Artist Paul McCartney

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Paul McCartney

What motivates Paul McCartney to do anything anymore? His musical legacy is more than secure: Even with a spotty 40-year solo career, his artistic and cultural achievements with The Beatles long ago secured him a spot in the history books. He’s also richer than pretty much anybody who ever made a living in music, as well as universally beloved. But McCartney still feels the need to create songs and play them live, and he’s still doing it with a frequency that belies his age. The reaction to his 2007 album Memory Almost Full was largely (and sometimes giddily) positive, and he followed that with 2008's Electric Arguments, the third album from his project The Fireman, an experimental collaboration with producer Youth. This year, he's also released a pair of souped-up remasters of his first two solo albums. On stage, McCartney has a murderer’s row of hits to slay you with, and he still performs them with surprising energy and passion.

Updated 07/21/2011