Biography - Paul McCartney

Pop star, composer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist, born in Liverpool, Merseyside. The Beatles' bass guitarist, vocalist, and member of the Lennon--McCartney songwriting team, he made his debut as a soloist with the album McCartney (1970), heralding the break-up of the group. In 1971 he formed the band Wings with his wife Linda (1942-- ). "Mull of Kintyre' (1977) became the biggest-selling UK single (2ù5 million). In 1979 he was declared the most successful composer of all time: by 1978 he had written or co-written 43 songs that sold over a million copies each. He has performed at concerts all over the world, gaining a place in the Guinness Book of Records for playing before the largest-paid attendance (1990, Rio de Janeiro). He wrote and produced the film/video featuring "We All Stand Together' (1984), which has become a perennial Christmas favourite; and his Liverpool Oratorio was performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra at Liverpool Cathedral in 1991.