<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Paul McCartney's voice from the BBC programme Front Row, 26 December 2012 . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Paul McCartney's voice from the BBC programme Front Row, 26 December 2012 . </Td> </Tr> <P> Sir James Paul McCartney, CH, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer - songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer . He gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist and singer for the rock band the Beatles, widely considered the most popular and influential group in the history of pop music . His songwriting partnership with John Lennon is the most celebrated of the post-war era . After the band's break - up, he pursued a solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda, and Denny Laine . </P> <P> McCartney has been recognised as one of the most successful composers and performers of all time . More than 2,200 artists have covered his Beatles song "Yesterday", making it one of the most covered songs in popular music 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 (as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999), and a 21 - time Grammy Award winner, McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2009 he has 25.5 million RIAA - certified units in the United States . McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr all received appointment as Members of the Order of the British Empire in 1965 and, in 1997, McCartney was knighted for services to music . McCartney is also one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated net worth of US $1.2 billion . </P>

What was the name of paul mccartneys band after the beatles