Paul McCartney's Son James Looks Like His Spitting Image At Gallery Exhibition

Jul 17, 2023

Sir Paul McCartney is one of the UK's national treasures, earning his name with one of the most popular bands of all time, The Beatles, and never slowing down, even in his successful solo career. 

Paul was one of the founding members of The Beatles, who are often considered the most influential band in pop music history ever. That's no small feat. Despite only being active for ten years together, the "Fab Four" from Liverpool, England, left an indelible mark on music history and pop culture. While his Beatles days might be behind him, Paul does make it a point to carry on the legacy of the beloved band, as well as its late members, John Lennon and George Harrison. The songwriting partnership between Paul and Lennon was iconic and is still considered to be one of the most fruitful musical pairings in history. The Beatles is the best-selling music act of all time, having sold 183 million units in the US and an estimated 600 million units globally.

After the Beatles dissolved, Paul launched a solo music career and formed other bands, including with his late wife, Linda McCartney. They had four children, one of whom is daughter Stella McCartney, a well-known fashion designer. Another daughter, Mary McCartney, followed in her mother's footsteps and became a photographer. Son James McCartney came in 1977 while Paul also adopted Linda's daughter, Heather McCartney, from a previous relationship. However, Linda tragically passed from cancer in 1998. Before her passing, the family of six shared many beautiful moments together. This helped form the beautiful bond Paul now shares with his children, who support him in his endeavors to this day.

Linda first met Paul while on assignment as a photographer at a club in 1967. After a whirlwind romance, the pair were married on March 12, 1969. They had four children together – Mary in 1969, Stella in 1971 and James in 1977. Paul also adopted Linda’s daughter from a previous marriage, Heather. 

During the 29 years Paul and Linda were married, their family spent a lot of time away from the prying eyes of the press at the musician’s farmhouse in Scotland. There, the children would roam the lands freely as their mother took photographs of her beautiful family. Linda was also a staunch animal lover, and in 1975, both she and her husband became vegetarians. 

Paul said they would often cook together, as he recalled:

“I would say, ‘Anything you’d like me to do?’ And one thing I didn’t mind doing was chopping the onions – even though it made me very emotional… I’d even cry sometimes! I quite liked chopping the onions, I liked the idea of sparing Linda the tears.” 

Linda became more vocal about their lifestyle shift, as she famously said she would never “eat anything with a face,” and coined the expression: “If slaughterhouses had glass walls the whole world would be vegetarian.” Her passion for vegetarian dishes led her to create cookbooks as well as her own frozen food company, Linda McCartney Foods. 

Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away in 1998 at the age of 56, but not before leaving her husband and children with irreplaceable memories and inspiring them with her life choices. Paul himself went on to publish “The Meat-Free Monday Cookbook,” while the family also worked together to release “Linda McCartney's Family Kitchen” in June 2021, featuring more than 100 plant-based recipes.

After Linda’s passing, Paul married model and activist Heather Mills in 2002. They welcomed one daughter, Beatrice McCartney, in 2003 before their marriage came to a tumultuous end. 

The pair were famously dogged by the media throughout their relationship and even after they divorced in March 2008, with much attention paid to the $48.7 million divorce settlement Mills received. 

In 2008, Mills revealed Paul's daughter Stella was fervently opposed to their marriage. According to HuffPost, Mills claimed Stella was fearful of losing “all the planes and the diamonds." She added:

"Every single week, Stella tried to break up our marriage. She was so jealous. … Stella wasn't interested in her dad's happiness. I can't protect her any longer... she's done some evil, evil things.”

James, too, expressed his disdain for Mills and told Daily Mail in 2013:

“My relationship with Heather was not very good. I didn’t like her. But I wouldn’t want to say anything negative about her because she’s a good mother to Beatrice and that’s the most important thing. Beatrice is adorable. She’s great, a real joy for the whole family.”

With so much of the world’s spotlight on Paul – not to mention his children’s judgment – about whoever was to be on his arm, it may seem like a fool’s errand for him to keep searching for the one. However, in 2007, reports would surface of budding love between the music icon and a pretty much unknown woman.

It was soon revealed that Paul was dating Nancy Shevell, an American businesswoman from New Jersey. The press went wild trying to dig up all they could on Shevell, especially for any salacious news but were left disappointed. Shevell was a trucking executive working for a family-owned conglomerate who happened to be Paul's neighbor in the Hamptons. 

Unlike Mills, Shevell received Stella’s seal of approval while still dating her dad. In 2009, the fashion designer was reportedly seen at a New York City gala linking arms with Shevell and enjoying a few laughs. “She’s thrilled for her father,” People reported a source as saying. 

Paul and Shevell married in October 2011 at the Old Marylebone Town Hall, in London, where Paul had also traded vows with Linda. 

Meanwhile, Paul's son James also expressed his approval of Shevell and said:

“Nancy’s my new mother. I feel that. Definitely. She’s very genuine. I knew her a year or so before she married Dad. She has been one of the biggest supporters of me doing this, pursuing my own dreams. She wants me to have my own career. She makes Dad very, very happy. We all adore her.”

While James was happy to see his dad settle down with a good match, life hadn’t been easy for him since his mother passed away when he was 20. He soon began to depend on drugs to deal with his grief. 

“When I was 17 I wrote my first song and then Mum was diagnosed with cancer. She died when I was 20 and that’s when I went into a very dark period,” he recalled. 

James added the period “devastated” him and his father and they both took to sleeping in the same bed as they mourned her passing. "We were both grieving together. That first night, in Arizona, when she’d just died I thought it would be too sad for Dad to sleep on his own so I kept him company."

James revealed the period after his mother’s passing “was not the healthiest for me. If Mum was gone, then I was going to rock out. It was very detrimental to my relationship with my family. I got heavily into Nirvana. I idolized Kurt Cobain and still do. He was my role model. I could relate to him.”

James admitted his behavior caused a rift between him and his dad, and the closeness they shared in his childhood seemed to be slipping away.

“I went a long time without seeing Dad. We drifted apart. We would talk on the phone every few months, but we went a long time without seeing each other. It was sad for both of us,” he said.

However, the situation took a turn in 2007 when Paul underwent an angioplasty at the same time he was navigating his turbulent split from Mills. “That episode made me realize how important he is to me. He was suffering in his own way. He was under stress. In hindsight I wish I’d been more supportive,” James confessed.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was music that brought the father and son back together. James said he “rebonded” with his father while playing on two of Paul’s solo albums. Even as he nurtured a love for music himself, James revealed being the son of a Beatle had its disadvantages.

“Growing up, I put a lot of pressure on myself.  felt with The Beatles legacy that there was pressure on me to do music, and while I always loved music and it was always around me at home, I thought about doing other things. I did art, I made furniture. I didn’t want to be a cliche – the Beatle’s son who became a musician,” he explained.

Of Paul’s five children, James was the only one to follow in his father’s footsteps after growing up in a household surrounded by music and creative energy. The musical DNA that coursed through James' veins was undeniable, and it was only a matter of time before he found his own voice.

Drawing inspiration from his father's multifaceted career as well as other iconic musicians, James developed a distinct style that blended elements of rock, folk, and pop into a sound uniquely his own. Stepping out of his father's shadow, James released his debut EP, "Available Light," in 2010, which showcased his songwriting prowess and vocal abilities. 

In subsequent years, James continued to refine his skills and expand his musical horizons. He released his first full-length album, “Me” in 2013 and followed this up with "The Blackberry Train," in 2016, captivating listeners with his introspective lyrics and infectious hooks. The album demonstrated James' willingness to experiment with different genres, incorporating elements of blues and psychedelic rock while still retaining his signature sound. Tracks like "Too Hard" and "Unicorn" showcased his versatility as a musician and highlighted his ability to craft memorable melodies.

Despite the almost guaranteed comparisons to his famous father that would come, James remained confident and realistic about his pursuit. He said:

“I just want to try to write good songs. I am striving to be the best that I can. Music is in me. I don’t have much of a choice. People might listen to one of my songs or come and see me because of my famous last name but if my music’s not good they won’t hang around.”

Despite his musicality, James lives a relatively quiet life compared to his high-profile sisters, Stella and Mary. However, every once in a while, James pops up to join his family at public events, including on June 26, 2023. That evening, the National Portrait Gallery in London held a private viewing of behind-the-scenes photographs of The Beatles taken by Paul in the 1960s. Paul rediscovered the photographs in 2020 after believing they had been lost. 

According to the gallery, the Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64 Eyes of the Storm exhibition focuses "on portraits captured by McCartney, using his own camera, between December 1963 and February 1964 – a time when The Beatles were catapulted from a British sensation to a global phenomenon." 

At the event, James looked every inch his father's son in a crisp white shirt and black suit. He posed for photos with his sisters, as well as Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and his wife, Sally Humphreys. Stella wore an oversized black blazer, while Mary opted for a khaki jumpsuit. 

As James took in all the photos from the heyday of The Beatles, he no doubt was reminded of his own ambitions. He once said he harbored goals to become as big as his father's band, but reality soon set in. He once told Daily Mail:

"It's hard to live up to The Beatles… Even Dad found it hard living up to The Beatles. I started out playing under an alias because I wanted to start quietly. I had to serve my time as a musician and wait until I had a good body of songs and for a time when both myself and my music were ready. I don't want to sit around. I want to earn my own living."

Do you think James  McCartney has a strong resemblance to his famous father Paul? Did you know he, too, pursued a career in music? Have you listened to any of his songs? If so, let us know how they compare to his dad’s, then pass this along to all the other Beatles fans you know!