Peter Michael McCartney (born 7 January 1944),
known professionally as Mike McGear, is an English performing artist and photographer who was a member of the groups
the Scaffold
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...
and
Grimms. He is the younger brother of former
Beatle Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
.
Early years
Michael and his brother
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
were both born in the
Walton Centre
The Walton Centre, formerly known as the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, is a major neurology hospital located in the suburb of Fazakerley in the city of Liverpool, England. It is one of several specialist hospitals located within ...
in
Walton, Liverpool
Walton is an area of Liverpool, England, north of Anfield and east of Bootle and Orrell Park. Historically in Lancashire, it is largely residential, with a diverse population.
History
The name may derive from the same origin as Wales. The in ...
, England, where their mother, Mary McCartney, had previously worked as a nursing sister in charge of the maternity ward.
[Miles 1998 p. 4][Spitz 2005 p. 75] Michael was not enrolled in a Catholic school because his father, Jim McCartney, believed that they leaned too much towards religion instead of education.
At age 17, McCartney started his first job at Jackson's the Tailors in Ranelagh Street, Liverpool. The year after, he took an apprenticeship at Andre Bernard, a ladies' hairdresser in the same street.
Musical career
At the time
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
became successful, Mike McCartney was working as an apprentice hairdresser,
[Mike McCartney’s biog](_blank)
mikemccartney.co.uk – Retrieved 6 October 2007 working alongside future actor
Lewis Collins
Lewis Collins (27 May 1946 – 27 November 2013)"Happy Birthday Richard Hastilow, 65", ''The Times'', 26 May 2010 was an English actor, best known for his career-defining role playing 'Bodie' in the late 1970s – early 1980s British television ...
. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Liverpool comedy-poetry-music group
The Scaffold
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...
(along with
Roger McGough
Roger Joseph McGough (; born 9 November 1937) is an English poet, performance poet, broadcaster, children's author and playwright. He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme '' Poetry Please'', as well as performing his own poetry. McGough was one ...
and
John Gorman). The group formed in 1962 (the year of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' first hit). Mike decided to use a stage name, so as not to appear to be riding his brother's coattails. After first dubbing himself "Mike Blank",
[Barry O'Brien]
"The Scaffold: Airbrushed from History?"
. Retrieved 17 October 2007. he settled on "Mike McGear", "gear" being the
Liverpudlian
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
equivalent of "
fab".
The band was subsequently signed to
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
.
The Scaffold recorded a number of UK
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
between 1966 and 1974, the most successful being the 1968
Christmas number one single, "
Lily the Pink". McGear composed the band's next biggest hit, 1967's "
Thank U Very Much". In 1968, he and McGough released a "duo" album (''McGough & McGear'') that included the usual Scaffold mix of
lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...
, poems, and comedy. The Scaffold ended up hosting a TV programme, ''
Score with the Scaffold
''Score with the Scaffold'' is a BBC children's programme, which ran during 1970–71. It starred the pop group The Scaffold.
It was a quiz programme, although interspersed with various material including musical numbers and sketches. It ran f ...
'', which limited the musical portion of their career, and they were dropped by Parlophone. McGear then signed to
Island Records and released a solo musical album entitled ''
Woman
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
'' in 1972, which again included many tracks co-written with McGough, and The Scaffold subsequently released their own album on the label, ''Fresh Liver''.
The Scaffold then added several other members and released two albums on Island in 1973 as
Grimms (an acronym for Gorman-Roberts-Innes-McGear-McGough-Stanshall).
However, McGear quit Grimms after the second album out of tension between himself and one of the poets added to the group.
McGear then signed to
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
and in 1974 released his second non-comedy musical album, ''
McGear'', in which he collaborated with his brother Paul and Paul's band
Wings
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...
. Although four singles were released from these sessions, only "Leave It" enjoyed any moderate chart success (No. 36 UK). However, also recorded during McCartney's sessions with Wings was a Scaffold "reunion" song, "Liverpool Lou", which became The Scaffold's last top-ten hit. This led to the group's re-formation in 1974, and they recorded and performed together through to 1977.
Individually, McGear released a few more singles. His final release, while still using the name Mike McGear, was the 1981 release "No Lar Di Dar (Is Lady Di)". This was a satirical tribute to
Lady Diana Spencer
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
, released at the time of her wedding to
Prince Charles.
In the 1980s, after retiring from music, Mike McCartney decided to end his use of the "McGear" pseudonym and revert to using his family name.
Photographic career
McCartney was a photographer during his entire musical career, and has continued with photography since then. Beatles' manager
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967.
Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...
nicknamed him "
Flash Harry" in the early 1960s because he was always taking pictures with a flash gun.
[Mike McCartney's Liverpool Life exhibition](_blank)
Museum of Liverpool Life, 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2007. He has published books of pictures that he took of the Beatles backstage and on tour and, in 2008, brought out a limited edition book of photos that he had taken spontaneously backstage at
Live8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005 ...
.
In 2005, McCartney premiered and exhibited a collection of photographs that he had taken in the 1960s, called "Mike McCartney's Liverpool Life", both in Liverpool
and other venues, such as the
Provincial Museum of Alberta
The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) is a museum of human and natural history in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum is located in Downtown Edmonton, north of City Hall. The museum is the largest in western Canada with more than exhibition space ...
. In addition, an exhibition book of the collection was published. He also took the cover photograph for Paul McCartney's 2005 solo album ''
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard''.
Personal life
The McCartney brothers also have a sister named Ruth whom their father Jim adopted in 1964, when he married her mother Angela Williams. McCartney married Angela Fishwick in 1968. They later divorced. They have three daughters: Benna, Theran, and Abigail Faith. He later married Rowena Horne and they have three sons: Joshua, Max, and Sonny.
Solo discography
Singles
UK releases
* "Woman" / "Kill" (Island WIP 6131) April 1972
* "Leave It" / "Sweet Baby" (Warner Bros. K 16446) September 1974 –
UK #36
* "Sea Breezes" / "Giving Grease a Ride" (Warner Bros. K 16520) February 1975
* "Dance the Do" / "Norton" (Warner Bros. K16573) July 1975
* "Simply Love You" / "What Do We Really Know" (Warner Bros. K 16658) November 1975
* "Do Nothing All Day" / "A to Z" (EMI 2485) June 1976
* "All The Whales in the Ocean" / "I Juz Want What You Got – Money!" (Carrere CAR 144) May 1980
* "No Lar Di Dar (Is Lady Di)" / "God Bless Our Gracious Queen" (Conn CONN 29781) July 1981
US release
* "Leave It" / "Sweet Baby" (Warner Bros. WBS 8037) October 1974
Albums
UK releases
* ''McGough and McGear'' (Parlophone PMC 7047
ono PCS 7047
tereo PMay 1968
* ''
Woman
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
'' (
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
ILPS 9191)
PApril 1972
* ''
McGear'' (
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
K 56051)
PSeptember 1974
* ''McGough and McGear'' (
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
PCS 7332)
PApril 1989
eissue of the 1968 album* ''McGough and McGear'' (
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
CDP 7 91877 2)
DApril 1989
eissue of the 1968 album* ''
McGear'' (See For Miles SEECD 339)
DApril 1992
eissue of the 1974 album, with two additional tracks* ''
Woman
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
'' (
Edsel
Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 1958 to the 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an effor ...
EDCD 507)
DFebruary 1997
eissue of the 1972 album, with four short tracks omitted* ''A Collection of Songs for the Young Homeless of Merseyside'' (Merseyside Accommodation Project),
DDecember 1996
ulti-artist commemorative release, including one newly recorded track by McGear
US releases
* ''
McGear'' (Warner Bros. BS 2825)
POctober 1974
* ''
McGear'' (
Rykodisc
Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.
History
Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record la ...
RCD 10192)
DSeptember 1990
eissue of the 1974 album, with one additional track* ''McGough and McGear'' (Real Gone Music RGM-0025)
DFeb., 2012
eissue of the 1968 album
Discography notes
* The album ''McGough and McGear'' was by Roger McGough and Mike McGear. Guest musicians, uncredited on the original pressing, include:
Jimi Hendrix,
Mitch Mitchell
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard' ''T ...
,
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money (born 17 July 1942) is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was draw ...
,
Paul Samwell-Smith,
Gary Leeds and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
. Paul's then-girlfriend,
Jane Asher
Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946)The International Who's Who of Women, 3rd edition, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, 2002, p. 29 is an English actress and author. She achieved early fame as a child actress and has worked extensively in f ...
, also uncredited, contributed backing vocals on the song "Living Room."
* The single "No Lar Di Dar (Is Lady Di)" is by Mike McGear (McCartney) and The Monarchists.
* The track "Take It into Your Hearts," on the Merseyside Accommodation Project release, is billed as by Mike McCartney.
* All other releases billed as by Mike McGear.
* See also
The Scaffold Discography.
* See also
Grimms Discography.
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
Archived Mike McCartney WebsiteHonorary Fellowships awarded 2005McCartney's Live 8 book*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGear, Mike
1944 births
Living people
20th-century British photographers
20th-century English singers
21st-century British photographers
Carrere Records artists
English male singers
English people of Irish descent
Grimms members
Island Records artists
McCartney family
Musicians from Liverpool
Parlophone artists
People from Walton, Liverpool
Photographers from Liverpool
The Scaffold members