Bio
Facts:
Date of Birth: 18th June 1942.
Place: Liverpool, England.
Heigh: 5' 11".
Hair: Brown.
Eyes: Brown.
Mini
biography
James
Paul McCartney was born to working class parents in Liverpool, England on June
18, 1942. His Irish Catholic mother, Mary, was a nurse and midwife, while his
British father, Jim, was a cotton salesman and amateur jazz pianist. He had a
happy childhood with one younger brother, Michael, until his mother's sudden
death from breast cancer when he was 14. Shortly afterward, he wrote his first
song, and a few months later he met John Lennon during the latter's
performance at a local church fete (festival). McCartney sooned joined
Lennon's band, the Quarrymen, and with the eventual addition of George
Harrison and Pete Best, the band morphed into the Beatles. After a long stint
playing in Hamburg, Germany, the band returned to Liverpool and soon became a
top local act. They were approached by Brian Epstein, who became their manager
and secured them a record deal with EMI. After replacing drummer Best with
Ringo Starr, and under the tutelage of producer George Martin, the Beatles
soon became an international hit-making phenomenon, influencing everything
from fashion to politics. Yet it wouldn't last: internal strife and
disagreement over management issues following Epstein 1968's death tore the
band apart. In April 1970, McCartney announced the band's breakup. He was 27
years old. McCartney's first solo album, "McCartney," was a #1 hit
and spawned the evergeen ballad "Maybe I'm Amazed", yet critical
reaction was mixed. This would be a continuing motif in McCartney's career, as
he continued to release music, with new band Wings, that was a hit
commercially but ignored by critics (the exemption being "Band on the
Run"). In 1980, McCartney was arrested in Tokyo, Japan, for marijuana
possession. After a ten-day stint in jail, he was released to a media
firestorm. The jail stint aborted his worldwide tour and put the final nail in
the coffin of Wings. McCartney retreated into seclusion after the arrest, and
had only recently started recording a new album when his ex-bandmate, John
Lennon, was shot dead by a crazed fan in New York City on December 8, 1980.
After almost a year of absence from the music scene, McCartney returned in
1982 with the album "Tug of War," which enjoyed great critical
acclaim. He was a solo artist from then onward, except for occasional
collaborations with wife Linda and writers such as Elvis Costello. After two
successful world tours and the somewhat disappointing album "Off the
Ground" (1992), McCartney concentrated on composing the classical work
"The Liverpool Oratorio". In 1995, he was working on a new pop
album, "Flaming Pie," when his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with
breast cancer. The album was eventually released in 1997 to both critical and
commerical success, debuting at #2 on both the UK and US pop charts.
1997 was the also the year McCartney was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, but caring for his wife during her illness meant only sporadic public appearances during this time. In April 1998, Linda McCartney died of breast cancer, and Paul McCartney spent much of the next year away from the public eye, emerging only to campaign on behalf of his late wife for animal rights and vegetarian causes. He eventually returned to the studio, releasing an album of rock n'roll covers in 1999. "Run Devil Run" made both Entertainment Weekly and USA Today's year-end top ten lists. McCartney also slowly returned to the public spotlight, embarking on a romantic relationship with ex-model and disabled rights activist Heather Mills (who herself lost a leg in a road accident). His new relationship was relfected in the songs on his 2001 album, "Driving Rain," and the couple became engaged that same year. Yet there was also sadness, as George Harrison died of cancer in early December, 2001. 2002, however, brought McCartney an Oscar nomination (for the title song to the movie "Vanilla Sky") and saw him embark on his first tour in ten years.
Trivia
According
to the August 1998 issue of the British rock magazine "Q", McCartney
is the richest rock star in the world with an estimated fortune of over £500m.
Sang
backup on Donovan's "Mellow Yellow".
Played
the guitar solos on Beatles songs "I Feel Fine", "Taxman"
and "Another Girl".
Actually
only wrote 27 songs in direct collaboration with John Lennon, though nearly all
their songs were credited as Lennon & McCartney compositions.
Working
title of his own personal favourite composition "Yesterday" was
"Scrambled Eggs".
Had
3 children and 1 step daughter with Linda.
He
appeared as himself in Tracey Ullman's "They Don't Know" music video.
Paul
McCartney's younger brother, Michael, is better known as Mike McGear of the
satirical group 'The Scaffold'. Michael chose to take the name of McGear as his
professional name so as not to capitalise on the fame of his brother.
During
his engagement to Jane Asher, Paul (with John Lennon) wrote several songs for
Jane's older brother, Peter, of the singing duo 'Peter and Gordon', including
their number one hit "World Without Love". He also wrote the song
"Woman" for Peter and Gordon, under the pseudonym
of Bernard Webb.
Cousin
of Kate Robbins (I).
Cousin
of Ted Robbins (I).
Born
at 2:00pm-BDST
His
three children's names are James, Stella, and Mary. His stepdaughter's name is
Heather. He was married to Linda Eastman on March 12, 1969 at the Marylebone
Register Office.
Left-handed
Inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beatles January 20, 1988.
Citing business differences, he did not attend the induction ceremony at the
Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City with his former bandmates George Harrison
and Ringo Starr.
Awarded
the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award, in 1992.
His
later musical compositions have included classical works, one of which is the
acclaimed "Liverpool Oratorio".
According
to tradition, a British subject is knighed according to their birth name, which
would make him "Sir James", and not "Sir Paul". His late
wife, Linda, was "Lady McCartney" and not "Lady Linda".
(26
July 2001) Announced his engagement to ex-model/activist Heather Mills.
Owns
the double bass that once belonged to Elvis Presley's bassist Bill Black (IV).
Brother
of Mike McGear. Father of Mary McCartney.
Played
all the instruments on two of his solo albums, 'McCartney' (1970) and 'McCartney
II' (1980).
Originally
wanted to call his post-Beatles band the Dazzlers, but came up with the name
Wings after his wife Linda gave birth to their daughter Stella. He found 'Wings'
to be uplifting, as he did the birth of their second child.
Had
wanted the Beatles to do a club tour shortly before they broke up. John
disagreed, thinking that if they did tour again, it should have been in
stadium-sized venues.
Named
one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001."
Is
married to ex-model Heather Mills
Is
a vegetarian.
Owns
rights to Buddy Holly song catalogue.
Song
"Yesterday" is one the most covered songs of all-time.
Claims
his night in a Japanese prison in 1980 was the only time he had been separated
from then wife Linda.
Has
written several songs about his former bandmate John Lennon, including
"Dear Boy", "Too Many People", "Dear Friend",
"Let me Roll It", and "Here Today."
(Taken From: www.imdb.com)