Paul McCartney

Played bass guitar for The Beatles in the 1960s. Considered the most successful pop composer of all time. In the "Guinness Book of World Records" for most records sold, most #1s (shared) and largest paid audience for a concert (350,000+ people, 1989 in Brazil). After the Beatles, he formed Wings, one of the most commercially successful groups of the 1970s. Post-70s solo career has been sporadic in both commercial and artistic terms. Successes include albums "Tug of War" and "Flowers in the Dirt". Flops include movie Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) and album "Press to Play".

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. This is over one billion American dollars.

Sang backup on Donovan's "Mellow Yellow"; also played bass on some of his album tracks.

Actually only wrote 27 songs in direct collaboration with John Lennon, though nearly all their songs were credited as Lennon & McCartney compositions. (The co-credit was because of a handshake deal the two had made in their teens, to share their songwriting fortunes.)

Working title of his own personal favourite composition "Yesterday" was "Scrambled Eggs".

He appeared as himself in Tracey Ullman's "They Don't Know" music video.

His 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 Asher, of the singing duo Peter and Gordon, including their #1 hit "World Without Love". He also wrote the song "Woman" for them, under the pseudonym of Bernard Webb.

Cousin of Kate Robbins and Ted Robbins.

Born at 2:00pm-BDST

His four children with Linda McCartney are Heather McCartney (adopted from her previous marriage), photographer Mary McCartney, top fashion designer Stella McCartney and musician/sculptor James McCartney. Paul was married to rock photographer 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".

Announced his engagement to ex-model/activist Heather Mills. [26 July 2001]

Owns the double bass that once belonged to Elvis Presley's bassist Bill Black.

Played all the instruments on two of his solo albums, 'McCartney' (1970) and 'McCartney II' (1980).

According to McCartney, the name of the rock group Wings was inspired by daughter Stella McCartney's birth, which was premature and traumatic; Stella and her mother both almost died. As his daughter was being born by emergency cesarean section, Paul sat outside the operating room and prayed that she be born "on the wings of an angel."

Had wanted The Beatles to do a club tour shortly before they broke up. John Lennon 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 a vegetarian.

Owns the copyrights to Buddy Holly's song catalogue, and also numerous other compositions, including "Ramblin' Wreck From Georgia Tech".

Song "Yesterday" is one of the most covered songs of all time, with over 3,000 known versions.

Claims his nights in a Japanese prison in 1980 were the only time he had been separated from then-wife, Linda McCartney.

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."

Has a record 29 #1 singles on the American charts with The Beatles, Paul McCartney & Wings, and as a solo artist (including one duet with Michael Jackson).

Fined $200 in 1973 for growing marijuana on his Scotland farm. Arrested and jailed briefly in Japan in 1980 for carrying same substance.

Jokingly, on occasion, uses the pseudonym of 'Apollo C. Vermouth.'

Made an honorary detective by the New York City Police Department for the benefit concert he gave for 9/11 victims, April 2002.

Won last-minute court order preventing Christie's from auctioning his handwritten lyrics to the song "Hey Jude." Paper with lyrics scrawled on it had been expected to bring up to $116,000 at auction scheduled for April 30, but England's High Court, ruled for Sir Paul the day before, deciding that the valuable artifact from The Beatles will remain at auction house until ownership is finally determined by agreement or trial.

Won prize for drawing of a church at age 11. In 2002, from May-August, over 70 of his paintings from past 20 years on view at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, England.

It was announced that fiancee Heather Mills's engagement ring, which was lost, had been found among the grass in a golf course. [June 2001]

Daughter, Stella McCartney, was born on September 13, 1971.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 (as a solo artist).

His first guitar was a Zenith archtop f-hole acoustic. He got it at the Rushworth and Drapers Music Store in Liverpool when he was 14, as a gift from his father (brother Mike McGear got a banjo at the same time, but broke his arm at Boy Scout camp a few weeks later).

His song, "When I'm 64" was written for his father Jim on his 64th birthday.

He wrote his first song, "I've Lost My Little Girl", when he was 14.

His father, Jim, was a musician, and had a band called Jim Mac's Jazz Band. Paul has fond memories of lying on his bedroom floor and listening to his father play piano.

Along with writing "Hey Jude" for Julian Lennon the summer his parents broke up, Paul also jokingly proposed to Cynthia Lennon, in the wake of his own breakup with Jane Asher. Cynthia appreciated the laugh they both shared--and the single red rose that Paul had brought.

Was actually the only Beatle to graduate from Britain's equivalent of high- school; he majored in Art.

Usually considered the most "conventional" of the Beatles, but Paul has had his share of far-out ideas, including the germ of the TV-movie Magical Mystery Tour (1967) (TV), and a "self-portrait" published as a 1960s magazine cover, which proved to be a psychedelic painting a la Pablo Picasso.

Set up John Lennon's "home studio" for him at Kenwood, with its chain of tape decks; Lennon used this setup to make song demos for the Beatles, and later the infamous 'Two Virgins' album with Yoko Ono (which Paul gave its cover quote).

A lyric sheet to his song "Yesterday" is featured on the front cover of the Marillion album "Script for a Jester's Tear" (released 1983).

In 2002 he changed the writing credits to many of the songs he made with The Beatles to "McCartney & Lennon", to a large public outrage. It is a common misconception, however that this was the first time he had done this. He made the same credit change on his 1976 live album "Wings Over America" to little or no public scrutiny and to no public comment from John Lennon (who, of course, was still alive at the time).

Performed "Let It Be" at Live Aid in 1985. During this performance, Bob Geldof, David Bowie, Alison Moyet and Pete Townshend (of The Who) all came on stage towards the end to sing backup vocals.

Eleven years after the breakup of The Beatles, along with Ringo Starr he played on George Harrison's, "All Those Years Ago", about the death of his singing partner, John Lennon. The last Harrison song he and Starr played on was "When We Was Fab", which takes a look back at The Beatle years.

The three surviving Beatles appeared on three separate episodes of "The Simpsons" (1989). Starr appeared in a 1991 episode of "Brush with Greatness," Harrison appeared in a 1993 episode of "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," and McCartney appeared in a 1995 episode of "Lisa The Vegetarian"

Contributes "Calico Skies" to the "Warchild Hope" album (released 21 April 2003).

Met his first wife Linda McCartney in a London nightclub called the Bag O'Nails.

28 October 2003: A daughter named Beatrice Milly was born to Paul and wife Heather Mills. She was named after Heather's late mother Beatrice and Paul's Aunt Milly.

In 1998, his song "Blackbird" was covered by Marillion for their live album "Unplugged at the Walls".

Is half of the techno duo The Fireman.

In 1971, he produced (but did not perform on) "Thrillington", an instrumental version of the album "Ram" he recorded with his wife Linda. The songs were presented in orchestral versions, and Paul's work as producer and director was pseudonymously credited to "Percy 'Thrills' Thrillington". The album was not well received by the critics, but is now a much sought-after collectable.

First used the pseudonym "Apollo C. Vermouth" when producing an album for the novelty musical group, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (later known as The Bonzos). He used the pseudonym because record contract obligations prevented him from using his real name on a rival record label. The band repaid McCartney's efforts with a composition entitled "Mister Apollo", a song about an impossibly perfect body builder.

The only Beatle to ever have been nominated for an Academy Award in his own right.

Favorite singers were Little Richard and Elvis Presley.

Met George Harrison on a bus to school, and asked him to be in John's group.

Born on the same day as film critic Roger Ebert, and two days before fellow musician and composer Brian Wilson.

Owned a ranch in Tucson, Arizona; this was where first wife Linda McCartney died.

Owns a Hollywood Hills manor property purchased from Courtney Love, and Ellen DeGeneres.

The Beatles were voted the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone. They also topped a similar list complied by VH1.

Played bass on the Band Aid 20 re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". [November 2004]

At 5' 11", he was marginally the tallest Beatle (being about half an inch taller than George Harrison).

Several of his solo albums (and those with Wings) featured cover photos by first wife Linda McCartney, including "Ram", whose front cover had a picture of him handling a ram at his Scottish farm (John Lennon parodied this picture in his "Imagine" album, grasping the ears of a pig). The back cover included a photo of bugs mating; while it was unintentional, several fans thought this illustrated an attitude of "Fuck the Beatles".

Is portrayed by Mark J. Richardson in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995) (TV)

As of 2005, has released 32 studio albums, of which 30 feature pop music and 2 feature classical compositions. He has stated that he hopes to compose more classical pieces in the future, as well as a desire to venture into jazz at some point.

Showed his paintings at Concert at HP Pavilion in San Jose (November 8th) leading up to his performance as apart of his US Tour

One of the guitars he used in his US tour (2005) was the one he used on The Beatles' appearance on "Toast of the Town" (1948) (aka The Ed Sullian Show) in the early 1960s.

Though a huge fan of 'Weird Al' Yankovic's work, turned down his request to parody Paul's James Bond song "Live and Let Die" as "Chicken Pot Pie" for vegetarian reasons.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries in 2006, The Beatles are the biggest popular music act of all time, with 400 million albums sold (50 million more albums than their runner-up, Michael Jackson).

Is now a vegan.

Announced he and his wife are to split up. [May 2006]

Because of his pending divorce, he will now become the fourth and final Beatle to get a divorce. McCartney also had the longest marriage, although Ringo Starr is still married to his second wife (and has been since 1981).

He and John Lennon quibbled bitterly in the press after the break up of The Beatles. However, in 1977, they met in New York, and allegedly saw an episode of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) in which Lorne Michaels offered $3000 to see The Beatles get back together. He and Lennon joked that they should re-unite and appear, but decided not to.

All 34 of his solo albums have made the Billboard Top 200, something very few solo artists have achieved. 12 of them, including "Wingspan", went to #1.

Had a remarkable 62 top 100 singles from 1971-2005, under a variety of categories. 17 of them went to #1.

Won five Grammys, two with the Beatles. "Eleanor Rigby" Best Pop/Rock and Roll or Contemporary song, "Michelle" won for Song Of The Year, "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsy" won for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)/Best Background Arrangement, "Band On The Run" won for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and "Rockestra Theme" won for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

He loved and was flattered by, Ray Charles' cover of "Eleanor Rigby", John Lennon did not like the version.

Friends with Neil Young, who inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He and his long-time wife, Linda McCartney, said that Young was their favorite performer. His favorite song of Young's is "Only Love Can Break Your Heart".

Father-in-law of Alistair Donald and Alasdhair Willis.

Has three grandsons and one granddaughter: Mary McCartney's two sons Arthur Alistair Donald (b. 3 April 1999) and Elliot Donald (b. 1 August 2002) and Stella McCartney's son Miller Alasdhair James Willis (b. 25 February 2005) and daughter Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis (b. 8 December 2006).

During his engagement to Jane Asher, Paul (with John Lennon) wrote several songs for Jane's older brother, Peter Asher, of the singing duo Peter and Gordon, including their #1 hit "World Without Love". He also wrote the song "Woman" for them, under the pseudonym of Bernard Webb.

Winner of the Sony Award For Technical Excellence in 1983.

Winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for British Male Solo Artist in 1983.

Named "Man of the Year" at the GQ awards ceremony. (6 September 2006)

The Scissor Sisters' second album, Ta-Dah, has a song entitled Paul McCartney.

His grandchildren Arthur and Elliot are older than his daughter Beatrice.

Is portrayed by Gary Bakewell in The Linda McCartney Story (2000) (TV).

[Sunday 13 November 2005] Became the very first musician to perform live music for an audience in space. This music milestone occurred during his concert in Anaheim, California, when he sang "Good Day Sunshine" and "English Tea" for NASA Astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian Cosmonaut Valery Tokarev who were orbiting some 220 miles above earth in their Space Shuttle Discovery.

Has a stepsister Ruth McCartney, adopted by his father when he married Ruth's mother.

The Beatles were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. [11 November 2004]

He originally wanted to name the hit song Yesterday "Scrambled Eggs" where its also the most recorded song of all time with 2,500 versions.

McCartney's Beatles hit Yesterday does not feature any of the other Beatles. It's just McCartney and a string section. As such, the record company considered releasing it as a McCartney solo song, but decided not to.

Paul, not Ringo, played drums on the classic hit Back in the USSR.

Is portrayed by Gary Bakewell in Backbeat (1994).