Paul McCartney

In 1942, in the sleepy Liverpool borough of Walton, a star was born who would go on to be heard more than any other artist in history: Sir Paul McCartney. The Beatle’s upbringing was quiet and unremarkable but filled the boon of music owing to his father’s burgeoning interest and involvement with jazz bands. However, music would take on a deeper meaning for the man we now call ‘Macca’ after his mother, Mary, died when he was only 14.

McCartney found the emerging explosion of rock ‘n’ roll to be a comfort and an avenue for escapism. The wild charm of artists like Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent and Little Richard were of particular interest, and he bonded over these trailblazing names with other local lads. Soon he was sat around waxing lyrical about rock stars with George Harrison and John Lennon, with whom he would go on to change the world when The Beatles finally got rolling.

However, this would take a while to take form. At first, in 1957, these three unlikely lads formed a skiffle band called The Quarrymen alongside Stuart Suttcliffe and later Pete Best. Although their ability and originality was limited at this stage, exposure to the thrills of rock ‘n’ roll during a residency in Hamburg and a few enraptured evenings at Liverpool’s iconic Cavern Club had them eyeing up a future as rock ‘n’ roll entertainers. However, beyond the obvious lure of the lifestyle and buzz of making music, McCartney and Lennon remained cognisant of the depth that music can offer, having found comfort in it when their mothers passed away. In time, this emotive backbone would result in an artistic bond that made Lennon-McCartney the greatest and most successful songwriting duo of all time.

With The Beatles, McCartney and his bandmates (John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) would secure 20 number one singles, create innovative masterpieces like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, kick-off pop culture’s coalescence with the counterculture revolution, and suffer through the onslaught of Beatlemania. All the while, ‘Macca’ was credited with remaining humble and never losing sight of his roots despite the madness that howled around him.

In 1970, this frenzy proved too much, and The Beatles parted ways. During the low point that followed, McCartney went into a little room with the set-up “like a professor in his laboratory” and produced ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ whereby he shouted and screamed a melodic gem that may well be his greatest performance on record. Proving himself as a solo act, in the same way that Michael Phelps might prove himself to be a viable lifeguard, he sunk into family life with Linda McCartney and his daughter Mary and entered a new chapter.

Thereafter, he continued to endlessly make music. So much music, in fact, that when he headlined Glastonbury as an 80-year-old, he had 16 solo albums, seven records with Wings, classic LPs and a string of collaborations to weave into his setlist alongside old Beatles classics. Rightfully, he still draws plaudits as one of the greatest musicians of all time. As his own hero, Bob Dylan, declares, “I’m in awe of him maybe just because he’s just so damn effortless.”

Throughout all of his various artistic pursuits, one key thread has been central: his humanitarian message of unity. “I still believe that love is all you need,” he said recently, “I don’t know a better message than that.”