2008 Paul McCartney

Here's proof that Sir Paul McCartney has had a varied career: I once overheard one teen ask another, 'Did you know McCartney was in another band before Wings?' Now, the question might be, 'Did you know McCartney used to be in a band?'

As part of the greatest songwriting team of all time (Lennon-McCartney), as author of the most-recorded song of all time ('Yesterday'), and as the most successful solo act among the four Beatles, James Paul McCartney has proved that he has the talent to pull off any kind of musical venture.

One of the most highly awarded careers in pop music history got underway in the late 1950s, when McCartney joined John Lennon's band, the Quarrymen. McCartney brought in a friend, guitarist George Harrison, and the band evolved into the Beatles.

The Beatles spent 1960 and 1961 polishing their act, played Hamburg, West Germany for several weeks in 1961, then came back to their home base of Liverpool, England, where they sold tons of tickets in a final revving up to international stardom.

When the Beatles's main U.S. label, Capitol Records, finally released the Beatles single, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,' it marked the beginning of both Beatlemania and the British Invasion of the U.S. pop charts. All American girls bought tickets to see the Beatles, and they all screamed so loudly that no one could hear the music. As Best New Artist of 1964 and performers of 'A Hard Day's Night,' the Beatles won two 1964 Grammys, which were the first of 13 Grammys that Paul McCartney has won in his various musical configurations.

With so much solo success to cover in this short space, suffice it to say that the Beatles had lots of hits, many written primarily by McCartney (you can generally tell that he wrote a Beatles song if he sang it). The Beatles topped the pop singles chart 19 times, as late as the summer of 1970 with 'The Long and Winding Road,' released after McCartney announced a solo project that spelled the end of the Beatles. 18 Beatles singles went gold, and 6 also reached platinum status over the years.

McCartney's work as a solo artist (sometimes a one-man recording band) and as leader of Wings, which included guitarist Denny Laine and Linda Eastman McCartney, was not as much of a magnet for critical praise as the Beatles' work, but McCartney has earned 9 Number One spots on the U.S. charts, with 11 singles going gold and one, 'Say Say Say' with Michael Jackson, earning a platinum award.

Though he did not reach the U.S. Top 40 in the 1990s, McCartney toured successfully, cranking out tickets as in the old days. With a 1994 techno album he released as 'The Fireman,' as well as 1991 and 1995 forays into classical music, Paul McCartney proved his range of interests and abilities had not diminished over the years.

Now, with the most famous repertoire in history at his command, and with some of the best instrumental talents available coming from within himself, Paul McCartney is still selling tickets to the largest fan base of any living artist. If he is within a week's drive of your home, you should make it a point to see him live.