Happy 79th Birthday Sir Paul McCartney

Today marks the 79th birthday of singer, songwriter, musician, and ¼ of The Beatles - Paul McCartney. Sir James Paul McCartney was born on 18 June 1942 in Walton, Liverpool.

McCartney's father was a member of a jazz band in the 1920s, and as a result, Paul grew up in a musical household. For his fourteenth birthday, he received a trumpet, though when rock and roll became popular Paul traded it in for an acoustic guitar so he could both sing and play simultaneously. He was inspired by rhythm and blues music, including artists such as Little Richard.

As recalled in Mike McCartney's Early Liverpool, one of the first times Paul ever performed in front of an audience was at Butlin's Filey. The book later covers Paul's 21st birthday party, which would have been 58 years ago today, and features photos of Paul, George, John and Ringo.

At the age of fifteen, he joined John Lennon's band, The Quarrymen, who after many name changes would evolve into The Beatles. In 1962, they released their debut single 'Love Me Do,' primarily written by McCartney at the age of sixteen. The band would go on to sell 600 million albums worldwide, making them the highest-selling artists in the world. McCartney has received an MBE, eighteen Grammys, and in 1997, was knighted by the Queen for his services to music.

In December 2020, he released his eighteenth studio album, McCartney III, and completed his solo album trilogy after fifty years. The record was entirely self-recorded at his Sussex farm during the pandemic and received widespread acclaim from music critics. It was his first number one solo album since 1989.