HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIR PAUL

On June 18, Paul McCartney turns 70 years old. Guinness World Records proclaims Paul McCartney as the “most successful composer and recording artist of all time”, with 60 gold discs and sales exceeding 100 million albums and 100 million singles. His Beatles song “Yesterday” has been covered by over 2,200 artists—more than any other song in the history of recorded music. He has written or co-written thirty-one songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2012 he has sold over 15.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States.

But is he still living life in crescendo? Although a lot of Paul’s philanthropy is intentionally hidden from the public eye, he has contributed to numerous charitable projects and performed at some of the most groundbreaking and historic benefit concerts over the years, helping to raise billions for charity. Two of his pet charities:

• OneVoice is a grassroots movement of Israeli and Palestinian citizens and international supporters who are fed up with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and who support a serious peace process to end occupation and all forms of violence and establish a two state solution.
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 1.8 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: for the table, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment

On September 25, 2009, my wife Melissa and I drove the entire length of Route 66 from Buckingham Fountain, Chicago to One Pico Boulevard, LA. All along our route, excited souvenir stores along the way told us that Paul McCartney and his finance (now wife) Nancy Shevell had been there a few days prior. Every person said he was bright-eyed, just like a kid, eager to see and learn. We were told that the two of them were like kids on a hot summer date. That’s all I need to know that he’s still living life in crescendo.