Biography of Paul McCartney

In the decade and a half after the demise of The Beatles in 1970, Paul McCartney became one of the most successful figures in popular music. Though he had more trouble scoring hits after the mid-'80s, McCartney embarked on a triumphant world tour in 1989 and premiered his first classical work, Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, in 1991. He launched his third "New World" tour, commemorating the release of his Off the Ground album, in 1993.Born in Liverpool, McCartney teamed with John Lennon and George Harrison in the '50s to form the nucleus of The Beatles, who scored unprecedented worldwide success in the '60s, much of it fueled by McCartney's melodic songs. The bass player and singer was a musical chameleon, equally capable of performing the most tender love song, the most schmaltzy show tune, or the most raucous rocker, on command. McCartney scored a film (The Family Way) in 1966 but otherwise restricted his musical activities to the group until the end of the '60s, when he launched his solo career with McCartney. In the early '70s, he formed a new group, Wings, and toured while recording frequently. Every new album hit the Top Ten, as did nearly every single. McCartney finally began to cool off in sales terms after the #1 album Tug of War in 1982, but artistically he continued to challenge himself, writing his own motion picture, Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), and entering into a writing collaboration with Elvis Costello that resulted in hits for both of them. He launched his third,'New World' tour, commemorating the release of his Off the Ground album, in 1993. ~ William Ruhlmann