At 25, Paul McCartney imagined himself sinking a quiet retirement in When I’m Sixty Four. But still hyperactive, the British pop legend celebrates his 80th birthday this Saturday, June 18, and he’s in dazzling form.
In a week, on June 25, he will perform at Glastonbury and will then become the oldest headliner in the history of this legendary festival, which attracts tens of thousands of people in the southwest of England . He barely had time to recover from his North American tour called Got Back Tour began in April, during which he filled stadiums in the United States for a month and a half.
Thursday, June 16, during the last concert of this American tour at the Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford (New Jersey), near New York, two distinguished guests took the stage with him: Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
With the ardor of a young man, “Macca” interpreted with the Boss Glory Days and the Beatles classic I Wanna Be Your Man.
For his part, Jon Bon Jovi wished him a happy birthday a few hours in advance, in the company of the public.
Jon Bon Jovi singing “Happy Birthday” to Paul McCartney at Paul’s MetLife stadium concert, June 16, 2022: pic.twitter.com/lJxUOTJzZL
— The Beatles (@BeatlesEarth) June 17, 2022
Then Springsteen returned to the encore to wrap up the show with the very appropriate The End of the Beatles, in a debauchery of guitar solos from McCartney, Brian Ray and Rusty Anderson.
Paul McCartney, Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, and Bruce Springsteen trading guitar solos on “The End” pic.twitter.com/JDjuxMCmLw
— The Beatles (@BeatlesEarth) June 17, 2022
Not about to step away from the stage, the famous Beatles mainstay, who has been performing solo for over 50 years, still had to take a break during the Covid-19 pandemic. He then retired as a family to his farm in south-east England with his daughter Mary and four of his eight grandchildren.
But we don’t get over it: he took the opportunity to record the delightful album at home McCartney IIIon which he provides all the instruments, released in December 2020, and which ranked number one on the British charts.
The following year, he recorded a new version of this album, a host of supporting artists, published a book retracing his career. The Lyricsa vegan cookbook with daughters Mary and Stella, a children’s story… while released on Disney McCartney 3,2,1a series of interviews with producer Rick Rubin as well as the extraordinary documentary by Peter Jackson The Beatles: Get Back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yubTFB6Fle0
As he celebrates his eighth decade, Paul McCartney has a busy schedule more than ever. Despite the years and the dramas that have punctuated his life, he retains the slender silhouette and the mischievous gaze of the “Macca” of the Beatles years.
James Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool in 1942, into a modest family. His mother, a midwife, died when he was 14. The following year he met John Lennon and played with him in the Quarrymen, which later became the Beatles, with the arrival of George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
The four boys with iconic haircuts spark fan hysteria. Beatlemania is sweeping the world. With John Lennon, McCartney composes huge hits: Hey Jude, Penny Laneand of course Yesterday, a “hit” recorded in 1,600 different versions. But the childhood friendship is shattered. The filming of let it bearound the eponymous album, sounded the death knell of the “Fab Four” on April 10, 1970, to the great despair of their fans.
McCartney creates the band Wings with his wife, photographer Linda Eastman, on keyboard. With her, the former LSD lover becomes a family man and a vegetarian. The couple are raising four children, Mary, Stella – turned fashion designer – James and Heather, born from a previous marriage of Linda. After 29 years of marriage, Linda died in 1998, carried away by breast cancer.
Heartbroken, McCartney devotes himself to good causes: the environment, animals, human rights. He tries his hand at classical music, painting and sculpture. He met Heather Mills, a former model who lost part of her leg after an accident, and married her in 2002. They had a daughter, Beatrice, before divorcing with a bang in 2008.
In October 2011, Paul McCartney married the American Nancy Shevell, heiress of a wealthy American entrepreneur. the Sunday Times estimates the couple’s wealth at £865 million (more than a billion euros). During his successful career, Paul McCartney received numerous awards, including 18 Grammy awards, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.
Rumor has it that he could soon be made “Lord”, in a further token of recognition to the cultural imprint left by this prolific singer-songwriter. Of the four Beatles only he and Ringo Starr survive, who, at 81, also continues to tour.