Today marks the 79th birthday for one of the most prolific musicians and songwriters of the 20th century, Sir Paul McCartney. Born on June 18th, 1942 in Liverpool, England, McCartney has been a huge presence in Western pop music over the past half-century, undoubtedly helping to shape the sound of contemporary music as fans know it today.
His musical influence has not gone unnoticed. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II elevated the knighted Beatles rank to Companion of Honour for his services to music, joining British musicians like Vera Lynn, Evelyn Glennie, and Janet Baker.
Today as he is celebrating his 79th birthday, we take a look at some of the interesting facts about him:
First Instrument
The first instrument that Paul learned to play was the trumpet. The singer then switched to guitar after he figured how to re-string a right-handed instrument and play it through his left hand. It is said that he got this idea from a Slim Whitman poster. The trumpet was a gift from his dad for his 14th birthday.
His Band
After The Beatles broke off, Paul created a band with his wife. The band was called Wings. Interestingly, before settling on this word as the name for his post-Beatles band, he had even considered naming it Turpentine.
Fined For Growing Illegal Drugs
Paul McCartney was once fined £100 for cultivating cannabis at his farm in Campbeltown, Scotland. McCartney at that time said that he grew the plants not knowing what it was. He claimed that the seeds were a gift from some fans.
Biggest Gig
The artist played the largest audience in recorded history. In 1989, he played a solo concert to a crowd of 350,000-plus in Brazil. It is said that the audience was the biggest paid audience to ever gather together for a gig.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
The duo wrote 295 songs together while together as The Beatles. A Hard Day’s Night is the only album where all of the songs were written by Lennon and McCartney. Paul McCartney’s Docuseries is Releasing on Hulu on July 16.
