Sir Paul McCartney's Biography

He auditioned for the choir at his school, the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, but did not get in.

His father had a hearing defect and so could not join the army in World War II and went into the fire service instead.

Paul McCartney was invited by John Lennon to join The Quarry Men in 1959. They became the Silver Beatles and then The Beatles in 1960.

'Macca' married Linda Eastman in 1969, and their children included Stella McCartney, the fashion designer.

When The Beatles disbanded Paul and Linda McCartney formed ‘Wings’ with guitarist Denny Laine. Their hits included Mull of Kintyre (1977). Wings disbanded in 1981. McCartney pursued a solo career and also had hit duets with Stevie Wonder (Ebony and Ivory) and Michael Jackson (The Girl Is Mine).

In 1998 Linda died of breast cancer and in June 2002, Paul McCartney married Heather Mills. They had a daughter, Beatrice, in the autumn of 2003. In May 2006 the couple announced that they were separating. The settlement was hotly contested and in February 2008 when Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills failed to reach agreement it was left to a judge, Mr Justice Bennett to decide on the settlement at a later date.

In March 2008, Heather Mills was awarded £24.3 million and the judge found that the total value of Sir Paul McCartney's assets was about £400 million.

Paul McCartney was made a freeman of the city of Liverpool in 1984 and was knighted in 1997.

McCartney's album, Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard, released in September 2005 was his twentieth studio album since The Beatles disbanded and was his first since Driving Rain. (2001). Jenny Wren the second single taken from Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard was nominated for a Grammy.

Paul McCartney owns the publishing rights to Annie and Guys & Dolls

McCartney composed Liverpool Oratorio with Carl Davis in 1991 and also wrote a symphony called Standing Stone in 1997. He also had a one-man art exhibition at the Walker Gallery in Liverpool in 2002.

The BBC has broken down Sir Paul McCartney's life into seven sections. Also, Sir Paul McCartney has an interesting official site.

In March 2007, it was announced that Sir Paul McCartney was the first artist signing to Hear Music, the music label of Starbucks.

In May 2007, Sir Paul McCartney won the best album award at the Classical Brits for Ecce Cor Meum (Behold My Heart).

In November 2008, Sir Paul McCartney was interviewed by the BBC about his work as The Fireman, collaborating with producer Youth.

In April 2009 Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed together at a New York charity show. They had last performed together at a tribute concert for George Harrison in 2002.

In May 2011 it was revealed that Sir Paul McCartney had got engaged to 51-year-old businesswoman Nancy Shevell, the ex-wife of Bruce Blakeman.

Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell married on 9 October 2011 at a registry office at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London.

In May 2018, Sir Paul McCartney was made a companion of honour.

In 2019, he wrote a children's book called Hey Grandude!

In 2021, he gave an interview in which he claimed that John Lennon instigated the break-up of The Beatles.