Time Line

• June 18, 1942 - James Paul McCartney was born at Walton Road Hospital, Liverpool.
• December, 1943 - Peter Michael McCartney was born.
• November, 1955 - Paul's mother, Mary, dies of breast cancer.
• July 6, 1957 - Paul meets John Lennon and shortly thereafter joins the Quarrymen.
• 1961 - Stuart Sutcliffe leaves the band. Paul switches from playing lead guitar to bass.
• August 3, 1963 - The Beatles play their farewell show at the Cavern Club, having logged almost three hundred performances there.
• February 7, 1964 - The Beatles begin their first US tour.
• February 9 and 16, 1964 - The Beatles headline twice on the "Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS, for a $3,500 performance.
• March 1964 - Shooting begins on the Beatles' first feature film, A Hard Day's Night, as "Can't Buy Me Love" tops the charts both in Britain and America.
• July 29, 1965 - Help! has its world premiere in London's West End. Reviews hail the Beatles as "modern Marx Brothers."
• August 1965 - The Beatles meet Elvis Presley at his home in Bel Air. Not knowing their individual names, Elvis refers to each as "Beatle."
• September 1967 - The Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour airs on the BBC in December and is received with a resounding blast from the critics. Paul is chiefly responsible for its production.
• November, 1967 - Paul directed The Beatles promotional film Hello Goodbye.
• December 25, 1967 - Paul and Jane Asher announce their engagement.
• December, 1968 - Paul begins seeing Linda Eastman.
• January 30, 1969 - The Beatles' last performances a group is on the roof of the Apple building, during the filming of Let It Be. John thinks Paul intends his lyrics, "get back to where you once belonged," for Yoko, who is at John's side during the session.
• March, 1969 - Paul maries Linda Eastman.
• April 10, 1970 - Undercutting John, who has promised not to announce his intended departure from the Beatles, Paul announces at a press conference that he has left the group due to "personal, business, and musical differences." His first solo album, McCartney, is subsequently released with considerable fanfare.
• Summer, 1970 - Paul begins a solo career with the release of "McCartney."
• March, 1997 - Paul is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
• May, 1997 - Paul releases new album entitled "Flaming Pie."
• November, 1997 - Paul releases classical work, "Standing Stone."
• April 17, 1998 - Linda McCartney dies from complications related to her breast cancer.