Paul McCartney

"James Paul McCartney" redirects here. For the television special, see James Paul McCartney (TV special).

Sir Paul McCartney MBE
McCartney performing in England, 2010
Background information
Birth name	James Paul McCartney
Born	18 June 1942 (age 70) Liverpool, England
Genres	Rock, pop, classical,electronica
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, businessman
Instruments	Vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, drums
Years active	1957–present
Labels	Apple, Capitol, Columbia,Decca, Hear Music,Parlophone, Polydor, Swan,Vee-Jay
Associated acts	The Quarrymen, the Beatles,Wings, the Fireman, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine,Michael Jackson
Website	www.paulmccartney.com
Notable instruments
Höfner 500/1 Rickenbacker 4001S Epiphone Texan Fender Jazz Bass Gibson Les Paul Epiphone Casino Martin D-28 Wal 5-String Bass

Sir James Paul McCartney MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the Beatles, and his collaboration with Lennon is one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. After the group's break-up, he pursued a solo career, later forming the bandWings with his first wife, Linda, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine.

Guinness World Records described McCartney as the "most successful composer and recording artist of all time", with 60 gold discs and sales of over 100 million albums and 100 million singles, and as the "most successful songwriter" in United Kingdom chart history.^[1] More than 2,200 artists have covered his Beatles song "Yesterday", more than any other song in history. Wings' 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre", is one of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in March 1999, McCartney has written, or co-written 32 songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2012 he has sold over 15.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States.

McCartney has released an extensive catalogue of songs as a solo artist and has composed classical and electronic music. He has taken part in projects to promote international charities related to such subjects asanimal rights, seal hunting, landmines, vegetarianism, poverty and music education. McCartney has married three times and is the father of five children.