Musical Artist - McCartney, Paul

Paul and Linda McCartney

Paul McCartney is a British singer and songwriter, and is quite possibly the most successful musical artist of the second half of the twentieth century. McCartney was, of course, a member of the Beatles, and that alone would place him among the brightest stars in the pop music sky, but following the breakup of that band he went on to have a nearly fifty-year career first with the band Wings and then as a solo artist.

McCartney met John Lennon in the late 1950s, and the two performed with a changing lineup of others as part of the Quarrymen for a couple of years. They eventually changed the name of their band to the Beatles, and with a set lineup of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr they proceeded to take the pop culture world of the 1960s by storm, dominating the musical landscape like no band before or since. McCartney and Lennon were one of the most successful songwriting teams in history, and the Beatles produced a body of work that made them the best selling musical artists in U.K. and U.S. history. They scored a twenty number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, earned an Academy Award for Best original Song Score, and earned seven Grammy Awards. The Beatles were, to put it bluntly, the most successful and influential band in music history.

When the Beatles broke up in 1970, McCartney put together the band Wings along with his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. Although not as successful as the Beatles, Wings was one of the strongest acts of the 1970s, with hit records such as Jet, Band on the Run, Listen to What the Man Said, Silly Love Songs, and Mull of Kintyre. Overall, Wings has six number one singles in the U.S., and one in the U.K. (with that single, Mull of Kintyre, being notable as the most successful single in British chart history to that point).

Wings broke up in 1981, and McCartney then embarked on a solo career, notably recording duets with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson that both became number one hits. McCartney also wrote the musical Give My Regards to Broad Street, recorded an album of the same name, and starred in the resulting feature film. Just as a solo artist, McCartney has recorded and released eighteen albums.

Through his career, McCartney wrote or co-wrote thirty-two songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 - twenty as a Beatle, seven for Wings, and the rest as a solo artist or in collaboration with another performer. His song Yesterday has been recorded by 2,200 different artists, and his single Hey Jude spent more time at number one than any other Beatles song. He has won eighteen Grammy Awards, and is credited with twenty-four number one singles on the U.K. charts, giving him more than any other artists in history. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: Once as a member of the Beatles, and once as a solo artist.

McCartney has a website named Paul McCartney. He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Musical Monday Selections:

09/03/18: Coming Up

12/30/19: Ebony and Ivory (with Stevie Wonder)
01/25/21: Pipes of Peace
01/11/21: Say Say Say (with Michael Jackson)

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