While this generation has BTS and One Direction, the 90s had The Beatles. This English rock n’ roll band swooned the hearts of many ladies with their looks and music.
But out of all the members, many would agree that Paul McCartney had the greatest charm. Not only was he the hearthrob bassist of the band, but he also penned some of the most iconic hits of his group.
Fast forward 50 years later, Sir McCartney continues to charm his way in the music industry. In fact, he recently released his 18th solo album called McCartney III in December, 2020.
The album received a Grammy nomination for “Best Rock Album” together with his song Finding My Way for “Best Rock Song”.
Given his extensive career as a musician, McCartney is no stranger to rumors and hearsays. From innocent questions like “Is Paul McCartney left-handed?” to outrageous gossips such as “was Paul McCartney cloned?”, these are some of the subjects that we’ll be discussing today.
Fact #1: Paul McCartney is left handed
Yes, Paul McCartney is one of the few greatest left-handed guitarist/bassist in the world. If you come across a picture of him playing a guitar on the “wrong side”, you best believe that the photo is not flipped. He’s actually playing the instrument with his left hand!
The craziest part is that Paul McCartney rarely uses a guitar that’s customized for left-handed users. Instead of learning how to strum with his right hand, he plays the instrument upside down.
So, if his chords look a bit funky when he’s playing, that’s not him making a mistake. Paul completely reinvented the shape of the chords in order to suit his style of playing. Impressive!
Fact #2: Paul McCartney formed a band after The Beatles
Similar to John Lennon’s post-Beatles story, Paul McCartney also formed a band with his late wife, Linda Eastman. The band was called Wings, which, just like the Beatles, was composed of four members: Paul as the lead vocalist, Linda as the keyboardist, Denny Seiwell as the drummer, and Denny Laine as the guitarist.
Throughout the band’s lifespan, many members came and went. Nevertheless, the group managed to achieve commercial success. The following songs are some of the band’s most well-known hits:
- Live and Let Die
- Letting Go
- Dear Friend
- Band of the Run
Wings became the best-selling pop group of the 70s, with five back-to-back number one albums and 27 songs topping the U.S. music charts. Sadly, the band eventually ceased performing in 1981 following John Lennon’s murder.
Fact #3: Paul McCartney is a billionaire
Sir Paul McCartney’s net worth is estimated to be $1.2 billion, making him the second richest musician of all time. He’s only $200million away from the top spot, which is currently being occupied by Jay-Z. This may come as no surprise considering that Sir Paul is literally a former member of the biggest band in the history of rock.
Reports show that he managed to build his fortune primarily using the money he earned from touring. According to Forbes, McCartney made around $350million from 2010 to 2016 alone.
On top of that, he’s also generating millions of dollars thanks to his royalties and copyright ownerships to some of the songs he wrote.
Fact #4: Paul McCartney is an activist
Paul McCartney doesn’t just use his voice to serenade the world, but he also uses it to shed light to some of the most serious issues in our society today.
He’s been very vocal about politics and animal rights, and has since changed his diet to veganism. Paul once famously said: If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.
Below is a list of some of the artist’s advocacies:
- No to genetically-modified foods;
- Ban cosmetic testing on animals;
- Legalize marijuana for recreational use; and
- Support victims of landmine accidents.
He has also donated millions of dollars to almost 50 charities around the world. On one occasion, Paul helped raise $382million for a single organization.
Fact #5: Paul McCartney’s infamous car crash did not actually happen
The rumor that started the “Paul is dead” conspiracy theory is just that: a rumor. As it turns out, the fatal car crash that allegedly killed the real Paul McCartney was just a product of a drunk college party conversation which eventually reached the ears of writers for the student newspaper.
What started off as an unsubstantiated rumor made by intoxicated college kids exploded into a conspiracy theory that, until today, people still believe in.
So, no. Paul McCartney wasn’t replaced by an impostor who once won a Paul McCartney look-alike competition.
All those clues that the band “provided” was just them messing around with their fans. But if you’re still not convinced, Paul doesn’t really mind. “I’m not going to spoil their fantasy,” says Paul.
