Happy Birthday, Paul! Sir Paul McCartney was born June 18, 1942. He is is one of the most successful composers and performers of all time.

Click Paul to hear him work out on bass guitar and sing lead on his song, "Paperback Writer," with John Lennon backing on vocals and tambourine on the original recording, George Harrison on rhythm guitar, and Ringo of course on drums. (Also on the original recording Paul plays lead guitar.)

Paul gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist and singer-songwriter for the Beatles, the most popular and influential group in the history of pop music. His songwriting partnership with John Lennon was the most successful in all of music history. Their body of work will be considered classical music by music-lovers hundreds of years from now.

In 1957 at a church festival, Paul saw an older boy, something of a troublemaker, singing on stage with his skiffle band. The boy kept getting the words wrong and making up new lyrics as he went along. This was John Lennon. Paul got a chance to impress him after the show with his mastery of the song, Eddie Cochran's “Twenty Flight Rock.” Lennon later invited McCartney to join his band, the Quarrymen, thus giving birth to a great musical partnership. Click the pic to dig the song!

Clicking Paul on acoustic  guitar opens to his most popular song. "Yesterday," with more than 2,200 cover versions, is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music.

Click the montage to see and hear "Hey, Jude" ("hosted" in the beginning by TV personality, David Frost). At a little more than seven minutes, it's one of the longest singles to ever top the charts. Paul wrote the song for John's son Julian to help comfort him during his parents' divorce proceedings. When introducing it to John, Paul assured him that he would "fix" the line, "the movement you need is on your shoulder," explaining that "it's a stupid expression; it sounds like a parrot." John said,  "You won't, you know. That's the best line in the song." McCartney retained the phrase. He later said of his subsequent live performances of the song: "That's the line when I think of John, and sometimes I get a little emotional during that moment."

The "Abbey Road Medley," closing out the B side of the album, Abbey Road, was some of the last music recorded by The Beatles before their break-up in 1970. Some of the lyrics allude to the personal and business conflicts they were experiencing. At the very beginning of "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window," in anticipation of the change of tempo, John Lennon says, "Well listen to that Mal (referring to Mal Evans, their roadie)... heh-heh" and then shouts, "Oh, look out!" [This clickable pic of Paul opens to a You Tube playlist. Click "Play All" to hear the entire medley.]

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

In 1971 Paul and his wife Linda formed the rock band, Wings. "Band on the Run," a million-seller, has an anthem-like quality to it.

Inspired by the family sing-alongs he remembered as a boy, Sir Paul entered the famous Capitol Records studio in 2010 to record a selection of jazz and traditional pop music, backed by the likes of the fabulous Diana Krall on piano. Here's  a tune popularized by the inimitable Fats Waller, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" from that session.

It's the birthdate of the man who wrote and sang, "I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane." Waylon Jennings. Texas "outlaw" singer-songwriter.

High living, an ornery attitude, double-parking on Nashville's Music Row - it was a lifestyle suited to a country music outlaw. And it fueled the lyrics of this song. Click ol' Waylon to see and hear it for yourself - an authenticity that over rides phoniness. (A live Austin City Limits performance. Austin - where the progressive country music "outlaw" movement kicked into high gear.)

In the mid-80's Waylon joined up with the super group, The Highwaymen,  comprised of him, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. Click the pic to catch Waylon doing a song from one of their performances, a song that was recorded a decade earlier and goes back even before that in cosmic country time. (Luckenbach, Texas - smack dab there in the Texas Hill Country, y'all.)

Click Willie n Waylon to see them perform "Good Hearted Woman." The song was inspired by a newspaper article about a rocker and his lady. The guys wrote it while playing poker in a motel room between gigs. Chet Atkins, virtuoso guitarist and respected Nashville country music producer, opens this cut with conversation about Waylon's "outlaw" days. It is ironic that given his mainstream status, Atkins produced so many hits for Waylon, the iconoclast. It's another case of talent attracting talent (business as well as music).

Waylon rocks out a song by another beloved Texas singer-songwriter, Billy Joe Shaver -  "Honky Tonk Heroes."  ("Have a good time.")

Here's another Willie-Waylon favorite! The lyrics of "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" aim to bust the cowboy myth. But the poetry of the song only reinforces it.

Mr. Excitement! It's Jackie Wilson's birthdate (June 9, 1934). He was a soul-singing tenor with a four-octave vocal range. And he was a gettum-dancing-in-the aisles performer!

Click the pic of Jackie in action to see and hear him perform, "Lonely Teardrops," his 1958 hit that rocketed him to R&B super stardom.

A master showman and one of the most dynamic and influential performers in R&B and rock 'n' roll history, Jackie Wilson recorded over 50 hit singles that spanned R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop, and easy listening. 

Jackie's break-through hit was a very soulful rendition of "Danny Boy." Clicking this shot of him opens a later performance of this tune and shows his full expressive musical talent.

Due to his fervent  performances, with his dynamic dance moves, singing, and impeccable dress, he was christened "Mr. Excitement." His stagecraft in his live shows inspired James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley, as well as many artists who followed. 

"Reet Petite," released as a single in 1957, was Jackie's first hit. Two decades later it became an international smash hit.

"Doggin' Around" was a big hit for Jackie in 1960. One of the pix in this vid is an autographed photo of Elvis with Jackie Wilson. Elvis' caption reads "You got you a friend for life." Wilson was sometimes called "The Black Elvis."  Reportedly, when asked about this Elvis said, "I guess that makes me the white Jackie Wilson." (The woman with Jackie in another photo in this video is Harlean Harris, his second wife.)

"Feel it! Hey-hey!" Jackie Wilson real live in concert! 1. "Higher & Higher" 2. "That's Why (I Love You So)"  3. "Lonely Teardrops" -  (Reprise) 4. "Standby Me." Ladies and gentlemen, Jackie Wilson!