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Paul McCartney MBE Becomes Sir Paul McCartney MBE

Paul McCartney MBE becomes Sir Paul McCartney MBE following an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. New album 'Flaming Pie', with initial hit singles 'The World Tonight' and 'Young Boy' (both of which also feature in the hit comedy movie 'Father's Day'), is a massive worldwide hit. The album is accompanied by a TV special and an innovative show on VH1, 'Paul McCartney's Town Hall Meeting', screened live around the world on TV and on the Internet and for which more than three million questions have been posted by fans. 'The Beatles Anthology' wins three Grammy® awards. Paul puts the final touches to a forthcoming first exhibition of his art, and to a second full-length classical piece, 'Standing Stone', commissioned by EMI Records to mark its 100th anniversary - the piece will be premiered in October 1997.

'Flaming Pie' is released to instant international acclaim. The solo album debuts at No. 2 in both the UK and USA, Paul's highest USA chart entry since The Beatles. Critics applaud the album worldwide. "The sound of a pop genius", wrote Q magazine, with Britain's Sun newspaper calling it simply "Brilliant" and The Guardian dubbing it "excellent". In the USA, 'Flaming Pie' is judged "A masterpiece" by The New York Post. "McCartney is Fab Form" commented The Los Angeles Times, while USA Today added "Every slice of Pie leaves you hungry for seconds".

In launching 'Flaming Pie' Paul agrees to a live, global interview with fans on the Internet via VH1. The 90-minute session sets a new Guinness world record for 3 million questions set for Paul, who managed to answer 200.

Paul reveals that in 1974, four years after the break-up of The Beatles, he and John Lennon secretly recorded a jam session in Los Angeles, playing old rock and roll standards. The news makes headlines worldwide, alongside claims that the master tape of the session "could be worth millions".

Meanwhile, within three days of its release 'Flaming Pie' achieves gold album status, Paul's 81st gold disc, a feat that breaks his own world record.

Thirty years after he signed the famed petition calling for the legislation of cannabis, Paul becomes embroiled in controversy when he reveals his belief that cannabis should be decriminalized.

The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lawrence Foster, record Paul McCartney's 'Standing Stone' at Abbey Road. Paul oversees the sessions, which are filmed for a BBC documentary to be screened at Christmas. 'Standing Stone', Paul's new symphonic work, was commissioned by EMI to mark the 100th anniversary of the record company.

Paul accepts an invitation from Prime Minister Tony Blair to summit at Chequers. Details of the meeting are not released, save only that the pair met to discuss LIPA as a possible role model for the future of higher education.

Paul answers a call from George Martin to headline a benefit night at The Royal Albert Hall to raise relief funds for the people of Montserrat. The charity show also stars Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Sting, Mark Knopfler and Carl Perkins. Paul performs 'Yesterday' solo and then calls the assembled superstars to the stage to back him on 'Golden Slumbers/The End' and 'Hey Jude'. As an encore, the supergroup then performs 'Kansas City' with Paul taking the lead vocal. The leading British music magazine Mojo calls the event "better than Live Aid". '

Standing Stone' is given its world premiere performance at The Royal Albert Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra. A 10-minute standing ovation is given to its composer by the 4,500 audience. 'Standing Stone' goes to No. 1 in the classical charts in the UK and the USA. It remains at No. 1 in the UK for four weeks, and in the USA for 11 weeks.

Paul does his first-ever in store album signing at HMV in Oxford Street as a thank you for HMV's help in getting The Beatles a recording deal in the early sixties. The event brings the heart of London to a standstill as crowds in excess of 10,000-strong close down Oxford Street, making the movement of traffic impossible.

RADD - Recording Artists Against Drunk Driving - present Paul with the 1997 Founder's Award for his work in promoting the anti-drinking campaign in the USA. Paul records a new TV public service announcement against drunk-driving, which is aired all across America.

In memory of Diana, Princess Of Wales, Paul donates 'Little Willow' from Flaming Pie to an all-star tribute album. A moving video to accompany the ballad is directed by Oscar- winner John Schlesinger.

'Standing Stone' is given its USA premiere at Carnegie Hall in New York. The concert is broadcast live on National Public Radio to more than 300 radio stations, another new world record for the biggest classical concert broadcast ever. However, the performance and broadcast has to be delayed by 15 minutes, until the screaming fans in Carnegie Hall quiet down and take their seats.

Oprah Winfrey breaks with her long held tradition of moving her show to New York to records an interview with Paul, during which he performs two songs. 'Young Boy' and 'Flaming Pie'. The interview is such a success that Oprah decides to make two shows out of it.

Meanwhile, back in Britain, Paul gives another in-depth TV interview to Sir David Frost.

Controversy surrounds the release of the 'Beautiful Night' video, on account of the nudity contained in the promo. "I personally am not afraid of nudity, there's no more in this video than you'd see on any statue anywhere in the world", comments Paul.

Paul McCartney wins the prestigious Q Magazine award as Songwriter of the Year for 'Flaming Pie', beating Paul Weller, Beck, and Noel Gallagher.

'Flaming Pie' is nominated for a Grammy® - the Grammy® - as album of the year.

Paul wins the USA's National Public Radio New Horizon Award for "Standing Stone" and in recognition of his work to broaden the appeal of classical music.

All around the world, people mourn the passing of Lady Linda McCartney. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair leads global tributes.

Memorial services for Linda are held in London and New York. The mark of Linda is made plain when, for the London memorial, the three remaining Beatles come together in public for the first time in 30 years.

Paul returns to the studio to mix and produce the "Wide Prairie" album, the definitive collection of songs written and recorded by Linda.

The first graduates pass out from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Paul makes an unannounced visit to LIPA to pass out their graduation badges.

A short animated film created by Linda, "Wide Prairie", is premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Paul gives his first interviews of the year to the UK animal rights group Viva (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals) and PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals). He vows to continue to hold Linda's torch for animal welfare, telling Viva "Animal activists believe we've lost a powerful voice since Linda's death. Well, we have - but my voice is there now and I'm going to use it".

Paul embarks on a series of campaigns in defense of animals; including the UK lobby to ban fox-hunting to fronting a (successful) drive to outlaw the slaughter of horses in California for meat in Europe to funding a British police crackdown on deer-poachers and badger-baiters.

The UK's annual Women of the Year lunch in London is held in tribute to Linda. Paul and his family publishes Linda's third vegetarian cookbook, "Linda McCartney On Tour".

A publicity-shy artist known as The Fireman issues an album of ambient chillout music, "Rushes".

Linda's solo album, "Wide Prairie", is issued by EMI/Capitol, backed by a personal promotion by Paul.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces that Paul is to be inducted as a solo artist, the induction ceremony to take place in New York on March 15, 1999.

Paul hosts his own one-man, 90-minute show live on the internet, featuring videos from "Wide Prairie", revealing his personal photographs of Linda and taking questions e-mailed from fans from 30 countries. Tracking services confirm that fans log on to the event at the rate of 250,000 a minute. During the live chat, Paul reveals that two singles from Linda's album, "The Light Comes From Within" and "The White Coated Man" will be released in 1999.

Paul starts the year in Atlanta, Georgia, accompanying his eldest daughter Heather at the successful launch of her range of interior designs at the AmericasMart trade fair. Whilst in Atlanta, Paul privately tours the downtown area and spots a store selling "Run Devil Run" remedies. "That would make a great title for a rock & roll song," he notes, storing the observation for later in the year.

Paul releases The Light Comes From Within, Linda's posthumous single from her solo album of the same name. Much debate follows in the media as Paul vigorously defends Linda's tougue-in-cheek use of "you're fucking no-one, you stupid dick" in the song lyric.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Band On The Run EMI/Capitol releases a limited-edition version of the album, together with a bonus interview CD - on which Paul reveals how, in Lagos to record the album, he was mugged at knifepoint and the muggers made off not only with cash and jewelry, but also with all the demo tapes he had made of the songs for the landmark album.

Paul then had to remember all the songs before he, Linda and Denny Laine could record the album.Giving his backing to the Free Tibet campaign, Paul speaks out in protest against the imprisonment of political prisoners and joins a rally at Westminster Hall, where he reads a freedom poem, the lyric to his song Blackbird.

Paul is inducted to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. At the ceremony in New York, where Paul is inducted by Neil Young, his youngest daughter Stella sums up the feelings of many by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "About Fucking Time".After the induction, Paul makes a surprise unplanned performance when he leads the likes of Robbie Robertson, Eric Clapton, Bono, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen through all-star renditions of Blue Suede Shoes, What'd I Say and Let It Be.

Paul makes an unscheduled performance at the Royal Albert Hall at the rock tribute to Linda McCartney organized by Chrissie Hynde. The event also stars Elvis Costello, George Michael, Tom Jones and Johnny Marr and is hosted by Eddie Izzard. Paul performs Lonesome Town, All My Loving and again leads an all-star version of Let It Be.

Paul books into Abbey Road Studios for just five days, in order to record a rock & roll album. By the end of the week, he and his hand-picked band of Dave Gilmour and Mick Green (guitars), Pete Wingfield (piano) had recorded some 20 songs. Reverting to the early Beatles recording system, they recorded two songs a day before lunch and two between lunch and teatime. None of the band knew which songs they were to record before Paul suggested them - making his suggestions from an envelope full of songs from his teenage years that held special memories for this, an album to salute his rock & roll heroes.

At the previously-unknown town of Siegen, near Cologne, Paul gives the world's first exhibition of his own paintings. Press and media fly into to view the 70 works, selected from more than 500 paintings that Paul has completed since he began to paint for his own enjoyment at the age of 40.

Paul is voted "The Composer of the Millennium" in a poll conducted by the BBC, getting more votes than Mozart, Bach and Beethoven and beating contemporaries including Frank Zappa, Prince, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and John Lennon.

Leading against genetically-modified food, Paul holds a Press conference to pledge that no GM ingredients will be used in the best-selling vegetarian range of Linda McCartney products. Linda McCartney Foods commit ?3 million to staying GM-free.

Paul joins George Harrison and Ringo Starr in promoting the newly renovated and remixed Yellow Submarine movie and soundtrack. The soundtrack album marks the first time that an album of Beatles songs have been remixed. Alongside this, The Beatles are honored by the US Postal Service when they become the first rock & roll band to become the subject of a postage stamp. Appropriately, the Yellow Submarine icon is chosen to depict the band. The theme is taken further when a Eurostar high-speed intercontinental train is covered with images from the movie, the images stretch along both sides of the train for a quarter of a mile. Yellow Submarine, the movie, is given its world premiere in its newly cleaned up form in Liverpool as the highlight of a day of Beatle celebrations that draws a record 350,000 people to the city.

To launch his new rock & roll album Run Devil Run, Paul hosts "playback" parties in Los Angeles, New York, Cologne and London. At the playbacks, Paul introduces a film of the making of the album and then, following the playing of the album, takes to the stage to take questions and answers from fans. In London, 2,000 fans compete to ask the questions.

Run Devil Run is released worldwide to rave reviews. To accompany the launch, Paul hosts his own 5-part radio show on the BBC World Service, spinning his favorite rock & roll songs and revealing his personal memories of the songs and his heroes including Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Little Richard and Gene Vincent.

Two weeks after the release of Run Devil Run, Paul releases his third classical album, Working Classical, which features three major new orchestral works (A Leaf, Spiral and Tuesday) alongside string quartet arrangements of love songs that Paul wrote for Linda. These include My Love, Maybe I'm Amazed, Calico Skies, Warm & Beautiful, Golden Earth Girl, Somedays, She's My Baby and The Lovely Linda. Working Classical is given its world premiere performance by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Loma Mar Quartet at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, to a packed house.

Paul films two videos to accompany single releases from Run Devil Run for No Other Baby and Brown Eyed Handsome Man. Whilst filming the latter in the London district of Acton, dramatic scenes occur when armed police in bulletproof vests swoop on the scene. A passer-by alerts police after mistaking extras dressed as US police for real gunmen. Police tussle with the extras (who attempted to explain that their "weapons" were fake) and calm is only restored when Paul intervenes, getting between the angry (non-armed) extras and the confused (armed) police to restore the peace. Police describe the affair as a "serious incident" and the matter is splashed across the front of British national newspapers.