Who is singer, songwriter, musician Paul McCartney?
James Paul McCartney, known professionally as Paul McCartney, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer born on 18 June 1942 in Liverpool, England. He rose to international prominence as a member of the Beatles, alongside John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and later co-founded the band Wings. Known for his melodic bass playing, multi-instrumental ability and tenor voice, McCartney has worked across pop, rock, folk, classical and experimental music. He is widely recognized as one of the most successful songwriters and recording artists in popular-music history.
Background/biography
McCartney was born to James McCartney, a cotton salesman and amateur musician, and Mary Mohin McCartney, a nurse and midwife. He grew up in Liverpool with his younger brother, Michael McCartney, who later became known as photographer and musician Mike McGear. His mother died from breast cancer when McCartney was 14, an experience that influenced some of his later songwriting.
He attended Liverpool Institute for Boys, where he developed an interest in music and writing songs. McCartney received a guitar as a teenager, taught himself to play, and later switched to left-handed bass guitar. In 1957, he met John Lennon at a church fête in Woolton, Liverpool, and soon joined Lennon's group, the Quarrymen. The group evolved through several line-ups before becoming the Beatles.
Music career and achievements
- Yesterday — Beatles song credited to Lennon–McCartney, released in 1965.
- Hey Jude — Beatles single written by McCartney and released in 1968.
- Let It Be — Beatles song released in 1970.
- McCartney — McCartney's self-titled debut solo album, released in 1970.
- Ram — 1971 album credited to Paul and Linda McCartney.
- Band on the Run — Wings album released in 1973.
- Live and Let Die — Wings song written for the 1973 James Bond film of the same name.
- Mull of Kintyre — Wings single released in 1977.
- Flaming Pie — solo album released in 1997.
- Egypt Station — solo album released in 2018, which reached number one in the United States.
As a member of the Beatles, McCartney helped shape the group's recordings as a bassist, vocalist, pianist, guitarist and songwriter. His songwriting partnership with Lennon produced many of the band's best-known songs, although the pair often wrote separately while sharing the Lennon–McCartney credit.
After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, McCartney began a solo career and formed Wings with his first wife, Linda McCartney, and guitarist Denny Laine. Wings became one of the major touring and recording acts of the 1970s. McCartney has continued to release solo music, mount large-scale international tours, collaborate with artists in several genres and compose orchestral and choral works.
His honors include multiple Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist, and a knighthood for services to music. He was also named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2010.
A songwriting partnership that defined an era
McCartney's creative relationship with John Lennon remains one of the most discussed partnerships in popular music. Their shared songwriting credit, Lennon–McCartney, became a defining feature of the Beatles' catalogue. While their working methods changed over time, their songs combined contrasting musical approaches that helped the group develop from early rock and roll performers into influential studio artists.
McCartney is also closely associated with the left-handed Höfner 500/1 bass guitar he began using in the early 1960s. Its distinctive violin-shaped design became part of his public image during the Beatles era and throughout much of his later career.
Net worth
McCartney's wealth has been widely reported by major business and wealth publications. In 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth at around $1.3 billion, although such estimates can vary by publication and year. His principal income sources include songwriting and music-publishing royalties, recording sales and streaming, touring, licensing, and investments connected to his long-running music catalogue and business interests.
Did you know?
- McCartney wrote one of his earliest songs, I Lost My Little Girl, when he was a teenager.
- He is left-handed and has played left-handed bass guitar for most of his career.
- He used the pseudonym Bernard Webb when he wrote Woman, a 1966 hit recorded by Peter and Gordon.
- McCartney collaborated with composer Carl Davis on the choral work Liverpool Oratorio, which premiered in 1991.
- He has long supported animal-welfare and vegetarian causes and has worked publicly with organizations including PETA.
