2 September 2018 - SIR PAUL McCARTNEY

 SIR PAUL 

McCARTNEY

G'day folks,

Sir James Paul McCartney CH MBE is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.

Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942)  is an English singer/songwriter and a key member of the Beatles. After the Beatles split up in 1970, he pursued his own successful solo career, recording with a variety of artists, including his group ‘The Wings’. According to the Guinness Book of Records, he is the best selling artist of all time.

Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, 1942, and became interested in music from an early age. As a teenager, he was a budding singer-songwriter and became good friends with John Lennon and later George Harrison – this was to prove the nucleus of the Beatles. In the early 1960s, The Beatles began by playing gigs in clubs in Germany and Liverpool. It was at the Cavern Club in Liverpool where they were spotted by manager Brian Epstein. He secured them their first major recording contract with Parlophone (after many other record companies like Decca had turned them down)

It was playing at the Cavern club when Paul and John Lennon realised most groups were just doing cover versions, this inspired them to write their own music and this was a feature of the Beatles recordings for the next ten years.
 In 1963, the Beatles soon shot to international fame and became one of the most recognised names in the world, especially after there visit to the US in 1964. At the peak of their fame, the Beatles followed a punishing schedule of recording, live performances and media interviews. The music of the Beatles captivated a new generation of music lovers, but also their free spirit and innovation captured the feeling of the 1960s and sense of breaking out of old forms and traditional ideas.

In 1966, the Beatles performed their last live tour in the US. They decided to stop live performances because of the hysterical screaming and attention of fans. This encouraged them to do more private recording.

In the late 1960s, the group spent more time in the recording studio. They also became more innovative, incorporating Eastern influences and new styles into their music. In 1967, the Beatles visited a meditation retreat by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. McCartney said of the experience.

 In the late 1960s, there was also increased tension between Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Lennon and McCartney were the two major composers and writers, but they started to drift apart. McCartney struggled with Lennon’s heavy LSD usage and also resented Yoko Ono’s presence in recording studios. However, despite the personal tension, the late years of the Beatles produced some of the most memorable music of their career. It included ground-breaking albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road.

However, by 1970, the Beatles had split, with Lennon the keenest to pursue a new direction. The break up was difficult for McCartney who experienced a period of depression. However, his new wife, Linda encouraged him to pursue a new career path. This involved forming a new band – The Wings, which lasted until 1981. During the 1970s, the Wings had major successes. The Mull of Kintyre was the first single to sell more than two million copies.

 In the early 1970s, there was some lingering friction and competitive spirit between Lennon and McCartney, though they did reconcile for a period in 1974. McCartney was devastated by Lennon’s murder in 1980 and stated he wished he could have got to know him better.

Paul McCartney has produced over 60 gold discs and has sold over 100 million singles. His song ‘Yesterday’ from album Help! (1965) is the most covered song in history. Paul admitted that he had at times a  difficult relationship with the media, in particular, he got fed up with all the questions about the Beatles.

After marrying Linda McCartney in 1969, Paul became interested in vegetarianism and human rights. He has supported many animal rights charities. After Linda’s death from cancer in 1998, he recommitted himself to supporting Linda’s vegetarian food company and animal rights charities.

Paul remarried Heather Mills in 2002. But, by 2006, the British press reported their breakup which led to an acrimonious divorce. As one of the most recognised and successful musicians on the planet, Paul McCartney is in great demand for opening major venues. He performed at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... A master.

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29 August 2018 - SOME FACTS ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY

SOME FACTS 

ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY

G'day folks,

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Elvis Presley became one of the most influential cultural icons of a generation. He is commonly referred to as the “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and epitomises the post-war pop generation.

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. When he was 13, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis was relatively shy and as a youngster was not keen on performing in public. However, he received a guitar as a present and learnt to play and sing; he gained no formal musical training, but had an innate natural talent and could easily pick up music. As a teenager, he was uninterested in school – but become absorbed in music, listening to a huge range of contemporary American music. He also started to sport a distinctive look with sideburns and styled hair. This image would later become an ‘Elvis’ trademark.

In 1953, he went to Sun recording studio – to record a song for his mother, but also with the hope he may get noticed and offered a recording deal. However, it didn’t come to anything; he was also turned down for auditions to other groups. In April 1954, he took a job as a truck driver.

 However, later on in the year, the Sun boss Sam Phillips invited Elvis to come in for a recording session. Initially, the recording session was unpromising, but towards the end of the allotted time, Elvis started to play a song he had composed himself. Phillips was immediately impressed by the verve, enthusiasm and dynamism of Elvis’s music. Phillips believed that Elvis had a unique voice and talent which could capture the interest of Americans.
For his first studio recording, Elvis performed the 1946 blues number, Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right”; it was well received on local radio stations. This initial success launched Presley into a lucrative pop music career.

In January 1956, Presley was signed by RCA Records. His first single, “Heartbreak Hotel“, was released in January and became a best-selling hit – staying at number one for seven weeks, and selling over one million copies.
His performances were a fusion of country, gospel, pop and rhythm and blues. His unique gravelly voice gave the impression Presley combined both ‘black’ and ‘white’ sounds, something which was an issue during an era of tense civil rights campaigns. Elvis’s on stage routines were also criticised for their flamboyance and provocativeness; he was criticised for the idea that rock ‘n ‘roll music was having a negative effect on American teenagers, making them more rebellious. As the leading figure of pop music, Presley was often the target of these criticisms. 

 However, if Presley was considered a controversial and a rebellious figure, it just made him more popular with young listeners. His catapult to stardom was helped by a rivalry between TV presenters, such as Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan. Elvis proved a star attraction on tv talk shows, and the competition between presenters helped to make Elvis a national celebrity. It also helped bring rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream. John Lennon, of the Beatles, described the effect that Elvis had on his musical development.

Ironically, Elvis was never keen to meet the Beatles and when they did meet on one occasion – 27 August 1965 – it was a mutual disappointment. But, Lennon always maintained without Elvis, there would have been no Beatles.
At live concerts, his crowds increasingly became overly exuberant. When Presley began playing hits like “You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog” the crowd would go wild. This led Presley to take a break from live performances.

 In 1958-60, Presley was called up for national service in the American army. He was stationed in Germany and served in the regular army, and was keen to be seen as an ordinary soldier doing his duty. He could have signed up for Special Services, which would have enabled him to perform live music, but he preferred to stay in the regular army. During his stay in Freiburg, Germany he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who he would marry after a seven-year courtship. They married in 1967 and, in 1968, Priscilla gave birth to Elvis’s only child – Lisa Marie.

After the stint in the army, he began to focus more on movies. Presley made several movies in the 1960s. These were generally received with low critical acclaim, though they were quite popular and commercially successful. By the end of the 1960s, Presley’s career was in decline. He had become known for formulaic films and uninspiring soundtracks. He was increasingly unhappy with the direction of his career.  In 1967, Presley made a comeback as a singer, but his first eight singles were mostly flops and failed to make an impression on the pop charts. The exception was the 1969 single “If I Can Dream”, which helped to reinvigorate Presley’s musical creativity. In 1970, he released “The Wonder of You” which topped the charts in the UK and US. He also began a new music tour, which sold out to record-breaking crowds.

However, from 1973, Presley began to increasingly suffer health problems – related to his obesity and drug dependency. He continued to try and maintain a hectic touring schedule, but his performances were negatively affected by his obvious health problems. In 1976, aged only 42, he died from multiple causes; fourteen different drugs were found in his bloodstream.

His early death only cemented his legendary status, and Elvis Presley has become deeply ingrained in popular culture.

Presley’s home Graceland was opened to the public in the 1980s and attracts over half a million visitors annually. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

 

Clancy's comment:  Elvis has left the building.

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