Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE is an English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, according to Guinness World Records McCartney is the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music.

• Wikipedia: Paul McCartney

McCartney gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles, alongside John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. McCartney and Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and wrote some of the most popular songs in the history of rock music. After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine. He has worked on film scores and classical and electronic music, released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist, and taken part in projects to help international charities.

MUSIC HISTORY 101 MARCH 18, 1976 - JIM McCARTNEY (b. July 7, 1902 in Everton, Liverpool, England) father of former Beatle Paul McCartney, died of bronchial pneumonia at his home in the Norfolk village of Gayton at the age of 73. Paul was just about to kick off a European tour in Copenhagen with Wings and chose not to attend the funeral. A falling out with Jim's wife Angie and Paul's step-sister Ruth soon followed. Jim was cremated at Landican Cemetery, near Heswall, Merseyside on March 22, 1976. Jim's great-grandfather, James McCartney (an upholsterer), was born in Ireland, but it was previously unknown where Jim's grandfather, James McCartney II, was born. New evidence found in Scottish archives suggests that James McCartney moved with his family (including James McCartney II) from Ireland to Galloway, Scotland, around 1859, before moving south and settling in Liverpool. James II (a plumber and painter) married Elizabeth Williams in 1864, in Liverpool. The pair were both under-age when they were wed, but found a place to live together in Scotland Road. Jim's father, Joseph "Joe" McCartney (b. November 23, 1866 in Everton, Liverpool) was a tobacco-cutter by trade when he married Florence "Florrie" Clegg (b. June 2, 1874) in the Christ Church, Kensington, Liverpool, on May 17, 1896. Joe never drank alcohol, went to bed at 10 o'clock every night, and the only swear word he used was "Jaysus". Florrie was known as "Granny Mac" in the neighborhood and was often consulted when families had problems. Joe was a traditionalist who liked opera and played an E-flat tuba in the local Territorial Army band that played in Stanley Park, and the Copes' Tobacco factory Brass Band where he worked. He also played the double bass at home, sang, and hoped to interest his children in music. Jim learned how to play the trumpet and piano by ear, and at the age of 17 started playing ragtime music. Joe McCartney thought that ragtime—the most popular music of the period—was "tin-can music". Jim's first public appearance was at St. Catherine's Hall, Vine Street, Liverpool, with a band that wore black masks as a gimmick, calling themselves the Masked Melody Makers. He later led Jim Mac's Jazz Band in the 1920s, with his brother Jack on trombone, and composed his first tune, "Eloise". Paul would later record it as, "Walking in The Park With Eloise". Jim had an upright piano in the Forthlin Road front room that he had bought from Harry Epstein's North End Music Store (NEMS) and Brian Epstein, Harry's son, later became The Beatles' manager. Jim was born at 8 Fishguard Street, Everton, Liverpool and was the third eldest of seven children. The McCartney children were John (Jack), Edith, James (Jim), Ann, Millie, Jane (Jin) and Joe (who was named after a brother who died in infancy). Joe and Florrie McCartney moved shortly after Jim's birth to 3 Solva Street in Everton, which was a run-down terraced house about three-quarters of a mile from the Liverpool city centre, where Jim attended the Steers Street Primary School off Everton Road. After leaving school at 14, Jim found work for six shillings a week as a cotton "sample boy", at A. Hanney & Co.; a cotton broker in Chapel Street, Liverpool. Jim's job entailed running up and down Old Hall Street with large bundles of cotton that had to be delivered to cotton brokers or merchants in various salesrooms. He worked ten-hour days, five days a week, although he received a bonus at Christmas that was almost double his annual salary. Jim worked for most of his life in the cotton trade, but also played in ragtime and jazz bands in Liverpool, while his wife Mary Patricia Mohan was a trained nurse and midwife. They married at St. Swithin’s Roman Catholic chapel at Gillmoss in West Derby on the April 15, 1941 and lived in council houses during Mary's life. A year and a half later, their son James Paul was born and two years later, their second son, Peter Michael, was born. During their adolescent years, Mary, who was a devout Catholic, raised her two sons to be aware of their Irish background. When World War II started Jim was too old to be called up for active service, as well as having previously been disqualified on medical grounds after falling from a wall and smashing his left eardrum when 10 years old. After the cotton exchange closed for the duration of the war, Jim worked as an inspector at Napier's engineering works, which made shell cases that were later filled with explosives. He volunteered to be a fireman at night and often watched Liverpool burning from his rooftop observer's position. Between 1940 and 1942, Liverpool endured 68 air-raids, which killed or injured more than 4,500 of the population and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. After the war he worked as an inspector for Liverpool Corporation's Cleansing Department before returning to the cotton trade in 1946. Jim avidly read the Liverpool Echo or Express, liked solving crosswords and instigated discussions about varied subjects. His attitude to life was based upon self-respect, perseverance, fairness and a strong work ethic. His political views were far from left-wing, as he insisted that there was nothing anyone could do about the situation the working classes were in at the time, and nothing would ever change. Jim had a collection of old, 78 rpm records that he would often play, or perform his musical "party-pieces"—the hits of the time—on the piano. He used to point out the different instruments in songs on the radio to his sons, and took them to local brass band concerts. Jim also taught them a basic idea of harmony between instruments, and Paul credits Jim's tuition as being helpful when later singing harmonies with Lennon. Jim encouraged his two sons to take up music by buying instruments for them to learn, as well as improving their education. With encouragement from Jim, Paul started playing the family piano and wrote "When I'm Sixty-Four" on it. Jim advised Paul to take some music lessons, which he did, but soon realised that he preferred to learn 'by ear' (as his father had done) and because he never paid attention in music classes. After Paul and Michael became interested in music, Jim connected the radio in the living room to extension cords connected to two pairs of Bakelite headphones so that they could listen to Radio Luxembourg at night when they were in bed. When Paul was 15, his mother came home one afternoon after being diagnosed with the late stages of breast cancer; McCartney fans know the famous story that after informing her family, Mrs. McCartney went into her bedroom, took out a crucifix and a picture of her first cousin who was an Irish missionary priest in Africa, and began to pray. A few short weeks later, she died. After Mary's death (Mary was Paul's inspiration for the song, "Let It Be"), Jim bought Paul a nickel-plated trumpet as a birthday present. When skiffle music became popular, Paul swapped the trumpet for a £15 Framus Zenith (model 17) acoustic guitar. Paul also played his father's Framus Spanish guitar when writing early songs with Lennon. After Mary's death, Jim married Angela Williams and adopted her daughter from a previous marriage, Ruth McCartney.Mary was Paul's inspiration for the song, "Let It Be". After Mary's death, Jim married Angela Williams and adopted her daughter from a previous marriage, Ruth McCartney. 62-year-old Jim was earning £10 a week in 1964, but Paul suggested that his father should retire. The McCartney family lived in council houses during Mary's life, but Paul later bought his father a house called Rembrandt, a detached mock-Tudor house in Baskervyle Road, Heswall, Cheshire, for £8,750. He also bought his father a horse called "Drake's Drum", and a couple of years later, the horse won the race immediately preceding the Grand National. In 1974, Paul recorded a song his father had previously written, entitled "Walking in the Park with Eloise", which was released by Wings under the pseudonym, "The Country Hams," a single was backed with a tune entitled "Bridge on the River Suite". Both songs can be found on the CD “Wings at the Speed of Sound.”

JOIN MUSIC HISTORY 101! Learn exciting facts about the artists you love and read about some of the fascinating and often bittersweet events that surround them and their careers. See rare photos and discover the truth behind them. https://www.facebook.com/groups/MusicHistory101