Paul McCartney Young: See the Singer Grow Up in Liverpool, Long Before He Became Part of The Beatles

He had a life before he was a part of the Fab Four; now see what he looked like in his early days

circa 1960: Paul McCartney on stage at the Cavern nightclub in Liverpool during the early days of British beat group The Beatles
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When he was Paul McCartney young, he was, of course, a part of The Beatles and at just 24 years of age sang “When I’m 64,” which seems even more ironic when you consider the fact that he’s now 82 (which is still impossible to believe).

Almost as unlikely to consider is the fact that he actually had a life before he met John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Well, in taking a look at Paul McCartney young, that’s exactly what we’re exploring, his earliest days as a child in Liverpool, becoming a teenager, meeting John Lennon and embracing history.

What was Paul McCartney’s childhood like

James Paul McCartney was born on Jun 18, 1942 in Liverpool, England at Walton Hospital. His mother, Mary Patricia, was a nurse there, while his father Jim, was a salesman for A. Hannay and Co. cotton merchants until World War II, at which point he began working at Napier’s Defense Engineering Works. Paul’s older brother (by two years), Peter Michael McCartney, would be born on January 7, 1944.

Back in the 1920s, Paul’s father was a pianist and a trumpet player, serving as the leader of Jim Mac’s Jazz Band, so Paul came by his musical talent honestly.

Mike and Paul when they were very young. The future Sir Paul looks like he’s on the verge of tears, wah-wah-wah! (later translated to “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”)

That’s more like it: the McCartney brothers seem cheerful this time out. They would stay close throughout their lives (not always the case with siblings), and Mike, too, would get involved with music.

In years to come, Paul would be known as “The Cute Beatle,” and you could see the mold for that was cast when he was very young.

Beatle-to-be Paul McCartney at the age of six in front with his eight-year-old brother Mike (later Mike McGear of the band The Scaffold).

Back in the 1940s through the 1960s, whether you were talking about America or abroad, it seems that one of the common things to do was to plop your kid on a pony and take a picture of them. That was certainly the case here for Paul and Mike.

This appears to be an early school days photo of Mike and Paul, looking very spiffy to learn. No matter what Paul was encouraged to study at school, he would always find himself drawn to music instead.

In 1954, Paul was attending the Liverpool Institute, which is where he met fellow student George Harrison, the two of them becoming friends. A third friend, pictured above with Paul and George in 1958, was Ivan Vaughan, who would actually be the one to introduce Paul to John Lennon in 1957.

When Paul was only 14, he lost his mother, Mary, to breast cancer. She died on October 31, 1956, and her death would actually be something he and John would bond over as he lost his mom at a young age as well (her to a drunk driver).

How old was Paul McCartney when he met John?

Paul met John Lennon for the first time on July 6, 1957 when he was just 15-years-old. John was leading his band, the Quarrymen, at the St. Peter’s Church Hall fete in Wolton, Liverpool. Their mutual love of American rock music connected them and would, of course, lead them down the path to The Beatles. After Paul joined the group, he invited George along.

According to the caption accompanying the above image, this was the first time they were getting ready to perform together, the show taking place at the New Clubmoor Hill in Liverpool.

The Early Beatles: Paul McCartney Young

By August 1960, the Quarrymen had officially changed its name to The Beatles, the band consisting of John, Paul, George and Pete Best, who had come aboard as drummer shortly before the group began a short residency in Hamburg, Germany.

The original caption for the image above reads: “The Silver Beatles (L-R Stu Sutcliffe, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Johnny Hutch and George Harrison) on stage in 1960 in Liverpool England. The drummer Johnny Hutch was sitting in as they did not have a regular drummer that day.”

George, John and Paul stand outside the latter’s Liverpool home in 1960. Ringo Starr’s joining The Beatles would still be two years away.

An early incarnation of The Beatles, possibly photographed by John Lennon, at the Arnhem War Memorial in the eastern Netherlands, during a journey to Hamburg, August 16, 1960. Sitting in front of the inscription “Their Name Liveth For Evermore” are (left to right) first Beatles manager Allan Williams, his wife Beryl, Williams’ business partner and Calypso singer Lord Woodbine, Stuart Sutcliffe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best.

January 1, 1960: The Beatles performing live onstage at ‘Top Ten Club’ in Hamburg, Germany, Paul playing the piano.

By February 1961, The Beatles were back in Liverpool, and the band was performing at the underground Cavern Club, one of their most popular venues at the time.

In January 1962, Brian Epstein signed on to be the manager of The Beatles. His first order of business was to clean up their act and make them more “respectable.”

Brian Epstein’s second important act was to have the band change drummers, meaning that Pete Best was out, Ringo Starr was in. From there, The Beatles would get a recording contract and their lives — along with the rest of the world — would never be the same again.

From the time he was Paul McCartney young, it was nothing he could have ever imagined, but certainly better than anything he ever dreamed.