Paul McCartney

James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. He was a member of The Beatles from 1960 to 1970 and of Wings from 1971 to 1981. According to Guinness World Records, McCartney is the most commercially successful songwriter in the history of popular music.

McCartney achieved worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles, alongside John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. He and Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships, writing some of the most popular songs in the history of rock music. After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine. Guinness World Records lists him as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history," with 60 gold discs and 100 million UK single sales to his credit.

BBC News Online readers named McCartney the "greatest composer of the millennium," and BBC News cites his Beatles song "Yesterday" as the most covered song in the history of recorded music—by over 2,200 artists. Since its 1965 release, it has been played more than 7,000,000 times on American television and radio, according to the BBC. Wings' 1977 single "Mull of Kintyre" became the first single to sell more than two million copies in the UK and remains the UK's top-selling non-charity single. With 93 weeks at the top of the UK chart and 24 number one singles, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in UK singles chart history. As a performer or songwriter, he has achieved 32 number one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and has sold 15.5 million RIAA-certified albums in the US alone.

McCartney has composed film scores, classical and electronic music, and released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist. He has also participated in projects to support international charities. He is an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism, and music education, and is active in campaigns against landmines, seal hunting, and Third World debt. He is a football fan, supporting both Everton and Liverpool. His company, MPL Communications, owns the copyrights to more than 3,000 songs, including all of the songs written by Buddy Holly, along with the publishing rights to musicals such as *Guys and Dolls*, *A Chorus Line*, and *Grease*. In 2010, McCartney was estimated to be one of the UK's wealthiest people, with a fortune of £475 million.