Paul McCartney (born 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the Beatles. [1] With John Lennon he formed one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships in popular music, and after the group disbanded he led the band Wings and sustained a long solo career. [2] He is among the most commercially successful figures in the history of popular music and was knighted for his services to music. [1]
Early life and education
James Paul McCartney was born on 18 June 1942 in Liverpool, England, at Walton Hospital. [1] He attended the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, where his interest in music developed alongside the emerging skiffle and rock and roll of the 1950s. [2] In 1957 he met John Lennon and joined Lennon's group, the Quarrymen, beginning a musical relationship that would define his career. [1]
The Beatles
McCartney, Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr became the Beatles, the band that made McCartney internationally famous during the 1960s. [1] Playing bass guitar and sharing lead vocals, he formed with Lennon a songwriting partnership credited as Lennon-McCartney that produced a large body of the era's most widely known songs. [2] Albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band helped transform popular music and the recording studio into a creative medium. [2] The group disbanded in 1970 after a period of internal tension. [1]
Wings and solo career
Following the breakup, McCartney released solo recordings and in 1971 formed the band Wings with his wife Linda McCartney and others. [1] Wings became one of the most commercially successful groups of the 1970s, and McCartney continued to tour and record prolifically as a solo artist in the decades that followed. [2] His later work has ranged across rock and pop as well as classical and orchestral composition. [2]
Legacy and honours
McCartney is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians in the history of popular music, both for his melodic songwriting and for his role in shaping the sound of the 1960s. [2] He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire with the Beatles and was later knighted as a Knight Bachelor for his services to music. [1] He has received numerous honours, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Kennedy Center Honors. [1]
