MEMORABLE MONDAYS: Paul McCartney

 If you have not heard of Paul McCartney, you have, you just did not realize all the places he has been. The Lennon-McCartney duo of the Beatles, to Wings Across America...Paul has made a name for himself and a legacy unforgettable. 

Admittedly, his career and legacy spans so deeply that it would more likely take a BOOK to fully cover his successes. Therefore, this is more a brief runover than a comprehensive piece. I will be going over select pieces of his history and legacy. Do not be afraid to find a biography though - his history from the Beatles to now is still very interesting. 

Paul McCartney was born June 18th, 1942 in the Walton area of Liverpool. His parents were of Irish descent. He had two younger siblings. They were a low working class family, but occasionally got upward social mobility. In 1954, he met future bandmate George Harrison on the bus from school. At the age of 14, Paul's mother died from an embolism after a breast cancer surgery. This would become a connecting point for John Lennon, whose mother died when Lennon was 17. When Paul was younger, his father helped him aspire toward trumpet, similar to himself. However, when Paul first heard rock n roll, he traded the trumpet in for a guitar. Little Richard was his school days musical hero. Other inspirations included Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry. McCartney is a mostly self-taught musicians. He akins it to "primitive cave artists, who drew without training." 

Paul met John Lennon and his band at the time, the Quarrymen, in Woolton in 1957. They invited Paul later to join as a rhythm guitarist. George Harrison joined in 1958 as a lead guitarist. They also had Lennon's art school friend, Stuart Sutcliffe. By 1960, they had tried multiple names. When Pete Best became the drummer, they adopted The Beatles as their name. In 1961, when Sutcliffe left, Paul became the bass player. Ringo Starr took over for Best in August of 1962. Their first hit, Love Me Do, took the world by storm. During the Beatles time, Paul also got involved in drugs. It began with their usage of Preludin to keep energy levels. Bob Dylan introduced the band to cannabis in 1964, something he did not stop using until 2015, wanting to be a better example for his grandchildren. Through time he dabbled in cocaine and LSD as well. He rejected trying heroin. Scottish police actually arrested him in 1973 for having marijuana plants on his farm. These convictions became a bit more commonplace during touring with Wings. 

He performed with the Beatles until about 1970, when the breakup began and disputes began with the label. In 1969, he married Linda Eastmen, his first wife. This would also help inspire him to more charitable ventures. He and Linda were both vegetarians and were very involved in animal rights activism. He fell into a depression during the breakup of the band, and Linda inspired him to keep going. It was what inspired "Maybe I'm Amazed". He said every love song he wrote then was for Linda. His first album, McCartney, released in 1970. It is a one-man album with Paul providing the compositions, instrumentation, and vocals. His second album, Ram, included drummer Denny Seiwell. Later that year, Denny Laine joined them and they created the band Wings. They added Henry McCullough as guitarist and began touring in 1972. They avoided Beatles songs in performances at that time. While fearing he could not be as good as the Beatles, Wings ended up obtaining 7 platinum albums. Band on the Run and Wings at the Speed of Sound are included in this list. For Back to the Egg, Paul produced a bit of a supergroup. Songs included Wings along with Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Gary Brooker, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and more. Wings ended in 1981, after Laine quit the band over royalty disputes.  In 1980, Paul released McCartney II, a self-produced project. 

Pipes of Peace became an acclaimed effort, partly due to the amazing collaborations. Ebony and Ivory included Stevie Wonder, and The Girl is Mine featured Michael Jackson. Jackson would be a brief enemy for Paul in the future, as he tried to obtain the Lennon-McCartney recordings back. He sadly did not get these back fully until 2017. 

In 1984, McCartney starred in Give My Regards to Broad Street, which also included Ringo Starr in a role. It was disparaged by critics, most suggested you just skip directly to the soundtrack. While I have never seen it myself, it sounds like the making of a cult fanbase. In 1986 came Press to Play, an album where he worked with Eric Stewart. Flowers in the Dirt was a collaborative effort with Elvis Costello. 

The 90s led to McCartney experimenting with orchestral music more. Long and Winding Road from the Beatles had been an early touch, along with the orchestration of Live and Let Die from Wings. But this time, we obtain work with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. It was met with poor reviews, one in particular by the Guardian which received an actual response from McCartney. In 1994 he took a 4 year hiatus to help George Harrison with the Apple's Beatles Anthology project. In 1995, he recorded a radio series called Oobu Joobu. He also received an honorary fellowship of the royal college of music from Prince Charles. Paul exclaimed it was amazing for someone who doesn't read a note of music. 

A rather shaking time, Linda died of cancer in April 1998. This led to Run Devil Run, an album of mostly covers in 1999. Linda had suggested he do it before she had passed away. He did a surprise performance at "Concert for Linda", a tribute to her organised by close friends Chrissie Hynde and Carla Lane. He also contributed "Nova" to the tribute album of classical, choral music "A Garland for Linda". 

His album Driving Rain, released in 2001, was inspired by his witnessing of 9/11 from the JFK airport tarmac. He also organized the Concert for New York City. The tour for the album led to double live album Back in the US. His enduring fame also makes him a favorite to open up new venues. McCartney's more current efforts are more centered around live efforts such as the Diamond Jubilee Concert, Concert for Sandy Relief, and A Grammy Salute to the Beatles. Healso published a lyric book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present" and a photo book of shots taken during the height of Beatlemania, titled "1964: Eyes of the Storm". 

There are really no bad places to start with McCartney's catalog, so definitely take a dabble. Of his solo work, Ram seems to grab many people. Take a dive into Wings Wild Life, or maybe The Beatles backlog to enjoy the beginnings. Paul McCartney is a legend to be remembered forever.