Paul McCartney's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Paul McCartney. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Sir Paul McCartney is an English singer, songwriter, and musician, most notably known for his role in The Beatles. Playing bass guitar and piano, he shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. McCartney is celebrated as one of history's most successful composers and performers, marked by his melodic bass lines, wide vocal range, and genre-spanning musical exploration from pop and classical to electronica. His songwriting partnership with Lennon is recognized as the most successful in music history.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

1953: Passes the 11-Plus Exam

In 1953, Paul McCartney passed the 11-Plus exam, allowing him to attend the Liverpool Institute, a grammar school.

1962: McCartney's successful song writing

Between 1962 and 1978, Paul McCartney wrote jointly or solo 43 songs which sold one million or more records

1965: Member of the Order of the British Empire

In 1965, Paul McCartney was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

1966: First Independent Musical Project

In 1966, Paul McCartney completed his first musical project independent of The Beatles: a film score for the UK production "The Family Way".

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1968: "Hey Jude" tops UK and US charts

In 1968, The Beatles composition "Hey Jude", co-written by Paul McCartney, achieved the highest sales in the UK that year and topped the US charts for nine weeks. It achieved sales of over five million copies soon after its release.

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1971: Formation of Wings

In 1971, following the Beatles' break-up, Paul McCartney and his wife Linda formed the band Wings. Despite facing criticism regarding Linda's musical abilities, Paul defended her contributions, noting her skill with the Minimoog synthesizer.

March 1973: Wings Achieves First US Number One Single

In March 1973, Wings achieved their first US number-one single, "My Love", which was included on their second LP, Red Rose Speedway, which also topped the US charts and reached the UK top five.

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1973: Voted Best Rock Bassist by Creem

In 1973, Paul McCartney was voted the best rock bassist in Creem's Reader Poll Results.

1973: Wings Releases Band on the Run

In 1973, after McCullough and Seiwell's departure, Wings recorded "Band on the Run". The album became a US and UK number one and remained on the UK charts for 124 weeks.

1974: Voted Best Rock Bassist by Creem

In 1974, Paul McCartney was voted the best rock bassist in Creem's Reader Poll Results for the second consecutive year.

1974: Wings Achieves Second US Number-One Single

In 1974, Wings achieved a second US number-one single with the title track from their album "Band on the Run". Also in 1974, McCartney hired guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton.

1975: Wings Wins Grammy Award

In 1975, Paul McCartney and Wings won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance for the song "Band on the Run", and Geoff Emerick won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording for the album. Also in 1975, Geoff Britton quit during recording sessions and was replaced by Joe English.

1975: Voted Third Best Rock Bassist by Creem

In 1975, Paul McCartney was voted the third best rock bassist in Creem's Reader Poll Results.

1977: Voted Third Best Rock Bassist by Creem

In 1977, Paul McCartney was voted the third best rock bassist in Creem's Reader Poll Results.

1978: McCartney's successful song writing

Between 1962 and 1978, Paul McCartney wrote jointly or solo 43 songs which sold one million or more records

1979: Guinness Book recognizes McCartney

In 1979, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Paul McCartney as the "most honored composer and performer in music", with 60 gold discs and significant sales as a member of the Beatles.

1988: Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 1988, Paul McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Beatles.

1988: McCartney inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 1988, Paul McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beatles.

April 1990: Largest Paying Stadium Audience

On April 21, 1990, Paul McCartney performed for the largest paying stadium audience in history, with 184,000 people attending his concert at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1995: Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Music

In 1995, Prince Charles presented Paul McCartney with an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Music.

1997: Knight Bachelor

In 1997, Paul McCartney was appointed as Knight Bachelor for services to music.

1999: McCartney inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as solo artist

In 1999, Paul McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

1999: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Solo)

In 1999, Paul McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

July 2005: Release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" performance at Live 8

In July 2005, Paul McCartney's performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with U2 at Live 8 became the fastest-released single in history, reaching number one on the UK Official Download Chart within forty-five minutes of its recording.

2009: Record Sales and Songwriting Achievements

As of 2009, Paul McCartney had written or co-written a record 32 songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 and had sales of 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the US.

2009: McCartney's record sales

As of 2009, Paul McCartney has 15.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States as a solo artist, and an additional 10 million with Wings.

2009: Guinness World Records recognizes McCartney

In 2009, Guinness World Records recognized Paul McCartney as the "most successful songwriter" for having written or co-written 188 charted records in the United Kingdom.

2011: Voted Third Best Bassist of All Time by Rolling Stone

In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers' poll voted Paul McCartney the third best bassist of all time.

January 2014: McCartney and Starr perform at the Grammy Awards

On 26 January 2014, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed "Queenie Eye" from McCartney's album New at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

2014: Most Recent UK Number One

As of 2014, McCartney's most recent UK number one was the title track of his LP "Pipes of Peace", showcasing his enduring success.

April 2015: McCartney inducts Starr into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In April 2015, Paul McCartney inducted Ringo Starr into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

December 2020: McCartney achieves top chart positions over six decades

In December 2020, the release of Paul McCartney's album McCartney III and its subsequent charting at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 earned McCartney the feat of being the first artist to have a new album in the top two chart positions in each of the last six decades.

2020: Ranked Ninth Greatest Bassist of All Time by Rolling Stone

In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Paul McCartney the ninth greatest bassist of all time. Also, in 2020, Bass Player magazine ranked him the third best bass player of all time.