Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney (born Jun/18/1942) was a founding member of The Beatles.

Early Days
Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942 to parents Mary McCartney and James McCartney. In 1955, when Paul was only fourteen years old, his mother died of breast cancer. After passing his 11-Plus exam in 1957, Paul enrolled in the Liverpool Institute, where he met future band mate, George Harrison.

Paul was introduced to John Lennon and his band The Quarrymen. McCartney was very interested in music due to the influence of his father, who was once a jazz musician. Paul joined the band, and he and John began writing songs together. Although John was the leader of the band, Paul was always full of ideas.

When bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe quit the band, Paul became the group's permanent bassist. The Quarrymen officially changed their name to The Beatles soon after.

The Beatles
After former drummer Pete Best was kicked out of the band, Ringo Starr was brought in to replace him. The Beatles soon became extremely popular in Britain and America. Paul wrote many famous songs during this time, including "Yesterday," "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be." Paul was considered the "cute" Beatle, and was very popular with fans.

When Beatles manager Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose, McCartney urged the band to stay together, while the other three members were ready to quit. It was Paul's idea to make a new film, Magical Mystery Tour.

Unfortunately, The Beatles had some creative differences, and Paul announced they had officially broken up on April 10, 1970. The band had been wanting to disband since the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, but McCartney had kept them together. Around the time of the band's breakup, Paul released his first solo album, McCartney.

Wings
In 1971, McCartney released his second solo album, Ram. The album was credited to both Paul and his wife, Linda McCartney. In August, Paul formed the band Wings. The band consisted of Paul, his wife, guitarist Denny Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell. They soon released their debut album, Wild Life.

Wings went on tour in 1972, and released their second album, Red Rose Speedway, in 1973. That same year, Wings released Band on the Run, their most critically acclaimed album. The album got the band two Grammy Awards. Through 1975 and 1976, Wings embarked on the ambitious Wings Over the World tour, which was released as Wings Over America.

The band released music until 1981, when the band disbanded. McCartney said that the band "parted in a friendly way."

Solo Career
After former band mate John Lennon was murdered, Paul McCartney and Wings stopped touring, causing the breakup of the band. Soon after, Paul sang, along with Ringo Starr, backup on "All Those Years Ago," George Harrison's tribute to John Lennon.

McCartney released McCartney II in 1980 and Tug of War in 1982. The latter reunited him with ex-producer George Martin and Ringo Starr.

In 1984, Paul wrote and starred in Give My Regards to Broad Street. The movie did not do well critically or commercially.

During the second half of the decade, Paul released five albums, including Flowers in the Dirt and Press to Play. In late 1989, McCartney embarked on his first concert tour since John Lennon's death.

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