Happy Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney. To date, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in history, having written or co-written 30 U.S. Number One hits. McCartney met his original songwriting partner John Lennon on July 6th, 1957 at a church social where Lennon was performing. After joining Lennon’s band, the Quarrymen, McCartney persuaded Lennon to add his friend George Harrison in 1958, and the seeds of the Beatles were born. Ringo Starr joined the group in 1962.
According to insider reports, McCartney may release his latest album on Friday (June 22nd), marking his first new collection in almost five years. McCartney will appear with James Corden sometime this week on CBS’ The Late Late Show and make his first appearance on the show’s famed “Carpool Karaoke.”
The day before filming the segment McCartney and Corden were filmed in Liverpool, hitting such iconic spots as the roundabout in Penny Lane and McCartney’s early family home. “Macca” also performed a mini-set at the Philharmonic Pub and Dining Rooms — affectionately referred to as “The Phil” — which was a favorite late-’50s watering hole of John Lennon and original Beatles bassist Stu Sutcliffe. McCartney performed a dozen tunes — including the world premiere of his new song “Come Home To You.” Later this year, McCartney will issue the next two releases in his ongoing “Paul McCartney Archive Collection,” with 1971’s Wild Life and the 1973’s Red Rose Speedway getting the nod for deluxe editions.
Well over 50 years since starting his musical career, and having written some of the most beloved music of the 20th century, McCartney is still unable to read or write a note of music: “I can think songs up, I can think arrangements, I can structure things, but I can’t physically write stuff down on a page. I always had a kind of dyslexia when I was a kid. I was taking piano lessons — I took them at a few points in me life. Whenever I did, it always seemed boring, it always seemed like homework — I don’t wanna put any students off who are learning properly. I always had great difficulties with it.” (quote from Pulse)
