy for achievements in the music world. History has a habit of repeating itself, so don't be surprised if this isn't Paul's last award.

The McCartney family in Tokyo in 1980.

Paul and Linda McCartney support demonstrators who staged a protest against the demolition of a hospital near Paul's house (1990).

Paul and Linda McCartney at a fashion show in Paris, 1997. Together they spent 30 years. Linda died of complications after battling breast cancer in 1998.

Knighting is the highest praise. In March 1997, Paul McCartney officially became a Sir, thanks to his contribution to music industry. Sir Paul helped revolutionize modern music.

Paul McCartney and Madonna at the MTV Music Awards in New York, 1999.

Paul's second wife was Heather Mills. In the spring of 1999, Paul and Heather experienced an unusual and fleeting romance. They met at a charity event and got engaged two years later. After the wedding, which cost $ 3.2 million and took place on June 11, 2002, Heather became pregnant with her daughter Beatrice. But by 2006, their marriage fell apart and they went through a very ugly and public divorce. After months of legal drama, Paul agreed to pay Mills $48.6 million and take joint custody of her daughter.

2005 was a great year for Paul, who played in the Super Bowl.

Even though The Beatles disbanded in 1970, in 2007 the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas hosted a show called "Love" inspired by the band's music. The Cirque du Soleil production depicted the rise and fall of the group, with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney watching from the audience. Since its debut, this show has been a huge success so far.

They got married at London City Hall, and Paul's 7-year-old daughter Beatrice carried a basket of flowers. Among the 30 invited guests were Barbara Walters and Ringo Starr. Since then, the couple have been happily living either in New York or in England.

Paul actively supports his daughter Stella, he and his wife Nancy always sit in the front rows of almost all of her shows.

Despite such an amazing life, Paul at his age looks just fine.

Paul McCartney

Who is Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is a British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer, and an MBE. With John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, he founded the Beatles, which have achieved worldwide fame and are considered the most popular and influential group in the history of rock music. The duo Lennon - McCartney became the most famous in the post-war period. After the breakup of the group, McCartney began a solo career and created the group Wings, which included his first wife Linda (Linda) and Denny Laine (Denny Laine).

McCartney is considered one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. The Beatles song "Yesterday" has been covered by over 2,200 artists, more than any other song. In 1977 Wings released "Mull of Kintyre", one of the biggest selling songs in the UK. McCartney is twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999), is a 21-time Grammy Award winner, wrote himself (or co-wrote other artists) 32 songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as of 2009, he sold more than 25.5 million copies of his work certified by the Recording Industry Association of America in the United States. McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Star were all made MBEs in 1965, and in 1997 McCartney was made an MBE for services to music.

McCartney has written a large number of songs as well as classical and electronic music as a solo artist. He is involved in philanthropic projects dealing with animal rights, seal hunting, anti-personnel mines, vegetarianism, poverty, and music education. He has been married three times and has five children.

Paul McCartney's childhood

James Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 at Walton Hospital, Liverpool, England, where his mother, Mary Patricia (née Mohin; 1909–1956), worked as a nurse. His father James (Jim) McCartney (James ("Jim") McCartney (1902-1976)) was not present at the birth of his son, as he served in World War II as a volunteer firefighter. Paul has a younger brother, Michael, who was born on January 7, 1944. Although the children were baptized in the Roman Catholic Church by their Catholic mother, their father was an agnostic (and formerly a Protestant), parents raised the children outside of religious traditions.

In 1947, Paul entered the elementary school Stockton Wood Road (Stockton Wood Road); due to overcrowding, he was transferred to Joseph Williams Primary School in Belle Vale. In 1954, he passed the 11+ exam, which only three out of nine students succeeded in, and was able to continue his education at a boys' high school called the Liverpool Institute, rather than at a modern high school. In 1954, he met George Harrison on a school bus from his home in Spica. They quickly became friends, McCartney later admitted: "I talked down to him a little because he was one year younger than me."

McCartney's mother worked as a midwife and was the main breadwinner in the family, her earnings allowed the family to move to new house at 20 Fortlin Road, where they lived until 1964. She rode her bike to her patients, one of McCartney's earliest memories being his mother leaving home at 3am and the streets covered in snow. On October 31, 1956, when McCartney was 14 years old, his mother died due to an embolism. Early loss later became one of the reasons for Paul's rapprochement with John Lennon, whose mother Julia died when he was 17 years old.

McCartney's father played trumpet and piano, and led Jim Mac's Jazz Band in the 1920s. There was a piano in the living room and his father encouraged his sons' interest in music, he advised Paul to take music lessons, but Paul preferred to study by ear. By the age of fourteen, his father gave his son a nickel-plated trumpet, which he exchanged for a £15 Framus Zenith acoustic guitar when rock and roll became popular on Radio Luxembourg.Paul wanted to sing along to himself while playing an instrument.Paul was left-handed and played guitar was difficult for him until he saw a poster of left-handed performer Slim Whitman playing guitar.Following his example, Paul reversed the strings on his guitar.McCartney wrote his first song "I Lost My Little Girl" on Zenith guitar, as well as another of his early melody, which later became the song "When I" m Sixty-Four", on the piano. Paul was influenced by rhythm and blues, his idol was Little Richard, and the first song he performed in front of an audience during a talent contest at the Butlins camp was "Long Tall Sally".

Paul McCartney career

Paul McCartney's first meeting with Lennon

On July 6, 1957, in the hall of St. Peter's Church Hall fête in Woolton, 15-year-old Paul met Lennon, who was the leader of the Quarrymen. The Quarrymen performed rock and roll and skiffle, genre popular music influenced by jazz, blues and folk music Shortly after this meeting McCartney was invited to join the band as a rhythm guitarist and developed a close working relationship with Lennon Harrison joined the band in 1958 as lead guitarist , and Stuart Sutcliffe on bass joined the band in 1960. By May 1960, the band had changed several names, including the Beatals, Johnny and the Moondogs, and the Silver Beetles.They settled on the name The Beatles in August 1960 and hired drummer Pete Best shortly before touring in Hamburg.

Formation of the Beatles

Allan Williams became their unofficial spokesman and the band went on their first tour to Hamburg in 1960. In 1961, Sutcliffe left the band and McCartney reluctantly took over as bassist. The band's first professional recording (under the name the Beat Brothers) was made in Hamburg, where they recorded the song "My Bonnie" with Tony Sheridan as an accompanying band. This recording of the group was brought to the attention of Brian Epstein, who played a key role in the development and success of the group. He became their manager in January 1962. In August, Ringo Star replaced Pete Best, and in October the band recorded their first hit, "Love Me Do", which became popular in the UK in 1963 and a year later in the US. The mass hysteria of their fans was called "Beatlemania", and McCartney was sometimes referred to in the press as "the sweet Beatle".

History of the song Yesterday

In August 1965, the Beatles released the McCartney song "Yesterday", featuring a string quartet, included on the Help! album. For the first time in the history of the band, elements of classical music were included in the song and only one member of the band took part in the recording. The song "Yesterday" has been the most covered song in the history of popular music. Later that year, during the recording of the album "Rubber Soul", McCartney began to supplant Lennon and became the dominant musical figure in the group. Musicologist Ian MacDonald wrote: "Since 1965 ... McCartney has led the way as a songwriter, instrumentalist, arranger, producer and, in fact, musical director of the Beatles." Critics noted the sophistication and depth of music and lyrics in the album "Rubber Soul". One of the best songs of the Beatles and McCartney and Lennon called the song "In My Life, the melody of which the musicians wrote together. McCartney explained the appearance of this album as follows: "There was a period when we were funny, but it's time to move on." Recording engineer Norman Norman Smith claimed that during the recording of the Rubber Soul album, divisions within the band intensified: "the conflict between John and Paul became apparent... and since Paul was worried that George (Harrison) could do nothing That's right, Paul was constantly picking on him."

In 1966, the Beatles released the Revolver album. He became a creative leap for the group, his characteristic features complex lyrics, studio experiments and a wide repertoire of genres from innovative string arrangements to psychedelic rock. The single "Paperback Writer", one of three McCartney songs on the A-side of the album, preceded the release of the LP. The Beatles released a short promotional film for this song, as well as another film for the B-side song "Rain". The film, which Harrison called "the forerunner of video clips", was shown on Ed Sullivan's Show and Top of the Pops in June 1966. The album "Revolver" also included McCartney's "Eleanor Rigby", which featured a string octet. In Gould's opinion, the song is "a neoclassical marvel of craftsmanship... a true hybrid that fits neither recognizable styles or genres in music". In addition to backing vocals, the song contains only McCartney's vocals and string instruments, George Martin wrote an arrangement for them.

The band played their last commercial gig in 1966 at the end of their US tour. Later that year, McCartney completed his first solo musical project, the score for the film "the Family Way", filmed in the UK. The music for the film was written in collaboration with Martin, who used 2 of McCartney's musical themes to write 13 variations. The soundtrack failed to chart, but McCartney won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Instrumental.

Why did the Beatles break up?

By the end of the Beatles' concert activity, McCartney felt vague dissatisfaction in the group and urged the participants to remain creatively productive. She urged them to start working on a new project, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which is rightfully considered the first concept album. Inspired by the idea to create a new image of the group that could be used as a platform for experimentation and Demonstrating their musical maturity, McCartney created a fictitious band for the album's title track McCartney explained: "We were sick of being the Beatles. We really hate this damn recipe for success for four guys with bouffant hair. We were no longer boys, but men ... and we perceived ourselves as representatives of art, and not as performers."

During the recording of the album, which began in November 1966, the band experimented a lot. According to recording engineer Geoff Emerick, "the Beatles wanted to take risks with music and sound...we experimented with tape speed, other techniques...limiters and...effects like flanger and dual autotracking." In February 1967, the singles "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" were recorded, and an LP was released in June. McCartney's "She's Leaving Home" is an orchestral pop song MacDonald called it "one of the most beautiful songs on the album. Sgt. Pepper is an immortal piece of music of its time." album, which is a collage designed by pop artists Peter Blake (Peter Blake) and Jann Haworth (Jann Haworth). On the cover - members of the Beatles in the form of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" along with other celebrities. The Beatles' bushy mustaches reflected the growing influence of the hippie movement on the band, and their clothing "parodied the military fashion in Britain," wrote Gould. Scholar David Scott Kastan called the album "Sgt. Pepper." "the most important and influential rock album ever recorded."

As a result of Epstein's death in August 1967, a void was created, the musicians were confused and worried about their future. McCartney filled this void, he gradually became the de facto leader and business manager of the group, replacing Lennon. After this change in leadership, McCartney's first creative suggestion was to make a TV movie, Magical Mystery Tour. According to Mark Lewisohn, the project has become "an administrative nightmare for everyone." The main director of the film was McCartney, which led to the film receiving negative reviews from critics. However, the film's soundtrack was more successful. It was released in the UK as a double mini-album consisting of six tracks, while the American version consisted of 11 tracks and was an LP (included an additional five songs from the band's previous albums). In three weeks of sales, 8 million copies of the American version of the album, released by the record label Capitol Records in the United States, were sold, this was the best sales figure for a long-playing album at that time; this compilation was later included in the band's official studio album canon.

In January 1968, EMI released a promotional trailer for the animated film "Yellow Submarine" based on the fictional world that McCartney created in his 1966 composition. Critics raved about the cartoon's visual style, humor, and music, but the soundtrack, released seven months later, received more restrained reviews. By the end of 1968, relations within the group began to deteriorate. Tensions rose during the recording of their self-titled double album, also known as the "White Album". The situation worsened the following year during the recording of Let It Be, when a member of the camera crew filmed the moment McCartney lectured the rest of the members: "We have become very negative about the world since Mr. Epstein died .. ... we have always been a little against (his) discipline, but it is foolish to be against the discipline that we ourselves have introduced."

Paul McCartney's first marriage

In March 1969, McCartney married Linda Eastman (Linda Eastman), and in August the couple had their first child, a daughter, Mary, named after his mother. During the recording of the band's latest studio album, Abbey Road, Martin put forward the idea of ​​creating a "continuously moving piece of music" and encouraged musicians to think symphonically. McCartney agreed, but Lennon did not. In the end, they came to a compromise, deciding to accept McCartney's offer - on the first side of the record there will be individual songs of the participants, and on the second - a long composition consisting of several songs. In October 1969, a rumor emerged that McCartney had died in a car accident in 1966 and was replaced by a body double, a rumor quickly debunked when a picture of Paul and his family appeared on the cover of Life magazine in November. The photo was accompanied by the caption "Paul is still with us."

Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles

On April 10, 1970, in the midst of business disagreements with band members, McCartney announced that he was leaving the band. He filed a lawsuit to formally disband the group on December 31, 1970. Then there were new legal disputes - McCartney's lawyers, relatives from his wife John and Lee Eastman, against Allan Klein (Allen Klein), Lennon's business manager, Harrison, Starr, concerning fees and control creative activity. The Beatles were officially disbanded by an English court on January 9, 1975, although there were occasional lawsuits against their record label, EMI, Klein, and members sued each other until 1989. The Beatles are considered the most popular and influential band in the history of rock music.

Before and for some time after leaving the group, McCartney suffered from deep depression. He spent his days in bed and drank excessively: "I almost had a nervous breakdown." "I was going crazy." Biographer Howard Sounes writes that "McCartney sank into whiskey-soaked oblivion, and only Linda knew how to save him." She helped him through this emotional crisis by praising his work as a composer and urging him to keep writing and recording music. He later wrote "Maybe I'm Amazed" in her honor, explaining how he felt after the breakup of the Beatles: "I had this feeling: maybe I'm amazed at what's going on..." Maybe I'm a man and Maybe you're the only woman that could help me Baby, could you help me understand... Maybe I'm amazed at how you pulled me out of time how much I really need you." He added that "every love song I write is for Linda."

Solo career of Paul McCartney

After the breakup of the group in 1970, McCartney continued his musical career and released his first solo album "McCartney", which reached the top of the American charts. With the exception of a small vocal contribution by Linda McCartney, Paul recorded the solo album on his own, acting as a composer, musician and vocalist. In 1971, together with Linda and drummer Denny Seiwell, he released his second album, Ram. The album reached number one in the UK, reached the top 5 in the US, and included the co-written song "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", which became a US number one hit. Later that year, ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine joined McCartney and Seiwell and Wings was formed. McCartney stated about the formation of the band: "Wings has always been a difficult idea ... any group that has to repeat the success, there is hard work ahead ... That's the situation I found myself in. However, I had a choice to go on or stop, and I I loved music too much to stop making it." In September 1971, McCartney's daughter Stella was born, she was named after Linda's grandmothers (both named Stella).

After guitarist Henry McCullough was recruited into the band, Wings' first concert tour began in 1972, debuting to an audience of 700 at the University of Nottingham. The band played 10 more gigs on an unscheduled tour of universities, traveling around the UK in a van, staying in modest hotels and being paid in coins that students used to pay for concerts, avoiding Beatles songs during their performances. McCartney later said: "The last thing I wanted to do was go on stage and be faced with five rows of journalists with little notebooks looking at me and saying 'well, he's not as good as he used to be.' So we decided to go on that university tour." , this idea made me less nervous... by the end of the tour I felt ready for something new and we went to Europe". Over the course of seven weeks, Wings performed 25 shows in Europe, playing almost exclusively Wings songs and material from McCartney's solo album; a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" was the only song previously recorded by the Beatles. McCartney did not want to perform at large venues; most of the halls they played in could seat no more than 3,000 people.

In March 1973, the single "My Love", included on their second long-playing album Red Rose Speedway, reached the top of the US charts and entered the top 5 in the UK. Paul's collaboration with Linda and former Beatles producer Martin resulted in the song "Live and Let Die", which became musical theme for the James Bond movie of the same name. The song was nominated for an Oscar and went to number two in the US and number nine in the UK. Martin received a Grammy Award for his orchestral arrangement. Music professor and author Vincent Benitez called the song "symphonic rock at its best."

Paul McCartney albums

After the departure of McCullough and Seiwell in 1973, McCartney and Lane recorded the album "Band on the Run". It became the first of the band's seven platinum long-playing albums. The album reached the top of the charts in the US and the UK, making it the band's first album to reach the top of the charts in both countries and the first to hit the Billboard magazine charts three times at different times. It also became one of the best-selling albums of the decade and stayed on the UK charts for 124 weeks. Rolling Stone magazine named it Album of the Year in 1974, and in 1975 the album won a Grammy for Best Contemporary/Variety Vocal and Best Album Design. In 1974, the title track from the band's album Wings reached number one in the US and became the band's second single to reach that high on the charts. The album included the songs "Jet" and "Helen Wheels" which entered the top 10, and the album itself was ranked 413 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

After the album "Band on the Run", the group released the albums "Venus and Mars" (1975) and "Wings at the Speed ​​of Sound" (1976), which hit the first lines of the charts. In 1975, the band embarked on a 14-month "Wings Over the World Tour" and played shows in the UK, Australia, Europe and the US. During this tour, McCartney performed the Beatles' songs for the first time: "I" ve Just Seen a Face", "Yesterday", "Blackbird", "Lady Madonna" and "The Long and Winding Road". world tour and serious rehearsals in London, the band embarked on an ambitious tour "US arena tour", thanks to which the album "Wings over America" ​​reached the top of the charts in the United States.

In September 1977, McCartney's third child was born, a son whom they named James. In November, Wings' song "Mull of Kintyre", co-written by Lane, quickly became one of the best-selling singles in UK chart history. The song became the most successful of McCartney's solo career, selling twice as much as "She Loves You"; sold 2.5 million copies of the song, which held the record in the UK until 1984, when the single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

The album "London Town" (1978) included the single "With a Little Luck", which led the charts in the US, the album became the best-selling album since the album "Band on the Run" and entered the top 5 in the US and the UK. The album received negative reviews from critics, McCartney was disappointed with the album. In 1979, the album "Back to the Egg" was released, created together with the super rock band "the Rockestra". The recording was attended by Pete Townsend, David Gilmour, Gary Brooker, John Paul Jones, John Bonham. Although the album went platinum, it was heavily criticized by critics. The band completed their tour in 1979 with 20 shows in the UK, during which the Beatles' songs such as "Got to Get You into My Life", "The Fool on the Hill" and "Let it Be" were played.

In 1980, McCartney released his second solo album, McCartney II, which reached number 1 in the UK and number 3 in the US. On the second solo album, as well as on the first, McCartney wrote and performed all the songs himself. The album included the song "Coming Up", live version This composition was recorded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1979 and became the band's last hit to reach #1 on the charts. By 1981, McCartney felt that creative plan he had peaked with the Wings and needed a change. The group disbanded in April 1981, followed by litigation regarding fees and salaries.

The rise of Paul McCartney

In 1981, McCartney resumed work with George Martin, collaborated with Stevie Wonder, with whom he recorded the number one hit song "Ebony and Ivory" included on McCartney's album "Tug of War", and with Michael Jackson on the song "The Girl Is Mine" from Jackson's Thriller album. The song "Ebony and Ivory" became McCartney's 28th single to reach number one on the Billboard 100. The following year, McCartney and Jackson worked on the song "Say Say Say", which reached number one on the US charts and became McCartney's last song to reach number one on the Billboard 100. so high in the US. Last song McCartney's number one UK hit (as of 2014) was the song "Pipes of Peace" from the long-playing album released the same year.

In 1984, McCartney starred, wrote and produced the feature film musical Give My Regards to Broad Street, which also featured the role of Ringo Star. Critics smashed the film, in the American weekly "Variety" the film was given the following characteristic: "tasteless, lifeless and meaningless." Roger Ebert awarded it one star and wrote "you can skip the movie and go directly to the soundtrack". The album fared much better, with the single "No More Lonely Nights" reaching the top of the charts in the UK and top 10 in the US, with David Gilmour playing the guitar solo on the song. In 1985, Warner Brothers commissioned McCartney to write a song for the comedy feature film Spies Like Us. He wrote and recorded the single in 4 days, the song was co-produced by Phil Ramone. Paul McCartney took part in the London Live Aid concert, during the performance of the song "Let It Be" there were technical problems, McCartney's vocals and the piano were barely audible. Technicians solved the problem and David Bowie, Alison Moyet, Pete Townshend and Bob Geldof joined McCartney on stage to an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

McCartney teamed up with Eric Stewart on Press to Play (1986), Stewart wrote more than half of the songs on that album. In 1988, McCartney recorded the album "Back in the USSR" in 2 days, released only in the Soviet Union, it includes 18 cover versions of McCartney's favorite songs. In 1989, he teamed up with fellow Merseysiders Gerry Marsden and Holly Johnson to record a new version of the song "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in memory of the tragedy at Hillsborough Stadium and for the relief fund. In the same year, he released Flowers in the Dirt, a collaboration with Elvis Costello, also joined by Gilmour and Nicky Hopkins. McCartney then put together a band that included himself and Linda, Hamish Stuart and Robbie McIntosh on guitars, keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens and Chris Witten ( Chris Whitten, drummer. In September 1989 they launched the Paul McCartney World Tour, his first tour in over a decade. The following year, he released the triple album "Tripping the Live Fantastic", which included selections from the tour. In 1990, the American publication "Amusement Business" awarded McCartney for the highest grossing show of the year; his two appearances at Berkeley brought in over $3.5 million. McCartney gave the biggest concert in history on April 21, 1990, when 184,000 people attended his performance at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Achievements of Paul McCartney

In 1991, McCartney performed several acoustic songs on MTV Unplugged, and later released the Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) album, which included live recordings. In the 1990s, McCartney worked twice with Youth of Killing Joke, the musicians formed the Fireman duo, and released their first electronic album together, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest, in 1993. In 1993, McCartney released the rock album Off the Ground. Following the release of the album, McCartney embarked on the New World Tour, which ended with the release of the live album Paul Is Live later that year.

In 1994, McCartney decided to take a break from his solo career for four years and, along with Harrison, Starr and Martin, began working on documentaries and albums in the Beatles Anthology series. He recorded a radio series called Oobu Joobu in 1995 for the US network Westwood One, which he described as "widescreen radio". Also in 1995, Prince Charles awarded McCartney an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Music, "surprising for someone who doesn't know music," McCartney commented.

In 1997, McCartney released the rock album Flaming Pie. The song "Beautiful Night" features Ringo Starr on drums and on backing vocals. Later that year, McCartney released the classic album "Standing Stone", which went to number one on the classical music charts in the UK and the US. In 1998, the second electronic album of the Fireman, Rushes, was released. In 1999, McCartney released the album "Run Devil Run". The album was recorded in one week with the participation of Ian Paice (Ian Paice) and David Gilmour (David Gilmour), the album includes three original compositions by McCartney and cover versions of songs. The musician dreamed of releasing this album for many years, supported by Linda, who died of cancer in April 1998.

April 10, 1999 "Concert for Linda" ("Concert for Linda") in London's Royal Albert Hall, organized by two close friends of Linda Chrissie Hynde and Carla Lane. Paul McCartney performed at this concert in memory of his wife, to whom he had been married for 29 years and who had died a year earlier. In 1999, McCartney released an album of classical orchestral music, "Working Classical". In 2000, the album of electronic music "Liverpool Sound Collage", created together with "Super Furry Animals" and Youth (Youth), was released, the album used combinations of sounds and techniques of specific music, which McCartney was fascinated with in the mid-1960s. The musician included the song "Nova", written in memory of Linda, in his new album classical and choral music "A Garland for Linda" (2000).

Life position of Paul McCartney

On September 11, 2001, McCartney, while at Kennedy Airport, witnessed the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Shocked by what he saw, he organized a charity "Concert for New York" ("The Concert for New York City"), held on October 20. In November of the same year, the album "Driving Rain" was released, in which the musician included the song "Freedom", written in support of the victims of the terrorist attack. The following year, McCartney toured with a band that included guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens, and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. .). The Driving World Tour began in April 2002 with concerts in the US, Mexico and Japan. At the end of the tour, McCartney released a double live album "Back in the US" in the US, in the rest of the world this album was released in 2003 under the name "Back in the World". The declared profit of the tour was 126.2 million dollars, the musicians earned an average of 2 million dollars per concert, the magazine "Billboard" called the tour the best of the year. A team of musicians including McCartney, Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, Abe Laboriel Jr., and Paul "Wix" Wickens have been performing together for longer than McCartney performed with the Beatles.

In July 2002, McCartney married Heather Mills. In November, on the first anniversary of George Harrison's death, McCartney performed at the Concert for George. He competed at the National Super Cup football league, performed the song "Freedom" during the 2002 Super Bowl XXXVI pre-match show, and headlined the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show in 2005. The Heraldic Chamber of Great Britain granted McCartney a coat of arms in 2002. It depicts a fantastic bird - a cross between an eagle and a phoenix, which since ancient times symbolizes Liverpool and is used in the coat of arms of the city. On the coat of arms of the McCartney family, this Liverpool bird holds a guitar in its claws. McCartney's coat of arms also makes allusions to his fellow Beatles - John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - on the shield are four curved emblems reminiscent of the backs of beetles in memory of the legendary four. For the traditional motto, Sir Paul used the Latin motto "Ecce Cor Meum" ("Behold my heart"). McCartney's daughter, Beatrice Milly, was born in 2003.

In July 2005, he performed at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, opening the show with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (with U2) and closing with "Drive My Car" (with George Michael), "Helter Skelter and The Long and Winding Road". In September, the musician released the rock album "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard", McCartney performs almost all instrumental parts on this album. In 2006, McCartney released an album with symphonic music "Ecce Cor Meum". In 2007, the rock album "Memory" was released. Almost Full". In 2008, he released the third album of The Fireman, the duet of Paul McCartney and the producer of Youth (Martin Glover) "Electric Arguments". Also in 2008, he performed at a concert in Liverpool, which was chosen as the center of cultural life in as part of the European Capital of Culture initiative.After a four-year hiatus, McCartney embarked on a new tour of more than 80 concerts in 2009. Forty-five years after the Beatles first appeared on American television on The Ed Sullivan Show, McCartney returned to the same New York theater to perform on The David Letterman Show On September 9, 2009, EMI re-released the Beatles songbook and also released the music video game The Beatles: Rock Band the same day.

The fame and glory of McCartney has contributed to the fact that the musician was often chosen as a guest artist during the opening of new venues for events. In 2009, he played three sold-out shows at the newly built Citi Field baseball stadium, built to replace the Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. McCartney released the double live album Good Evening New York City later that year. In 2010, McCartney opened the "Consol Energy Center" sports arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Latest Paul McCartney concerts

In July 2011, McCartney played two sold-out shows at the new Yankee Stadium. The New York Times writes about the first concert: McCartney "doesn't say goodbye, instead he performs in stadiums and arranges concert marathons." In September 2011, commissioned by the New York City Ballet, McCartney wrote his first ballet music with Peter Martins, the album was called Ocean's Kingdom. In 2011, McCartney married Nancy Shevell and released Kisses on the Bottom, an album featuring cover versions of well-known songs, in February 2012. That same month, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored him as Person of the Year. MusiCares", this event took place two days before his performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.

McCartney remains one of the leading musicians in the world. His two concerts in Mexico City in May were attended by more than 100 thousand spectators, the profit was almost 6 million dollars. In June 2012, McCartney closed the concert dedicated to the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II with his performance, the show took place outside Buckingham Palace. McCartney performed "Let It Be" and "Live and Let Die". McCartney's performance closed the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games on July 27, 2012 in London, the musician performed "The End" and "Hey Jude" and invited the audience to perform the final part of the piece of music with him. Presenting his performance as a gift, he received 1 Euro from the organizers of the Olympics.

On December 12, McCartney took part in charity concert"12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief" featuring three former Nirvana members Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear in aid of Hurricane Sandy victims , the audience of this show was approximately two billion people around the world. On August 28, 2013, McCartney released the title track of his new studio album "New", the album itself was released in October 2013.

On February 9, 2014, The Beatles performed "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America - A Grammy Salute" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on the 50th anniversary of their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. The Beatles are seven-time Grammy Award winners. The songs of the Beatles were performed by well-known musicians, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed at the end. CBS aired the show in February 2014.

On May 19, 2014, it was reported that McCartney had contracted an unknown virus and was therefore forced to cancel his tour of Japan, which was due to start at the end of the week. As part of this tour, McCartney was supposed to perform at the famous Budokan arena. On the recommendation of his attending physician, McCartney also had to reschedule concerts that were supposed to take place in the United States from June to October. Once McCartney recovered from his illness, he resumed the tour and performed a powerful three-hour concert in Albany, New York on July 5, 2014. On August 14, 2014, McCartney performed the tour's final concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, prior to its demolition. It was the same stadium where the Beatles played their final show in 1966.

In 2014, McCartney wrote and performed the song "Hope for the Future" for the video game Destiny. In November 2014, the album The Art of McCartney was released, which includes 42 cover versions of songs by McCartney and the Beatles, in the recording The album was attended by many famous musicians.In the same year, on December 31, McCartney, together with the American artist Kanye West (Kanye West), releases the single "Only One".

In January 2015, McCartney collaborated with Kanye West (Kanye West) and Barbadian singer Rihanna (Rihanna) and released the single "FourFiveSeconds". The musicians released a music video for the song in January and performed it live at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2015. McCartney is featured on the single "All Day" in 2015, also featuring Theophilus London and Allan Kingdom.

On February 15, 2015, McCartney performed with Paul Simon on Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special. McCartney and Simon performed the first verse of "I" ve Just Seen a Face" on acoustic guitars, McCartney also sang "Maybe I" m Amazed. McCartney sang vocals on a cover version of his song "Come and Get It", which was featured on debut album Alice Cooper's "Hollywood Vampires", the album was released on September 11, 2015.

On June 10, 2016, McCartney released Pure McCartney, a collection of his songs. The compilation includes songs from the artist's solo albums, as well as songs written by McCartney while working with Wings and the Fireman, and is released in various formats (2 CDs, 3 CDs, 4 CDs and digital format) . The four-CD album includes 67 songs, most of which were in the top 40 of the charts.

McCartney will appear in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which is slated for release in 2017.

On January 19, 2017, Paul McCartney filed a lawsuit in Manhattan court against Sony/ATV over the copyright of the Beatles' songs.

Paul McCartney as musician

McCartney is a self-taught musician, McCartney's musical approach has been described by musicologist Ian MacDonald as "essentially addressing the formal aspects of music, but at the same time completely natural...[he] creates technically 'finished' pieces of music, relying almost entirely on his instinct, his harmonic judgment, based mainly on absolute pitch and a sharp pair of ears ... a natural melodist is a creator of melodies that are able to exist apart from their harmony. McCartney noted, "I like to think of my approach to music as... more like the primitive cave artists who painted without training."

Bass guitar Paul McCartney

McCartney's prowess as a bass player has been recognized by other prominent bass players including Sting, Mike Elizondo and XTC's Colin Molding. The musician primarily plays with a pick or "claw picks", occasionally using a finger technique on the guitar. He does not use "slapping" or "muting" techniques. McCartney was heavily influenced by artists from the American record company Motown, in particular James Jamerson, whom McCartney considered his idol because of his melodic style. He was also influenced by Brian Wilson, McCartney explained his choice as follows: "because he traveled into the unknown." His other favorite bass player is Stanley Clarke.

During McCartney's early years he primarily played a Höfner 500/1 bass, in 1965 he began to occasionally play a Rickenbacker 4001S while recording in the studio. He typically used Vox amps, but in 1967 he also started using a Fender Bassman to amplify. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he played a Wal 5-string guitar, which he says allowed him to achieve a "thicker" bass sound, as opposed to the much "lighter" Höfner brand guitar, which inspired him to play softer melodies, an ability McCartney considers fundamental to his playing style. It was for this reason that he returned to playing the Höfner guitar around 1990. During concerts, the musician uses a Mesa Boogie bass amplifier.

MacDonald (MacDonald) called the song "She" s a Woman "a turning point in the development of McCartney as a bass player. The Beatles biographer Chris Ingham (Chris Ingham) believes that the album "Rubber Soul" demonstrates the significant progress of McCartney as a musician, a typical example is "the Word" Bacon and Morgan agree, calling McCartney's performance "the pinnacle of bass playing and...the first proof of his serious technical ability on the instrument." MacDonald suggested that McCartney was influenced by James Brown (James Brown) and his song "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", as well as Wilson Pickett (Wilson Pickett) with the song "In the Midnight Hour". Paul drew inspiration from these American soul artists and, thanks to their musical influence, "performed the most spontaneous bass line to date."

Bacon and Morgan called the bass part on the Beatles' song "Rain" "an amazing performance on a musical instrument... [McCartney] thinks in terms of rhythm and 'lead' bass... [choosing] "narrow place" ... he correctly understands that will allow him to reveal the "transparency" of the melody while avoiding a sound that is too "dim". MacDonald considered the Beatles' best song on the B-side of the album, stating that its "ringingly rich texture resonates around McCartney's bass line", which MacDonald considers "so inventive that it could surpass every other track on this album". Macdonald also noted the influence of Indian classical music, which manifested itself in "exotic melismas in the bass section". McCartney believed that the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" had a strong and inventive bass line, especially on the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

Paul McCartney acoustic guitar

McCartney primarily plays acoustic guitar with a pick, but also uses a finger picking technique. For example, he plays acoustic guitar on the following Beatles songs: "Yesterday", "I"m Looking Through You", "Michelle", "Blackbird", "I Will", "Mother Nature's Son" and "Rocky Raccoon". McCartney's favorite song is "Blackbird", he described his guitar technique as follows: "I cheated a little when I played with my fingers... Actually I hit two strings at the same time... I tried to imitate folk players." He used the same technique on the song "Jenny Wren". McCartney played an Epiphone Texan guitar on his acoustic recordings, but also used a Martin D-28 model guitar.

Paul McCartney electric guitar

McCartney plays lead guitar on some of the Beatles' recordings, including "Drive My Car". MacDonald described the Epiphone Casino lead guitar part of this composition as "a powerful circular glissando". McCartney described the Epiphone Casino guitar as "if I had to pick one electric guitar, I'd pick this one." McCartney's guitar playing on Harrison's "Taxman" was described by McDonald as "an amazing guitar solo", and on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Helter Skelter" he called the lead guitar performance "roaring". McDonald also gave much praise for McCartney's "brilliant pseudo-Indian" guitar solo on "Good Morning Good Morning" McCartney also played lead guitar on "Another Girl". other members of the band, however, he played almost all of the lead guitar on "Band on the Run" In 1990, when asked who his favorite guitarists were, he named Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton Clapton) and David Gilmour (David Gilmour), however, he also stated: "but most of all I love Hendrix (Hendrix)". McCartney mainly played electric guitar Gibson Les Paul, especially during live performances.

Paul McCartney voice

McCartney has been called one of the greatest singers in pop music, he is ranked 11th on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time, 8th on NME's list of the greatest singers of all time, and 10th on the "30 Greatest Singers of All Time" list. soloists of all time" according to the music site "Radar Music". Paul is a tenor, his vocal range covers more than four octaves, he owns the technique of "belting" and is a versatile performer. McCartney was heavily influenced by Little Richard, who tried his hand at various musical genres throughout his career. In "Call Me Back Again," Benitez said "McCartney shines as a bluesy lead vocalist," and McDonald called Paul's performance of "I'm Down" a "rock 'n' roll classic" that "serves an example of McCartney's vocal and stylistic versatility." McDonald described "Helter Skelter" as Paul's first foray into heavy metal, and called "Hey Jude a "pop/rock hybrid", citing gospel's "use of melismas" and " pseudo-soul music with screams during fade-out". Benítez called the songs "Hope of Deliverance" and "Put It There" examples of the musician's work in the genre of folk music, while musicologist Walter Everett (Walter Everett) believes that the songs "When I" m Sixty-Four" and "Honey Pie" were written in the vaudeville genre. McDonald praised the Beatles' "swinging beat" on "She's a Woman", calling it a 24-bar blues song "with the deepest sound they've been able to create to date." McCartney's voice on the song "on edge, at the highest point of the chest register and can break at any moment". Macdonald called the rock song "I" ve Got a Feeling " "sensual, written in a medium tempo" with "strong and soulful vocals", and the song "Back in the U.S.S.R." "the last fast-paced rock song the Beatles produced", McCartney's "belting" on the song is the best vocal performance since "Drive My Car", recorded three years earlier. McCartney also experimented with classical singing - along with the Beatles, he performed his own version of the song "Besame Mucho" He continued to experiment with different musical and vocal styles throughout his career as a solo artist Jayson Greene of Pitchfork e-zine called the song "Monkberry Moon Delight" a "crazy vocal interpretation, Paul holds back tears and sobs next to your inner ear", and adds "this performance makes him the new Tom Waits".

Over the years, many famous artists have noted McCartney's significant influence on their vocal performances, among them Chris Cornell (Chris Cornell), Billy Joel (Billy Joel), Stephen Tyler ( Steve Tyler, Brad Delp and Axl Rose.

Keyboards by Paul McCartney

McCartney played piano on the following Beatles songs: "Every Little Thing", "She" s a Woman", "For No One", "A Day in the Life", "Hello, Goodbye", "Hey Jude", " Lady Madonna", "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road". McDonald felt that the piano part in the song "Lady Madonna" resembled the style of Fats Domino (Fats Domino), and in the song "Let It Be" - the rhythm McDonald cited the Mellotron intro to "Strawberry Fields Forever" as important for understanding the nature of the music. On the Beatles' "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and the Wings' "Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)", McCartney plays on a Moog synthesizer. Ingham felt that the Wings songs "With a Little Luck" and "London Town" had "a lot of gentle synth music".

Paul McCartney as drummer

McCartney played percussion on the Beatles' songs "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Dear Prudence", "Martha My Dear", "Wild Honey Pie" and "The Ballad of John and Yoko". Paul also played all the drums on his first solo albums McCartney and McCartney II, on Wings' Band on the Run, and most of the drums on Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. McCartney played drums on his 1968 rendition of the Paul Jones song "And the Sun Will Shine". Under the pseudonym Paul Ramon, which the singer used on his first tour to Scotland in 1960, McCartney performed drums on the Steve Miller Band's "Celebration Song" and "My Dark Hour" in 1969.

Electronic Symphonies by Paul McCartney

In the mid-1960s, Paul brought his friend John Dunbar tapes that he had compiled at the home of Jane Asher, who was his girlfriend at the time. The tapes recorded a mix of songs, musical passages and comments. Dick James made this demo for McCartney. Under the influence of the American avant-garde musician John Cage, McCartney made loops from magnetic tape, on which voices, guitar sounds and bongos were recorded. Recordings were made on a Brenell branded tape recorder, and then the various loops were connected together. Paul called the finished recordings "electronic symphonies". He ran the tapes in reverse, speeded up the recordings or slowed them down to get the desired effect, for example on the songs "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "The Fool on the Hill".

Music by Paul McCartney

McCartney's influences include Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry. When McCartney was asked why Presley wasn't on the cover of the Sgt.Pepper album, McCartney replied: "Elvis was too important and too far apart to even mention him... so we didn't put him on the list because he was more than just… a pop singer, he was Elvis the King.” McCartney has stated that he was inspired by Berry's "I'm Talking About You" when writing the bass line for "I Saw Her Standing There".

Paul called Little Richard his idol, his falsetto inspired McCartney to create his own vocal technique. The musician said that he wrote the song "I" m Down "to imitate the vocal abilities of Little Richard. In 1971, McCartney bought the publishing rights to a collection of Buddy Holly songs, and in 1976, on the 40th anniversary of Holly's birth, he established an annual "Buddy Holly Week" in England The festival featured prominent musicians, songwriting competitions, drawing competitions and special events featuring the Crickets.

Paul McCartney lifestyle

Early work of Paul McCartney

While at school in the 1950s, McCartney entered art competitions and his work was often praised. However, his indiscipline negatively affected his academic performance and blocked his path to art college. In the 1960s, he delved into the study of fine arts, was interested in experimental cinema, regularly attended film and theater premieres, musical events. His first exposure to London's avant-garde society came from John Dunbar, who introduced him to art dealer Robert Fraser. In Fraser's apartment, he first learned about art history and met Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Peter Blake and Richard Hamilton. Paul later bought some of Magritte's work, and his drawing of an apple was used as the Apple Records logo. McCartney became involved in the reconstruction and dissemination of information about the Indica Gallery, which was located in Mason Yard, London, co-founded by Barry Miles and where Lennon first met Yoko Ono. Miles also founded the underground newspaper International Times, McCartney provided financial support to the newspaper, the musician's interviews were published in the newspaper, which contributed to the influx of advertisers. Miles later wrote an official biography of McCartney called Many Years From Now, published in 1997.

Hobbies of Paul McCartney

McCartney became interested in painting after seeing artist Willem de Kooning at work in Kooning's Long Island studio. 70 works, including portraits of Lennon, Andy Warhol and David Bowie Although McCartney initially refused to show his paintings publicly, he agreed to exhibit his work in this gallery because exhibition organizer Wolfgang Suttner showed a genuine interest in McCartney's art.In September 2000 the first exhibition of Paul's paintings opened at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol, England, showing about 500 paintings by the artist.In October 2000, an art exhibition opened in McCartney's hometown of Liverpool.McCartney said: "I was asked to exhibit my work in an art Walker Art Gallery, where John and I often spent afternoons. I am very excited about this offer. I haven't told anyone about what I've been painting for 15 years, but now I'm coming out of the shadows." McCartney is the main trustee of the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, the Institute is located in the building formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute for Boys.

As a child, Paul's mother read poetry to him and encouraged his interest in reading. The father used to solve crossword puzzles with the boy and his brother Michael, in order, according to Paul, "to increase their vocabulary." In 2001, McCartney published the book "Blackbird Singing", a volume of poems and lyrics to his songs, public readings of Paul's works were held in Liverpool and New York. In the introduction to the collection, he wrote: "When I was a teenager... I had an overwhelming desire to have my poem published in the school magazine. I wrote something deep and significant, my work was rejected, and I guess I'm trying to get recognition in the field ever since." His first children's book was published by Faber & Faber in 2005 and was titled High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail, co-written by Paul with writer Philip Arda and animator Jeff Dunbar. . main character books - a squirrel whose house was demolished by developers. A few years later, based on the book, an animated film was made, the script and sketches for which were created by McCartney and Dunbar. The British newspaper The Observer called Paul's work "an anti-capitalist book for children."

In 1981, at the initiative of the musician, the cartoon "Rupert and the Frog Song" (Rupert and the Frog Song) was shot, directed by Jeff Dunbar. McCartney acted as a producer and co-author of the cartoon's script, and also took part in its dubbing. In 1992, McCartney worked with Dunbar on the short animated film Daumier's Law based on drawings by famous French graphic artist Honore Daumier, the film was awarded a BAFTA film award. In 2004 McCartney and Dunbar worked on the cartoon Tropic Island Hum. The songs from this cartoon "Tropic Island Hum"/"We All Stand Together" reached number 21 in the UK charts.

McCartney produced and hosted the Buddy Holly documentary The Real Buddy Holly Story, which included interviews with Keith Richard, Phil and Don Everly, members of the Holly family and others. In 1995, he appeared on The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Vegetarian" and directed a short documentary about the Grateful Dead.

In 2015, it became known that Paul turned down an offer to play the father of the heroine Helen Baxendale, who played the role of Emily in the TV series Friends.

Paul McCartney's fortune

Since the inception of the List of the richest people in the world, McCartney has been included in this list as one of the richest musicians in the UK, his fortune was estimated at 730 million English pounds in 2015. McCartney owns stakes in Apple Corps and MPL Communications, the umbrella company that represents his business interests, and holds the publishing rights to over 25,000 musical works by various artists, including the musicals Guys and Dolls, Chorus Line, "Annie" and "Grease". In 2003, he earned £40 million, one of the highest incomes of famous people in the UK. His income rose to 48.5 million pounds by 2005. McCartney's "On the Run Tour" grossed £37 million in 2012.

Paul McCartney in show business

Paul signed his first contract with Parlophone Records, an affiliate of EMI, in June 1962. In the US, the band's record label was Capitol Records, a subsidiary of EMI. In 1967, the Beatles re-signed with EMI for another 9 years. After founding their company Apple Records in 1968, the Beatles' works were released under their own label, but the master tracks of their songs are still owned by EMI. After the breakup of the Beatles, McCartney's music continued to be released under the Apple Records label under a contract that the Beatles entered into in 1967 with EMI, which lasted until 1976. After the official termination of the Beatles' partnership in 1975, McCartney re-signed with EMI (for the release of his songs worldwide) and Capitol (for the release of songs in the US, Canada and Japan), gaining the rights to a collection of his solo songs. which was part of the deal. In 1979, Paul signed a deal with Columbia Records to release his songs in the US and Canada, which was reportedly the most lucrative deal ever made. However, EMI continued to release his works in all other countries of the world. In 1985, Paul returned to Capitol in the US and continued with EMI until 2006. In 2007, McCartney signed with Hear Music, becoming the label's first artist. He remained an artist on the label until the release of his album "Kisses on the Bottom" in 2012.

In 1963, Dick James founded Northern Songs to release songs composed by Lennon-McCartney. Initially, McCartney owned 20% of the shares of Northern Songs, in 1965 he had 15% of the shares after a public offering of shares. In 1969, James sold a controlling stake in Northern Songs to Lew Grade of the television company Associated Television (ATV), after which McCartney and John Lennon sold their remaining shares, but worked with ATV under a contract until 1973. In 1972, McCartney extended the contract with ATV for another 7 years, a joint author's agreement was signed between ATV and McCartney Music. Since 1979, MPL Communications has been releasing McCartney's songs. McCartney and Yoko Ono wanted to buy the songs owned by Northern Songs in 1981, but Grade turned down their offer and decided to sell the ATV company to businessman Robert Holmes (Robert Holmes à Court). Michael Jackson acquired ATV in 1985. In 1995, ATV and Sony merged for £59,052,000 ($95 million), Sony/ATV Music Publishing was founded, and Jackson received half of the company's ownership. McCartney criticized Jackson for this purchase and ownership of Northern Songs for many years. This company has now officially ceased to exist, the songs that belonged to it have become the property of Sony / ATV. McCartney receives royalties that add up to 33⅓ percent of total US commercial income, while royalties in other countries range from 50 to 55 percent. Two of the Beatles' early songs, "Love Me Do" and "P.S.I Love You", were released by EMI's Ardmore & Beechwood label before James was signed. McCartney bought the rights to release these songs from Ardmore in the mid-1980s, and to date, only these two Beatles songs are owned by MPL Communications.

Paul McCartney and drugs

Paul McCartney's first serious exposure to drugs was in Hamburg; members of The Beatles used preludin, which helped to maintain the necessary energy during nightly performances. Bob Dylan introduced them to marijuana in a New York hotel room in 1964, McCartney got high and giggled uncontrollably. Drug use soon became a habit with him. According to Miles, McCartney deliberately used the phrase "a different way of thinking" in the lyrics of the song "Got to Get You into My Life", he meant marijuana. During the filming of Help! McCartney occasionally smoked marijuana cigarettes in the car on his way to the set and often forgot his lines. Film director Richard Lester overheard two attractive women urging him to try heroin, but Paul refused. Robert Fraser introduced him to cocaine and McCartney regularly used it during the recording of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album and for a year after, but "tied up" because he did not like the feeling of melancholy after using the drug.

At first, McCartney was reluctant to try LSD, but eventually did so in late 1966, the second period of LSD use came in March 1967 - the period of the recording of the Sgt. Pepper album. McCartney became the first member of the Beatles to speak publicly about drugs, stating: "They opened my eyes... [and] made me a better person, made me a more honest, more tolerant member of society." In July 1967, Paul, along with fellow members of the Beatles and Epstein, campaigned for the legalization of marijuana, for the release of persons who were arrested for possession, and for supporting research into the medical use of marijuana.

In 1972, a Swedish court fined McCartney £1,000 for marijuana possession. Soon after, Scottish police found marijuana plants on his farm. McCartney was charged with illegally growing marijuana in 1973 and fined £100. As a result of these allegations, the US government denied him a visa until December 1973. Paul was arrested again for possession of marijuana in 1975 in Los Angeles, Linda took the blame, the court soon dismissed these charges. In January 1980, while on tour with Wings in Japan, Paul McCartney was arrested at Okura Airport with 8 ounces (200 grams) of marijuana found in his luggage. He was arrested and taken to a local prison while the Japanese government decided how to deal with the situation. Ten days later, McCartney was released and deported without charge. In 1984, while McCartney was on holiday in Barbados, authorities arrested him for marijuana possession and fined him US$200. Returning to England, the musician stated: "hemp is less harmful than rum punch, whiskey, nicotine and glue, which are completely legal ... I don't think ... I have harmed anyone in any way." In 1997, he spoke out in support of the decriminalization of marijuana: "People smoke marijuana anyway and it's wrong to make them criminals." He nevertheless decided to quit smoking marijuana in 2015, citing a desire to be good example for their grandchildren.

How Paul McCartney Became a Vegetarian

McCartney has been a vegetarian since 1975. He and his wife Linda have been vegetarians for 30 years of their marriage. They decided to stop eating meat after Paul saw lambs in the field while they were eating a lamb dish. Soon after, the couple became ardent animal rights activists. In his first interview since Linda's death, he pledged to continue to work for animal rights, and in 1999 he spent £3,000,000 to ensure Linda McCartney Foods continued to produce products that did not contain genetically modified ingredients. In the 1995 documentary "Devour the Earth," McCartney read voice-over from Tony Wardle. McCartney supports the organization "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals", leading the fight for animal rights. He appeared in the organization's commercials, and in 2009 McCartney read the voice-over in their film called "Glass Walls", which was heavily criticized by slaughterhouse owners, the meat industry, and their impact on animal welfare. McCartney has also supported campaigns by the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, Humane Society of the World, and the David Shepard Wildlife Foundation. As of 2013, McCartney is a vegan.

After marrying Mills, he joined the campaign to ban anti-personnel landmines and became a patron of the Adopt-A-Minefield Foundation. During the "Back in the World" tour, McCartney wore a T-shirt calling for a ban on landmines. In 2006, Paul visited Prince Edward Island to draw international attention to the problem of seal hunting. During The Larry King Show in 2006, the McCartneys debated with Danny Williams, Prime Minister of Newfoundland, about a seal ban. McCartney also supported the Make Poverty History campaign.

McCartney has taken part in the recording of some charity concerts and has participated in the following events: Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Live Aid, Live 8 and the recording of the "Ferry Cross the Mersey" event. In 2004, he donated the proceeds from one of his songs to the US Campaign for Burma relief fund in support of Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2008, he donated the proceeds from one of his songs to the "Aid Still Required" fund, organized to raise funds for the 2004 South Asian tsunami.

In 2009, McCartney wrote a letter to Tenjin Gyamtsho, the 14th Dalai Lama, asking him why he was not a vegetarian. Paul explained: “He told me very politely that his doctors advised him to eat meat. And I wrote to him: “you know, I think this is wrong ... I think that now he has already been told ... that he can receive protein from other foods... It just doesn't feel right to me. The Dalai Lama is on the one hand saying, "Hey guys, don't harm sentient beings"... and on the other hand, he's saying, "Oh, and by the way, I just ate a steak."

In 2012, McCartney joined the Artists Against Fracking campaign.

"Save the Arctic" is a campaign to protect the Arctic, aiming to generate international resonance and raise awareness of Arctic oil issues. The campaign attracted the attention and support of more than five million people. They include McCartney, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and 11 Nobel Peace Prize winners.

In 2015, following British Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to give MPs the right to freely vote on changes to the law banning fox hunting, McCartney said: "The people of Britain support this Tory government on many issues, but the vast majority of us will be against him if fox hunting is allowed again. This is cruel and completely unnecessary, the government will lose the support of the common people and animal lovers like me."

Paul McCartney's Meditation Experience

In August 1967, McCartney met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the London Hilton Hotel and then traveled to Bangor in North Wales to attend a conference where he and the other members of the Beatles learned the basics of transcendental meditation. He said: "The meditation experience I had was very positive and I still chant the mantra... It calms me down." transcendental meditation in schools around the world.The proceeds from the concert, which amounted to $ 3 million, were used to fund the program of the David Lynch Foundation.

Hobbies of Paul McCartney

McCartney is a public supporter of Everton Football Club as well as Liverpool Football Club. In 2008, he stopped speculating about his football preferences and said: "The thing is, my father was born in Everton, my family is officially Evertonian, so if it comes to a match between teams or the FA Cup Final between the two teams, I always support the Everton club. But after the concert at the Wembley Arena, I became friends with Kenny Dalglish, who played at the Liverpool club, and I thought, "You know what?" I will just support both clubs because they are both from Liverpool."

Myths about Paul McCartney

"Paul is dead" is an urban legend that McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a doppelgänger.

Paul McCartney's personal life

Paul McCartney's girlfriends

Dot Ron

McCartney's first serious crush was a Liverpool girl, Dot Ron, whom he met at the Casbah bar in 1959. According to Spitz, Ron felt McCartney's need to be in control of every situation. He often chose clothes and makeup for her, wanted her to grow her hair like Brigitte Bardot, and once insisted that she change her hair completely, but was disappointed with the result. During the first trip with the Beatles to Hamburg, McCartney regularly wrote to Ron, in 1962 Ron and Cynthia Lennon came to Hamburg during the group's tour in this city. The couple's relationship lasted two and a half years, the young people were going to get married, but Ron had a miscarriage, and according to Spitz, McCartney felt free from any obligations.

Jane Asher

McCartney and British actress Jane Asher first met on April 18, 1963, when she asked them to pose for the Beatles at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Paul and Jane began dating and in November of that year moved into Asher's parents' home at 57 Wimpole Street, London. They lived in this house for more than two years. In March 1966, the couple moved to McCartney's own home in St. John's Wood. In the Ashers' house, he wrote some of his songs, such as "Yesterday", "And I Love Her", "You Won "t See Me" and "I" m Looking Through You, the last three of these songs were inspired by their romantic relationship. Their relationship lasted 5 years, they were going to get married, but Asher broke off the engagement after she found out about Paul's infidelity with Frankie Schwartz.

Paul McCartney's wives

Linda Eastman

After the breakup of the Beatles, Paul and Linda formed the Wings together in 1971. They faced ridicule from some of their fans and critics who questioned musical ability Linda. She became nervous during performances with Paul, who explained that "she fought her nervousness, dealt with it and was really fearless." Pavel defended her musical abilities: "I taught Linda the basics of playing the piano... She took a few music lessons and learned some blues things... She did very well, and everything was much simpler than it looked at first glance... Critics used to say, "She doesn't really play 'Look at her', she plays with one finger. But what they didn't know was that sometimes she played like this in the song "Minimoog", the keyboard part in which you need to play with one finger. This song is one-liner." McCartney continued, "We thought we were in a band for fun...we just did what we wanted to, well, if we got it wrong, it's okay. We don't have to make excuses." Former Wings guitarist Jimmy McCullough described working with Linda: "Trying to play well with a newcomer to the band is very difficult, and it bothered me a lot."

The couple had four children, Linda's daughter Heather (whom Paul adopted), Mary, Stella and James. They were married until Linda's death from breast cancer at the age of 56 in 1998. After her death, Paul told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I had a therapist because I needed help. He was a great specialist and helped me get rid of my guilt for not always being perfect ... it made me very exhausting. But then I thought - wait a minute! We're just people. That's what was great in our marriage. We were just a guy and a girl with children. "

Heather Mills

In 2002, McCartney married Heather Mills, a former model and landmine ban activist. In 2003, the couple had a daughter, Beatrice Millie, who was named after Mills' late mother and after one of McCartney's aunts. They separated in April 2006, divorced loudly in March 2008. In 2004, Paul explained the hostility of the media towards his partners: "The British public did not like that I left Jane Asher ... I married Linda, a divorced woman with a child from New York, and they really did not like it at the time time."

Nancy Shevell

McCartney married American Nancy Shevell on October 9, 2011, in a civil ceremony in London at Old Marylebone Town Hall. The ceremony was modest, attended by about 30 guests and friends of the couple. The couple started dating in November 2007. Shevell is vice president of the family-run transportation group of companies that owns New England Motor Freight. She is a former Board Member of the New York Branch. transport company Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Paul McCartney as part of the Beatles

John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Although McCartney had a strained relationship with Lennon, they briefly became close again in early 1974 and even played locally once. In the years that followed, they drifted apart again. Although McCartney called Lennon frequently, he was always apprehensive about the kind of reception that awaited him. Once Lennon told him: "You are only interested in pizza and children's stories!". To avoid talking about business, they often talked about cats, children, and bakery.

On April 24, 1976, the two of them watched an episode of Saturday Night Live at Lennon's home in the Dakotas, and Lorne Michael made a $3,000 bet that the Beatles would reunite. They began to seriously discuss the possibility of showing up at the Saturday Night Live studio, but then decided it was too late. This was their last meeting. The music channel VH1 retold the story in 2000 in the TV movie "Two of Us." The last friendly conversation between Lennon and McCartney took place a few days before the release of Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Double Fantasy" album. McCartney described their conversation as follows: “I am consoled by the fact that we managed to talk that day. It is very sad that we were never able to resolve our differences. But, fortunately for me, our last conversation was friendly, and we did not quarrel ."

George Harrison and Paul McCartney

Harrison described his relationship with McCartney: "Paul was always willing to help, but only after we recorded ten of his songs. If his songs are recorded, well, then we can record one of mine. It was stupid. And that's was really selfish... I play bass on a lot of our records... because if Paul wrote a song, he would learn all his parts, then come into the studio and say, "Do it!" very difficult.) He will never give you the opportunity to offer something of his own."

After Harrison's death in 2001, McCartney said the following: "a very nice guy and a very brave man with a great sense of humor." He continued: "We grew up together and experienced so many wonderful things - I will never forget it all. I will always love him, he is my little brother." On the first anniversary of Harrison's death, McCartney played Harrison's "Something" on ukulele at "The Concert for George". The songs "For You Blue" and "All Things Must Pass" were also performed. McCartney performed the song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on piano, interpreted by Eric Clapton.

Ringo Starr on Paul McCartney

Ringo Starr once called McCartney "affablely hypocritical", although the two musicians were on friendly terms, and even once went on vacation to Greece together. Starr recalls: "We couldn't understand a word of the songs the hotel band played, so on our last night there we played some of our rock songs, like 'What'd I Say.' The musicians also quarreled with each other, especially during the recording of the album "White Album". Peter Brown of Apple recalls: "Only those closest to the band knew that Paul was re-recording Ringo's drums as soon as he left the studio...and Starr pretended he didn't notice." In August 1968, the two musicians got into a big fight over McCartney's criticism of Starr's drumming on "Back in the U.S.S.R.", which ended with Ringo temporarily leaving the band. Starr later described working with McCartney: "Paul is the best bass player in the world. But he's also very strong-willed...always standing his ground...so we had musical differences from time to time."

McCartney and Starr worked together after the breakup of the Beatles on some projects from 1973, for example, Paul performed parts on musical instruments and became a backing vocalist on the song "Six O" Clock, which McCartney wrote for Ringo's "Ringo" album. Paul performed a kazoo solo on one of the songs from the album "You" re Sixteen. Starr appeared in McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) as himself. He also played drums on most of the songs on the film's soundtrack, which included new versions of several Beatles songs. Star played drums and provided background vocals on "Beautiful Night" from McCartney's 1997 album Flaming Pie. The musicians met again in 1998 to work on Starr's album "Vertical Man", McCartney became a backing vocalist on three songs on the album and played musical instruments on one of the songs. In 2009, Paul and Ringo sang "With a little help from My Friends" at the David Lynch Foundation benefit concert. The musicians worked together on Starr's album "Y Not" in 2010. McCartney plays bass on "Peace Dream", and sings a duet with Ringo on the song "Walk with You" On July 7, 2010, Starr performed with his 17th Anniversary All-Starr Band at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. McCartney unexpectedly came out and performed the song "Birthday" with Starr's band.During the 56th Grammy ceremony, which took place on January 26, 2014, McCartney and Starr performed the song "Queenie Eye" from Paul's new album "New".

Paul McCartney's legacy

Achievements of Paul McCartney

McCartney was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999. In 1979, McCartney was included in the Guinness Book of Records as "the most honored composer and performer." Paul has 60 gold discs (43 with the Beatles, 17 with the Wings). As a member of the Beatles, he has sold over 100 million singles and 100 million albums. As "the most successful songwriter" he wrote 43 songs on his own or with other musicians, which were sold in the amount of one million or more copies between 1962 and 1978. In 2009, Paul was again included in the "Guinness Book of Records" as the "most successful songwriter." She wrote 188 songs on her own or in collaboration with other musicians, which entered the UK charts, 91 songs entered the top 10 charts, 33 songs took the first line of the hit parade.

McCartney wrote 32 songs on his own or with other musicians, which took 1st place on the Billboard Hot 100: 12 songs with the Beatles, 7 solo songs or with the Wings; one song - "A World Without Love", co-written with Peter and Gordon and took the first line of the charts; one song is a cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" co-written with Elton John; one song, "Stars on 45 Medley", co-written; one song is "Say Say Say", co-written with Michael Jackson; one song is "Ebony and Ivory", co-written with Stevie Wonder. As of 2009, over 15.5 million copies of his Recording Industry Association-certified works have been sold in the United States. It also sold another 10 million copies of his solo musical works and works written as part of the Wings group.

McCartney's songs have topped the UK charts more often than other artists' songs. McCartney wrote 24 number one singles: 17 with the Beatles, one solo single, one each with Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Band Aid 20 and The Christians et al. He is the only artist to reach No. 1 as a solo artist ("Pipes of Peace"), a duet with Stevie Wonder ("Ebony and Ivory"), a trio with Wings ("Mull of Kintyre"), a quartet with the Beatles ("She Loves You"), a quintet with the Beatles and Billy Preston ("Get Back") and as a member of a charity music ensemble (Ferry Aid).

The song "Yesterday" has been the most covered song in the history of music (over 2,200 covers), according to the BBC "this song is the only one that was written by a British author and was broadcast on American radio and television for more than 7 million times, ranks third on the list of the best songs of all time...and is the most played British song in the last century in the US." The 1968 song "Hey Jude", written by him as part of the Beatles, was the biggest selling song in the UK that year, topping the US charts for 9 weeks, longer than any other Beatles single. At 7 minutes 11 seconds, the song was the longest released by the band and the longest No. 1 song at the time. The song "Hey Jude" is the biggest selling song of the Beatles, shortly after the release of the song, more than 5 million copies of this single were sold.

McCartney's performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with U2 during the Live 8 show was the single that was released in record time in music history. The single went on sale 45 minutes after the recording of the show, through for a few hours it reached number one on the UK Digital Singles Chart based on digital sales (Official Download Chart).

Paul McCartney Awards

• 1971: Academy Award winner (as a member of the Beatles)
• 21-time Grammy Award winner:
• 12 Grammy Awards as a member of the Beatles
• 6 Grammy Awards as a solo artist
• 2 Grammy Awards as a member of Wings
• 1 Grammy Award for collaboration with another artist
• Twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
• In 1988 as a member of the Beatles
• In 1999 as a solo artist
• Member of the Order of the British Empire
• Planet 4148 was named by the Minor Planet Center under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union in honor of Paul McCartney: "McCartney"
• 1988: University Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex
• 1997: Knighted by Elizabeth II for services to music
• 2000: Fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Writers
• 2008: Music Award"Brit Award" for Outstanding Contribution to Music
• 2008: Honorary Doctorate of Music from Yale University
• 2010: Gershwin Prize for contributions to popular music
• 2010: Kennedy Center Honors
• 2012: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• 2012: Legion of Honor for services to music
• 2012: MusiCares Person of the Year

Paul McCartney discography

• McCartney, April 17, 1970;
• Ram, 28 May 1971 (with Linda McCartney);
• McCartney II, May 16, 1980;
• Tug of War, April 26, 1982;
• Pipes of Peace, October 31, 1983;
• Give My Regards to Broad Street October 22, 1984 (soundtrack);
• Press to Play, September 1, 1986
• Back in the USSR, October 31, 1988 (USSR) and September 30, 1991;
• Flowers in the Dirt, June 5, 1989;
• Unplugged (The Official Bootleg), May 20, 1991;
• Off the Ground February 1, 1993;
• Flaming Pie May 5, 1997;
• Run Devil Run October 4, 1999;
• Driving Rain November 12, 2001;
• Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, September 12, 2005;
• Memory Almost Full, June 4, 2007;
• Ocean's Kingdom, music for the ballet 2011;
• Kisses on the Bottom, cover album 2012;
• new, studio album 2013.

With Wings

• Wild Life, December 7, 1971;
• Red Rose Speedway, May 4, 1973;
• Band on the Run, December 7, 1973;
• Venus and Mars, May 30, 1975;
• Wings at the Speed ​​of Sound, March 26, 1976;
• London Town, March 31, 1978;
• Back to the Egg, June 8, 1979.

Paul McCartney Tours

With Wings:

• Wings University Tour - 11 UK shows, 1972
• Wings Over Europe Tour - 25 shows, 1972
• Wings 1973 UK Tour - 21 shows, 1973
• Wings Over the World tour - 66 shows, 1975-1976
• Wings UK Tour 1979 - 20 shows 1979

Solo tours:

• The Paul McCartney World Tour - 104 shows, 1989-1990
• Unplugged Tour - 6 shows in Europe, 1991
• The New World Tour - 79 shows, 1993
• Driving World Tour - 58 shows, 2002
• Back in the World tour - 33 shows, 2003
• "04 Summer Tour - 14 world tours, 2004
• The "US" Tour - 37 shows, 2005
• Secret Tour 2007 - 6 shows in Europe and USA, 2007
• Summer Live "09 - 10 shows in North America, year 2009
• Good Evening Europe Tour - 8 shows, 2009
• Up and Coming Tour - 38 world tours, 2010-2011
• On the Run Tour - 38 world tours, 2011-2012
• Out There Tour – 91 world tours, 2013–2015
• One on One - 78 world tours, 2016-2017

Paul McCartney quotes

"The older I get, the less I believe in the common saying that wisdom comes with age."

"We don't learn to be artists, painters or writers - we learn to be."

"It's very important to me to be simple. My simplicity is very rational, and it's not far-fetched. It's my real answer to the question of what is best to be. I think it's simple."

"I can't imagine myself giving up writing music. And even if no one else wants to record my albums, I will still write songs."

"I'm just very lucky, I have a gift. If you ask me to write a tune right now, I'll go out for five minutes and guarantee that I'll come back with a new tune."

This great musician is referred to as none other than sir. The whole world knows him as the founder of the "Liverpool Four" - The Beatles, and this is McCartney James Paul. Albums of their group sold out in millions of copies all over the world. They brought a new inspiration to the music and drove all the girls crazy.

short biography

Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 in Liverpool. His parents were Scottish. His mother's name was Mary, she was a Catholic and worked at a local clinic as a midwife and nurse. Paul's father, James McCartney, was a trumpeter and pianist before the war and even had his own small jazz band, but the war ruined all his plans. After the war, he worked at a mechanical engine factory and at a cotton exchange. He began to raise his son without the involvement of religion, since he himself had once turned from a Protestant into an agnostic. The McCartney family lived modestly. Paul also had a brother, Michael.

In 1947, James Paul McCartney attended J. Williams Primary School in Belle Vale. After graduating from school, in 1954 he went to study at the high school for boys, which was called the Liverpool Institute.

In 1956, Paul was shocked by the death of his mother, who died of breast cancer. Subsequently, this loss brought him closer to John Lennon, whose mother died when he was 17 years old.

Paul had an old trumpet given to him by his father, but he traded it for a Framus Zenith acoustic guitar. James Paul McCartney was left-handed and learned to play it like Slim Whitman reversed the strings. Paul began to skillfully imitate such world stars as Elvis Presley and Little Richard.

creative upsurge

Once in Walton, Paul was invited to a performance by John Lennon's The Quarrymen in the lobby of St. Peter's Church. There, on July 6, 1957, McCartney met Lennon for the first time. John was tipsy, but he really enjoyed Paul's guitar playing. Subsequently, McCartney began to tune Lennon's guitar.

Paul's father and Aunt Mimi were wary of this friendship, they believed that Lennon came from "the bottom" and expected trouble from him. But the guys played very quickly and already in 1957 they began to write songs together in McCartney's father's house on Fortlin Road.

Paul once, while still studying at school in 1954, accidentally met George Harris, who became his friend, and therefore he invited John Lennon to take him to his team.

The Beatles and Paul McCartney

And already in 1960 in Hamburg their group performed for the first time under the name The Beatles. There they were under the tutelage of entrepreneur Bruno Koschmieder (a former clown).

After some time, Paul turned from an ordinary musician into a real professional. It is believed that 800 concert hours spent on the stages of the clubs of this city made The Beatles a world-famous group.

At the beginning of the winter of 1960, the Beatles gave a Litherland Town Hall concert, which became a turning point in their future destiny. The Beatlemania boom began.

Until 1961, Paul played the rhythm guitar, then, after being fired from the scandal of the musician, he became a bass player.

Albums, concerts and hits

The mega hit that opened wide doors for them was the composition She Loves You. Then the group appeared on television in the "Royal Variety Show" - a program that was watched by 26 million people. This was the trigger for their grandiose glory.

Lennon's death

After the death of the famous singer, Lew Grade offered Lennon's wife Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney to buy the rights to the Lennon-McCartney songs, since they were owned by the publishing company Northern Songs, for 20 million, but Yoko refused because of the very high price.

In 1983, McCartney became friends with Michael Jackson, who eventually bought the rights to the songs of their group for 47.5 million. Paul considered this a betrayal. Now he had to pay for the performance of his own songs on tour.

Many agree that the 2000s finally brought rebirth, stability and success to Paul's life. Sir James Paul McCartney gives concerts, shoots videos and writes albums, and is widely involved in charitable activities. His name has long become a classic brand that cannot be compared with anything else.

Soloist of the legendary Beatles quartet. For services in March 1997, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain awarded Paul McCartney a title of nobility.

James Paul McCartney was born on Thursday 18 June 1942 in Liverpool's Enfield at the Walton Hospital, located on Rice Lane. Later, the family moved to the Wallacey area, then to Speke, and in the 55th settled in the Allerton area. In elementary school he was one of the best students and, after graduating from it, he easily entered the high school for boys with the magnificent name "Liverpool Institute" - the best educational institution in the city. This happened in 1953. In the summer of 1955, Paul and his brother Michael went to Boy Scout camp, where it rained for nearly a week. The parents, worried that the boys would get wet in their tents, went to visit them, taking dry clothes and a tarp with them. On the way home in the car, Mary felt severe pain. For several months she had felt a slight induration on the mammary gland. That evening the pain was unbearable. Mary whispered: "I don't want to leave the boys yet." A few weeks later, she was operated on for breast cancer at the old Northern city hospital, but it was too late. She died a few hours after the operation. This happened on October 31, 1956. Paul considers his mother's death the only tragedy of his childhood. Mary McCartney is buried in Liverpool's Yew Tree Cemetery.

Trumpet was McCartney's very first instrument. It was given to him by his cousin Jan when Paul was 12 years old. However, after attending a concert by British skiffle rock star Lonnie Donegan, Paul asked his father to buy him a guitar, which he did for £15. The guitar helped Paul recover from the shock of his mother's death. As Mike McCartney recalled: "The obsession became his companion for life ... He played the guitar and went to another, his own world ... Lost his mother and mother and found a guitar? I don't know, maybe at that moment it helped him to switch off" .

Like many of his peers, Paul tried not to miss the concerts of skiffle bands, listening for hours at night to the programs of the radio station "Radio Luxemburg". He learned the hits of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and imitated these stars quite skillfully. Nevertheless, he was in no hurry to join any group or form his own.

At school, one of Paul's friends was Ivan Vaughan. Ivan occasionally played in John Lennon's "The Quarrymen" and one day, July 6, 1957, invited Paul to her performance. It was there that Lennon and McCartney first met. A week later, John invited Paul to his ensemble. By that time, Paul had already begun to compose his own compositions, and now he and John came up with original melodies and arrangements. By the end of 1958, there were already about fifty songs in their author's archive, including early versions of "Love Me Do", "One After 909". It was Paul who showed Lennon real guitar chords and encouraged him to write his own songs.

Until 1961, Paul, like John, played the rhythm guitar, and picked up the bass guitar only when Stuart Sutcliffe could not go on stage. McCartney became a permanent bass player only in the summer of 1961, when Stewart left the group.

Until 1966, the biography of Paul McCartney was one with the biography of "The Beatles". His debut as an independent composer came at the end of 1966, when he composed the music for the film "The Family Way". In the future, Paul was the author of the main idea of ​​the concept album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967), he also played a leading role in the creation of the film "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967), the album "Abbey Road".

On March 12, 1969, Paul marries Linda Eastman, who became his loving wife, best friend, reliable partner in numerous projects and caring mother of their three children. For Linda, marriage to McCartney was the second. From her first marriage, she had a daughter, Heather.

McCartney began his solo career even before the breakup of the quartet. In November '69 - March '70, he recorded his debut album "McCartney" in his home studio, which was released by Apple on April 17, 1970. Paul alone performed all the instrumental parts, recording them using the method of multiple overdubs. Only in the vocal parts did he use the help of his wife Linda Eastman. Linda, although she worked in rock journalism, had more than modest knowledge of music, and Paul had to make a lot of effort to teach her at least tolerably to play the piano and sing at first.

On December 31, 1970, through his lawyers, Paul begins trial to terminate the Beatles partnership and initiate proceedings against Alain Klein, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Paul and John outgrew the quartet, they no longer wanted to work together and plunged into their own projects. Realizing that the breakup of the group was inevitable, Paul sought to keep most of the group's finances. In addition, he needed to gain personal freedom. This is the reason for his statement to the court. McCartney won the lawsuit, but all of the band's accounts were frozen. It wasn't until 1976 that McCartney became finally financially independent.

After the breakup of the group, Paul felt empty, fell into a deep depression, drank a lot, used drugs. Linda helped him to believe in himself again, and on February 19, 1971 he released the single Another Day/Oh Woman, Oh Why. In May 1971, the musician released his second solo album "Ram", recorded in New York with the participation of Linda and drummer Danny Seiwell (Denny Seiwell), as well as guitarists Dave Spinozza (Dave Spinozza) and Hugh McCracken (Hugh McCracken).

In the middle of the same year, McCartney collects new group. After the birth of their daughter Stella, the name for the group appeared - "Wings". It included McCartney himself, Linda, Denny Laine. They formed the main backbone of the group until the end of its existence. The composition of the group was constantly changing. At various times it included Henry McCullough (guitar), Jimmy McCulloch (guitar), Geoff Britton (drums), Laurence Juber (guitar) and Steve Holly (drums). During the existence of "Wings" albums were released "Wild Life" (1971), "Red Rose Speedway" (1973), "Band On The Run" (1973), "Venus & Mars" (1975), "Wings At The Speed Of Sound" (1976), "Wings Over America" ​​(1976), "London Town" (1978), "Back To the Egg" (1979). The group officially disbanded in April 1980.

In 1980, McCartney released his third solo album "McCartney II", the title of which emphasizes that, as in the case of the first solo album, the musician created it completely alone, playing all the instruments on his own. The release of the album was preceded by McCartney's arrest in Japan on January 16, 1980. The Wings were supposed to play 11 concerts in Japan, but customs officers at Tokyo's Okura airport found 219 grams of marijuana in McCartney's luggage. Paul was immediately arrested, he took all the blame. The Minister of Justice of Japan said that according to the law, McCartney faces 7 years in prison. Paul spent 10 days in a cell, after which he was allowed to return to his homeland. The concerts were canceled and McCartney had to pay £1,800,000 to the promoters as damages.

The solo career of the musician continues. In 1984, he directed and wrote the film "Give My Regards To Broad Street", which also starred Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach (Ringo's wife) and Linda. In 1988 he recorded an album with classic rock and roll compositions "Again in the USSR", intended for release in the USSR. In the same year, Paul received a PhD from the University of Sussex. In the early 1990s teamed up with Youth (producer, founder of "Killing Joke"), created a project in the style of "techno" ("Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest"). In 1994-1995s. Together with Harrison and Starr he took part in the work on a series of albums "The Beatles Anthology". In March 1997, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain awarded Paul McCartney a title of nobility. Long before that, on October 26, 1965, Paul received the MBE (Member Of The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire) from the hands of the Queen.