Paul McCartney's music is part of the sonic tapestry that is modern culture—and there's never been anyone quite like him. His life began ordinarily enough. He was born June 18, 1942, the son of a cotton merchant (who moonlighted as a musician) and a nurse. James Paul McCartney grew up in lower middle-class Liverpool, England. His family wasn't poor, but they were far from wealthy. Young Paul was drawn to music at an early age, learning a bit of piano from his father and taking trumpet lessons. Then came the advent of rock and roll—out went the trumpet, in came the guitar. The teenage Paul eagerly embraced the raucous American sounds filtering from the radio.