James McCartney is a British musician and songwriter. He is the only son of the founder of the famous rock band The Beatles, Paul McCartney. Over the course of his career, James has released two albums, toured the United States and Great Britain extensively, and amassed a huge fan base around the world.
Early biography
James McCartney was born on December 12, 1977 at the London Avenue clinic. The boy's parents, Paul and Linda McCartney, surrounded him with music from childhood. He spent the first two and a half years of his life on tour, because the star couple categorically refused to leave the child with a nanny. They sincerely believed that James would also become a famous artist in the future, although they never insisted on this.
In 1980, the McCartney family settled in East Sussex. Here James began attending the local public high school. As an adult, he entered Thomas Peacock College, where he began to study the humanities. The earliest source of inspiration for the boy was Michael Fox, the protagonist of Back to the Future. James loved to watch the actor play the guitar masterfully. For a long time, he also wanted to learn how to use this instrument. When the boy was 9 years old, his father gave him an exclusive guitar that had previously belonged to the American singer Karl Perksins. The child will remember this surprise for the rest of his life.
By 1989, the young man already skillfully played musical instruments and recorded his compositions. At the same time, he, along with two older sisters, joined his parents on a world tour. On the way, James continued to study solfeggio and singing under the guidance of a hired tutor.
Later, McCartney repeatedly admitted to reporters that in childhood his life almost ended. In 1993, at the age of 16, while surfing with friends, the young man was thrown into the open sea. The comrades immediately called the coast guard, and the parents, abandoning all business, instantly arrived at the scene. For 40 minutes, rescuers tried to get to James, but in the end he was able to get out to safety on his own. This case still excites the mind of the musician.
In 1998, a tragedy struck in the McCartney family - James's mother suddenly died. She suffered from breast cancer for three years, but none of her relatives expected the woman to leave so quickly. In the same year, McCartney graduated from college and successfully completed several courses in contemporary art.
Musical career
James first started playing guitar and drums in 1998. He has appeared on many of his famous father's solo albums, including "Flaming Pie" and "Driving Rain". Together with Paul, the musician also recorded the popular songs "Spinning On An Axis", "Back In The Sunshine Again" and "Wide Prairie".
In 2004, he left the family home and began living in a rented apartment in Brighton. James went back to college of art and at the same time began to write original compositions. However, he always helped his father during the tour. For example, in 2005, the young man accompanied Paul on a tour of America.
Around 2008, James began working with David Kahn and a number of other musicians, and on November 14, 2009 he made his US debut with his own original material, Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. It is interesting that during this period McCartney often performed under the pseudonym "Light", but later stopped using it. In the 2000s, James also met the famous film director and artist David Lynch. They immediately found a common language and later became great friends. McCartney regularly participates in the meditation festivals organized by Lynch, where he performs the music of his work.
McCartney is convinced that his musical talent was greatly influenced by such popular bands as Nirvana, The Cure, PJ Harvey and Radiohead. Of all genres, he prefers rock, author's song and folk most of all. Words in his own albums are often associated with themes of spirituality, love, human relationships.
In 2010, McCartney made his first UK tour, during which he performed almost the entire collection of his tracks. The program received a huge amount of rave reviews. From that time on, James began to be perceived as a world-class star. After a short period of time, James released two popular albums, which also received only a positive response from fans. In April 2012, he gave an extensive interview to the BBC. The popular artist came up with the idea of creating a new version of "The Beatles" with Sean Lennon, Zach Starkey and Dani Harrison. However, the group was never assembled.
However, in 2016, James released his next solo album, and also performed at the popular Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco.
Personal life
McCartney carefully hides his personal life from journalists. It is only known that he often spends time with his sisters Stella and Mary. According to preliminary information, James is not in a romantic relationship.
The musician follows a strict vegetarian diet, actively fights for animal rights and often performs at charity festivals. He also practices transcendental meditation taught by David Lynch and does gymnastics several times a day.
