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support and encouragement, Paul had music lessons although he much preferred to learn ‘by ear’. Heavily influenced by American Rhythm and Blues music, he has cited Little Richard as his school boy idol. At the age of 15, McCartney met John Lennon and The Quarrymen at the St. Peter’s Church Hall fête in Woolton on 6 July 1957, forming a now world famous close working relationship with Lennon as they collaborated writing many songs. Harrison joined the group in early 1958 as lead guitarist, followed in early 1960 by Lennon’s art school friend, Stuart Sutcliffe on bass. After trialling a few names such as ‘Johnny and the Moondogs’ and ‘The Silver Beetles the name of the group was changed to ‘The Beatles’ in August 1960 and Pete Best quickly taken on as drummer for an engagement in Hamburg. Beatlemania From August 1960, The Beatles were booked by Allan Williams, to perform at a club in Hamburg and over the next couple of years performed as a resident group in a number of Hamburg clubs. On returns to Liverpool they played at the Cavern club. As they picked up more and more appearances their star grew steadily and they were on the path to world-wide fame. And so it is that we have all seen the iconic film clips of the hysterical fans, weeping, wailing, screaming and fainting. ‘Beatlemania’ had gripped the world and the Beatles were now a musical phenomenon. Nothing lasts forever and the Beatles gave their last commercial concert at the end of their 1966 US tour. They continued to work in the recording studio from 1966 until their break-up in 1970. In the eight years from 1962 to 1970, the group had released twenty-four UK singles and twelve studio albums, often released in different configurations in the USA and other countries and their music is still played around the globe and celebrated to this day. Magical Musical History So, McCartney had become a huge international star as a member of The Beatles, alongside John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. McCartney and Lennon’s backed by Bob Geldof, Pete Townshend, David Bowie, and Alison Moyet. In 1989, he joined forces with fellow Merseysiders including Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers and Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood to record a new version of Ferry Cross the Mersey (originally recorded 25 years earlier by Gerry and the Pacemakers) to generate money for the appeal fund of the Hillsborough disaster, which occurred on 15 April that year and in which 96 Liverpool F.C. fans died. In 2008, he performed at a concert in Liverpool to celebrate the city’s year as European Capital of Culture. A Creative Genius His love of writing and poetry was inspired from an early age. Paul’s mother read him poems and encouraged him to read books and, with a love of crosswords, Paul’s father encouraged his two sons to help him solve them to increase their ‘word power’. In 2001 McCartney published ‘Blackbird Singing’, a volume of poems, some of which were lyrics to his songs, and gave readings in Liverpool and New York City. In October 2005, McCartney released a children’s book called High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail. In a press release publicising the book, McCartney said, “I have loved reading for as long as I can remember”. McCartney is lead patron of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, an arts school in the building formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute for Boys, where Paul himself went during his school days. The 1837 building had become derelict by the mid-1980s but on 7 June 1996, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the redeveloped building created as an arts school to encourage youngsters to achieve their performing dreams. Paul had always been a creative soul determined to find the right outlet for his talents and was keen to help other young talent, which may otherwise go undiscovered, to do the same. McCartney has composed film scores, classical and electronic music, released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist, and has taken part in projects to help international charities. He is an advocate for animal rights, for vegetarianism, and for music education; he successful song writing partnership – despite some personal differences along the way – was one of the most influential collaborations in musical history producing some of the most popular songs in the history of rock music. After the break-up of The Beatles, McCartney continued his musical career, in solo work as well as in collaborations with other musicians. He launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine. On the morning of 9 December 1980, McCartney was shocked to the core by the news that Lennon had been murdered outside his home in the Dakota building in New York City. McCartney carried on recording after the death of Lennon but did not play any live concerts for some time due to an anxiety that he would be next. This led to problems with Denny Laine, who wanted to continue touring and subsequently left Wings, which McCartney disbanded in 1981. Six months after Lennon’s death, in June 1981, McCartney sang backup on George Harrison’s tribute to Lennon, ‘All Those Years Ago’, which also featured Ringo Starr on drums. McCartney would go on to record ‘Here Today’, a tribute song to Lennon. In late 2001, McCartney learned that Harrison was losing his battle with cancer. Upon Harrison’s death on 29 November 2001, McCartney told Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra, Good Morning America, The Early Show, MTV, VH1 and Today that George was like his “baby brother”. On the first anniversary of Harrison’s death, McCartney played Harrison’s ‘Something’ on a ukulele at the Concert for George and so it was that the Beatles phenomenon was resigned to a magnificent musical history with the sad loss of two huge talents. McCartney has continued to work in the realms of popular and classical music, touring the world and performing at a large number of concerts and events. He has also collaborated with many celebrated artists including Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Eric Stewart, and Elvis Costello and has performed again with Ringo Starr on more than one occasion. In 1985, McCartney played ‘Let It Be’ at the Live Aid concert in London, 104 SIMPLY ABU DHABI

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