He was 14 when his mum died.. the tragedy inspired some of his greatest work
with Ringo Starr now on drums, they played daily gigs at the Cavern Club, attracting a huge following, and a manager, Brian Epstein, who re-packaged the leather-clad Teds into neat suits and clinched a record deal for them.
The rest, as they say, is Beatlemania.
They smashed America and the wider world, putting out 63 singles and 27 albums that revolutionised pop music and influenced virtually every group that has followed. Some, like Oasis, were almost tribute bands. But The Beatles did so much more. They turned black-and-white Britain into colour and helped liberate its working class youth.
Before them, people from the provinces had to lose their accent to succeed in London. The Beatles stormed the class barricades.
They spoke, dressed and grew their hair as they wanted, never worrying how they were perceived. Their confidence, wit, originality and attitude had never been seen before among working class youth. McCartney’s contribution was massive. Not just because his looks stole the hearts of women, one of them actress Jane Asher, another photographer Linda Eastman whom he married in 1969 and had four children with – Mary, Stella, James and Linda’s daughter Heather whom he legally adopted.
But his songwriting ability was peerless. Eleanor Rigby, Blackbird, All My Loving, Hey Jude, Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road, She’s Leaving Home, and Here, There And Everywhere are just a few of his songs that became all-time classics.
However, when Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose in 1967, the band were shell-shocked. Lennon at this point was becoming bored with the whole Fab Four circus, so McCartney, as he had done when his mother died, stepped up to the plate and assumed leadership of the group.
It led to frustration and resentment among the group which comes across vividly in the recent documentary Get Back, about the recording of the 1969 album of that name.
In it, Paul argues with the others, urging them to achieve perfection while they appear disillusioned.
They disbanded a year later in the wake of creative disagreements, business squabbles and personality clashes.
Paul was unfairly blamed for the split when he desperately wanted to keep The Beatles together. But the film also shows how they never stopped being four lads from Liverpool who loved each other’s company.
And it showcases McCartney’s sublime songwriting ability as he writes Get Back on his guitar from scratch, the melody and words pouring out of him in a trance-like state.
Another great songwriter, James Taylor, said: “Paul is like an impressionist painter. The pieces of his music are so elementary yet the overall thing is so sophisticated.”
The film also reminded viewers that McCartney is a musical genius.