article_title honorific_suffix name
paul mccartney
 gbr 100 % mbe -rcb- -rcb- sir paul mccartney
paul mccartney

sir james paul mccartney -lrb- born 18 june 1942 -rrb- is an english singer-songwriter , multi-instrumentalist , and composer .
with john lennon , george harrison , and ringo starr , he gained worldwide fame as the bassist of the english rock band the beatles , one of the most popular and influential groups in the history of pop music ; his songwriting partnership with lennon is one of the most celebrated of the 20th century .
after the band 's break-up , he pursued a solo career and formed wings with his first wife , linda , and denny laine .
mccartney has been recognised as one of the most successful composers and performers of all time , with 60 gold discs and sales of over 100 million albums and 100 million singles of his work with the beatles and as a solo artist .
more than 2,200 artists have covered his beatles song `` yesterday '' , more than any other copyrighted song in history .
wings ' 1977 release `` mull of kintyre '' is one of the all-time best-selling singles in the uk .
a two-time inductee into the rock and roll hall of fame -lrb- as a member of the beatles in 1988 , and as a solo artist in 1999 -rrb- , and a 21-time grammy award winner -lrb- having won both individually and with the beatles -rrb- , mccartney has written , or co-written 32 songs that have reached number one on the `` billboard '' hot 100 , and he has sold more than 15.5 million riaa-certified units in the united states .
mccartney , lennon , harrison and starr received mbes in 1965 , and in 1997 , mccartney was knighted for his services to music .
mccartney has released an extensive catalogue of songs as a solo artist and has composed classical and electronic music .
he has taken part in projects to promote international charities related to such subjects as animal rights , seal hunting , land mines , vegetarianism , poverty , and music education .
he has married three times and is the father of five children .
