Paul McCartney (born June 18th, 1942) is a singer, songwriter, musician, and record and film producer from Liverpool, England. He is best known for being a member of The Beatles.
In the summer of 1957, McCartney, then 15, met John Lennon and his band, the Quarrymen, and soon after was invited to join them as a rhythm guitarist. The two became close, particularly bonding over the loss of both of their mothers; Lennon’s mother was killed by a speeding police car in 1958, and McCartney’s mother died of breast cancer when he was 14. McCartney and Lennon would become the songwriters of the group and wrote most of its material when The Beatles signed with EMI-Parlophone in 1962.
After The Beatles separated in 1970, McCartney went on to pursue a solo career, releasing two solo albums McCartney (1970) and Ram (1971). McCartney and his wife Linda formed the band Wings, which saw success with four consecutive No. 1 albums in the US. After a touring hiatus in the 1980s, McCartney embarked on his career in film with 1984’s Give My Regards to Broad Street, which McCartney wrote for and starred in. In 1989, McCartney would return to live music and release his third album Flowers in the Dirt. He has continued recording solo albums, releasing Flaming Pie (1997), Driving Rain (2001), Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005), Memory Almost Full (2007), New (2013), and Egypt Station (2018).
McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Beatles, and again as a solo artist in 1999. He has received many distinguished accolades, including 18 Grammy Awards, and is credited with more number ones in the UK than any other artist. McCartney has also been knighted in the United Kingdom.