He was born James Paul McCartney on June 18, 1942.

In 1971, Paul formed a new band called Wings, or Paul McCartney and Wings, with his wife Linda on keyboards, session drummer Denny Seiwell, and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine.

Paul and his wife Linda were vegetarians for most of their 29-year marriage. They decided to stop consuming meat in 1975 after Paul saw lambs in a field as they were eating a meal of lamb. Soon after, the couple became outspoken animal rights activists.

Paul gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist and singer for the Beatles.

Paul was born in Walton Hospital, Liverpool, where his mother had qualified to practice as a nurse.

McCartney's first serious girlfriend in Liverpool was Dot Rhone, whom he met at the Casbah club in 1959.

Paul's father gave him a nickel-plated trumpet for his fourteenth birthday, but when rock and roll became popular on Radio Luxembourg, McCartney traded it for an acoustic guitar.

In 1982 McCartney collaborated with Stevie Wonder on the George Martin-produced number-one hit "Ebony and Ivory".

They had four children--Linda's daughter Heather (legally adopted by Paul), Mary, Stella and James.

Little Richard was Paul's schoolboy idol, and "Long Tall Sally" was the first song McCartney performed in public, at a Butlins holiday camp talent competition.