James Paul McCartney was born in Walton Hospital in Liverpool , England on June 18, 1942. When he was young boy, he learned to play the acoustic guitar, later he moved to the piano. Influenced by American Rhythm and Blues music and fueled by his own unique style, McCartney was performing his own rendition of the Little Richard hit, Long Tall Sally, at talent shows. In October of 1956, his mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Not long after his mother's passing, he met his soon to be band mate, John Lennon. The two collaborated to write their first song entitled, When I'm Sixty-Four.

Paul McCartney, M.B.E.

"I never look forward, because I have no idea about how any of it happened to getting here. I've no idea how the next five years are going to be." Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, at age 68, Paul McCartney holds the Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in the history of pop music, receiving 60 gold records and selling over 100 million singles.

Before Sixty Four

James Paul McCartney was born in Walton Hospital in Liverpool , England on June 18, 1942. When he was young boy, he learned to play the acoustic guitar, later he moved to the piano. Influenced by American Rhythm and Blues music and fueled by his own unique style, McCartney was performing his own rendition of the Little Richard hit, Long Tall Sally, at talent shows. In October of 1956, his mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Not long after his mother's passing, he met his soon to be band mate, John Lennon. The two collaborated to write their first song entitled, When I'm Sixty-Four.

The Beatles

The original band consisted of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Pete Best, andStuart Sutcliffe. After playing the local clubs of Hamburg , the band decided to commute back and forth to Liverpool and perform at the Cavern Club. In 1962, Sutcliffe left the group abruptly, forcingMcCartney to play the bass. After negotiating a contract with Parlophone and replacing Pete Bestwith Ringo Starr, The Beatles were well on their way to becoming the most popular band in the U.K. and the U.S. In the course of two years, The Beatles performed in more than 1400 live shows and in 1965, Paul and his band mates were appointed Members of the British Order. Knighted, Sir James Paul McCartney has his own coat of arms; given to him for is musical accomplishments and representative of his hometown, Liverpool . The Beatles released 12 albums, 24 singles in the U.K. , and 32 number singles on the U.S. Hot 100 charts. Despite their great success, in 1970, The Beatlesbroke up.

Sir James Paul

Just before the break up of The Beatles, McCartney met a young, American photographer namedLinda Eastman. Linda shared Paul's interests in vegetarianism, supported conservation and animal rights groups such as P.E.T.A., and formed the band Wings with him. They married in 1969, and had four children: Heather, Mary, Stella, and James. He and Linda remained married until she died from breast cancer in 1998. From 1998, until he met his second wife Heather Mills, McCartney engulfed himself in many different facets of self expression. He composed modern classical music and began to venture into a unique sound, something he called "electronic symphonies."

Collaborating with groups like Killing Joke under the alias, Fireman, McCartney released three ambient, electronica albums:Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest, Rushes, and Electric Arguments. In May of 2000, he released a documentary in honor of his late wife, Linda. Wingspan: An Intimate Portrait is a tribute to the life, music and legacy of the women he said, "She was the reason he was able to make music after The Beatles break up." Paul McCartney also published a book of poems and lyrics entitled, Blackbird Singing, he also was commissioned by the Isle of Man to design 6 postage stamps to be issued in July of 2002. In that same year, Paul remarried model Heather Mills and a year later, they had a daughter name Beatrice. Four years into their marriage, the two separated and divorced in 2008. Paul McCartney is currently dating Nancy Shevell.

Fireman

Paul McCartney is an advocate for the legalization of marijuana and the research of marijuana's medical benefits and usage. He was introduced to marijuana in 1964, by the famous singer/songwriter,Bob Dylan in a hotel somewhere in New York . McCartney began to smoke daily; he is quoted to say some lyrics written by The Beatles are a direct reference to "grass." In an advertisement in The Times, 1967, Paul went public about his position on the consumption of marijuana and the release of people that had been imprisoned for possession.

Years later, under suspicion of maintaining what is now know as a "grow- op" on his property, the authorities found marijuana growing on one of his farms in Scotland . Because of his prior arrests and convictions for possession of marijuana, Paul McCartney was denied a visa to Japan . Consequently, while traveling on tour with Wings in 1975, he was detained when Japanese officials discovered almost 8 ounces of marijuana in his luggage. He was arrested and faced seven years in prison if convicted. After being held for ten days, the Japanese government McCartney was deported and banned from the country. But in 1985, almost a decade later, Paul was welcomed back to Japan to perform for a benefit concert.

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