Happy birthday,
Paul McCartney.
Or, as I've heard more than one person in Tulsa say, "That old guy from the Beatles."
Yeah, they're
all old. Or dead. But honestly, that's irrelevant, little whipper-snappers. What is relevant is the legacy -- and the impact -- that McCartney and his band had on nearly anything and everything you hear.
McCartney, who turns 70 today, still tours. He still makes albums. He's still as boyish and charming and talented as he was when the Beatles mocked themselves for being bigger than Jesus.
McCartney is one of the richest musicians of all time. Scratch that, he's one of the richest
men in the world. His musical legacy is astounding.
The Beatles were the first real arena band. It was the first real globally-famous, chased-down-in-the-streets rock act. They were one of the first successful "boy" bands. ... A bunch of kids from Liverpool, England, who had no possible idea how explosively popular they'd become, because
nobody had
ever been as popular as they became.
They stopped touring, in large part, because the technology didn't exist at the time to produce quality live shows for their fans. The fame cornered them. They imploded and each went their own way - McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison all became hugely successful on their own. Each was possibly as influential on their segments of the world as the band was together.
McCartney's Beatles hit "Yesterday" has been covered by over 2,200 artists: that's more than any other song in the history of recorded music. He is credited as the "most successful composer and recording artist of all time" in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The band disbanded years before I was even conceived. I'm a second generation fan. I've seen McCartney live. I own a lot of his solo recordings. I own a lot of his stuff from Wings. His sound and music permeates every era of my life, as well as my family's. He may be England-born, but he's as American as rock 'n' roll in my home.
Here's a
great LIFE piece on how McCartney and Beatles band-mate
John Lennon met:
entertainment.time.com.
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... And
I'M BOTH. Hugely. Can you dig it?
George Harrison talks about meeting
Elvis:
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Famous bands cover the Beatles:
