In February 1967, the Beatles Monthly Book published a strange aside about a rumor that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash on the M1. The cover was a butcher’s symbol, depicting the carnage of McCartney’s death. Conspiracy theorists claimed that John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr worried about how his death might impact the Beatles’ commercial success, so they covered up his death by hiring someone who looked like him, sang like him, and had the same appearance. This theory became a permanent part of Beatles lore, with McCartney responding with his classic wit.
The “Paul is Dead” conspiracy theory began circulating in the late 1960s, claiming that Paul McCartney secretly died in an automobile accident. The theory is one of the most curious examples of a conspiracy theory to emerge from rock music. When Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 1997, she was actually knighting someone else. This is because, according to conspiracy-minded Beatlemaniacs, Paul McCartney secretly died.
Several conspiracy theories surround the members of The Beatles, but perhaps the most notable questions the identity of Paul McCartney. In October 1969, the western world was swept by a story that Paul McCartney had died in an automobile accident three years earlier. The truth about the urban legend is finally revealed by George Harrison in newly discovered secret audio tapes: Paul McCartney was killed in a car crash in 1966.
📹 Did Paul McCartney really die in 1966? The history of the conspiracy theory | Vinyl Rewind
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📹 Proof Paul McCartney died or something else? The mystery of Saint Paul by Terry Knight
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I was at his funeral in 66 john,ringo and George couldn’t make it as they were auditioning for the roll for paul and they ended up settling for a little known actor who had basic musical experience but they managed to fool the world,the place where the real paul is buried is in the outskirts of Liverpool
If they could replace Paul McCartney with a another human that looked like him, talked like him, played left-handed bass like him, acted like him and sang like him…all within a matter of months – then hell! Why not do the same thing again and replace all four Beatles with the same qualifications? If it’s that easy- get on it! Oh, and George Martin too, just for good measure.
My guess is that he met The Beatles who he’d idolized, but he met them at the time they were in the throws of breaking up, so they weren’t at the best from a personality perspective. I’d say Paul was his hero, he met him and it turned out he wasn’t all he’d built him up to be. That seems far more likely. The MacLen thing would purely be because he referenced so many Beatles songs and because he was on Capital.
You don’t need to listen to this to realise that James Paul McCartney died in 1966. In 1967, Paul grew three inches, his eyes went from chocolate brown to green, grew another toe on his right foot. His arrest in Japan 1980 and held for 9 days was due to the fact that his fingerprints didn’t match his arrest in 1960 Germany. Two Italian anthropologists confirmed that his cranium measures are different and got larger. A voice analysis done in 1969 showed two voices for Paul from 1966 to 1967. Some people refuse to accept the change and can’t see the difference but its so obvious if you look closely. Listen to the songs. He don’t sound the same from 1967 onwards. There are many clues there.
It’s a fascinating story a lot of evidence is interesting. perusal Heather Mills say she had a box of evidence and something like if the public knew the truth they would be horrified in interviews was pretty shocking. It wouldn’t surprise me at all what goes on in the music industry I’ve had a few friends who have experiences of what goes on there as musicians and nothing would surprise me.
Seriously, you can do this conspiracy with anybody. There are more clues that John had died in the sixties than Paul. Who’s all in white on the Abbey Road cover. John was 28 at the time of the cover shoot. Paul was 27. “Come Together…right now…over me.” The song Good Morning Good Morning: “Nothing to do save his life…call his wife in.” John was married at the time, not Paul. I’m Only Sleeping. He said “I Am the Walrus”…and “I know what it’s like to be dead.” His “baby’s in black”. On the cover of Rubber Soul, he’s the only one staring into camera. I’m sure there are many more but these are off the top of my head. Can do it for the others too.
Interesting… Fun Fact: not only is William Campbell capable of duplicating all of Paul McCartney’s musical sensibilities and style to the Tee… but according to his 23andMe results, he was able to duplicate Paul McCartney’s genetic ties to his younger brother Michael. This conspiracy runs deep. At any rate, William Campbell rocks.
Terry Knight was Grand Funk Railroads original manager. Intact, Terry Knight and The Pack had members of GFR in the band. When he left, they changed their name to “The Pack”. That band would break up, and would morph into GFR. Terry also ripped GFR out of tons of money and royalties in the early part of their career, but that’s a whole other topic to discuss.
Read ‘Shadow of a Bass Man’. YouTube articles by the same name. They have done extensive research. Compared side by side photos of Paul and Paul-2.0. Billy Shears had plastic surgery done, learned to play left handed. John, George and Ritchie were never the same after November 1966. They lost their best mate and hated that they had to pretend that the replacement was never going to replace Paul!
All you have to do is compare photos and I believe it shows there were two Pauls. The original one had a slightly rounder face. The new one has a longer chin and larger mouth. The end of Paul’s mouth lined up with the inner corner of his eye. Paul2’s mouth lines up with the iris of his eye. And Paul had brown eyes whereas Paul2 has hazel eyes. He also developed quite a few wrinkles from 1966 to 1969. Still, the resemblance is remarkable. Evidently it’s not that hard to find doubles for people as we are seeing now with corrupt politicians and celebrities being swapped out for doubles in the public eye while they’re facing justice behind the scenes.
John was with Neil in West Germany to play parts in “How I Won The War”. Ringo was in Surrey at the time. Epstein was with Paul and George in the studio. After an argument with Brian, Paul leave in a huff, he slam the door. After Paul left the studio, he pick up a girl named Donna. The girl recognised him and gone mad. Paul ran a red light and was hit by a yellow truck that knocked them across the wet road into a pole, resulting in his decapitation and a car fire. It was on Sunday, 11 September 1966, just minutes before midnight. The interesting thing is that Paul predicted his death and he told and prepared everyone’s about this.
The visual evidence is very strong, I am not saying I am fully sold on the “Paul is dead” rumor, but there are definitely a lot of elements to make a case. The physical differences are hard to deny: rounded vs oval face, different mouth and nose. The difference in the accents and the way “Faul” says “you know” constantly vs Paul, barely using that filler… unfortunately the world will never know and it comes down to what each of us believe.
You might like to know, this song was recorded by Shane(Shane Hales) who was British born but records this song and it was released in New Zealand where he has lived for the last fifty years,it was played often on radio and on one occasion my band (the tremeloes) had the opportunity to perform the song as a backing band for Shane at a club in Auckland in the early 90’s.
I really like this theory, not because I believe in it, but because it’s very intriguing and intereseting as a story. A member dying, the cover up, the other members giving clues ’cause they can’t really talk about it but they don’t want to stay silent, someone living someone elses life. It is a very interesting story and I think the Beatles might have used it as a publicity strategy, after all we’re still talking about it. The fans wanted to know more about it and The Beatles gave us “clues” to speculate, even if it wasn’t intentional, it’s brilliant, easter eggs for the fans to look for. And just in case it was real, we’ll never know, they’ll take the “secret” to the grave.
Terry Knight was part of Terry Knight and the Pack, a garage band from Michigan, which also included Mark Farner and Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad. After the Pack dissolved, Terry Knight went on to manage/produce GFR, and also ripped them off tons of money and fame (they were very popular in the 70s but could have been more famous).
Simple questions: Has any member of any tribute band – Beatles, Elvis, Zeppelin etc, ever ever ever made you think you were possibly seeing the real thing? Did any member of any tribute band appear on countless TV interviews as the person he was impersonating without raising a single eyebrow? Have you ever watched a Beatles tribute band on Youtube and think – that’s them! A lost article! Ever? Magical Mystery Tour (a PM song) presented The Beatles as magicians. A magician’s trick is ‘misdirection’. Watch the left hand while the right hand makes the switch – or in this case watch the left handed bass player instead of the right handed guitar player. It’s more likely to me that John was killed in a car accident in ’66 – after all it was HIS appearance that changed daily for the next four years – admit it, so often you couldn’t keep up – and then stopped changing after the group ended. Late ’66 was when Yoko came on the scene – maybe she was fake John’s girl and that was part of the deal. Finally, John’s last LP was called “Double Fantasy”. Maybe he was the double and it was all a fantasy. Maybe that’s why he was killed. Or maybe I”m full of it just like anyone that thinks Paul was replaced on the spot with an impersonator that would go on to write Sgt Pepper, Hey Jude, Back in the USSR, Black Bird, Let it Be, etc etc. Or maybe I’m a man maybe I”m a lonely man who’s in the middle of something that he doesn’t really understand. Either way, I”m amazed that this is still a conspiracy that people cling to.
Four More Clues For You All: Here Is More Proof: Number One, The Beatles went into the studio years cuz Paul’s replacement couldn’t go around the world not being able to know things, people would expect Paul to know. The man who replaced Paul wouldn’t recognize people, remember events etc! Number two, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were best friends, now, their relationship is said to have went south, and most people believe that, but they didn’t have a falling out but it was not the same man! Number three, Jane was asked and agreed for 1 year to go on publicly claiming that she was with Paul’s replacement but this is not true, it was not the original Paul McCartney, Jane agreed to stay with him for the public for the media for one year’s time. Number four, Paul’s replacement broke union with John, George and Ringo who all choose Phil Spectre to be their new manager, what Paul’s replacement chose Linda’s father. He was not really one of them, at least not from the start! He Who Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear! #PaulMcCartney #TheBeatles #TheFabFour #JohnLennon #GeorgeHarrison #RingoStar
The Beatles stopped touring in. Billy Shepard aka Billy Campbell came in after the death of biological Paul. If you observe the photos of Paul versus Faul after Sgt. Pepper, it is obvious that it is not the same person. William Campbell is one hell of a musician, who could read, write, arrange/produce music. Billy was proficient in playing–bass, guitar, piano, keyboards, strings, drums, percussion, and horns. William Campbell and George Martin were connected more so than the other Beatles, due to the fact they were more evolved in music. Lennon was threatened by Billy, and his relationship to George Martin. When Lennon wrote, “How can you sleep?” Sent Billy & his Wings into a defensive mode. If you analyze the lyrics to Billy’s songs–Band on Run, My Brave Face, Live & let die, Let him in, Coming up, he is literally telling you the story. Billy is a brilliant musician, who also is a smug, elitists. Who was critical of the other Beatles in their playing ability in the studio. Billy is both arrogant and aware that Billy Shears is him.
Paul’s Death was reported in Australia and several Areas in the US Sept 1966. Paul grew several Inches at the End of 1966. “Facial Recognition Dimensions do NOT match 1966 vs post 66. Ears, Eyes, Chin, Teeth” If you have a Musical Ear there are also Changes in Voice and annunciation. {who cares about the Album Covers and such}
Paul really did die in 1966. For all the doubters, read The Memoirs of Billy Shears. Then you will know. Also really look at the early pics of Paul and then later of “Faul”. Faul (William Shepherd) is much taller than Paul was for starters. William Shepherd had a lot of plastic surgery to look as much like Paul as possible but there was no changing a height difference. That is why they never performed in public again. It would have been too noticeable.. Although Paul can sound somewhat like Paul at times, his voice does not have the richness of Paul.
One salient point, males stop growing at around 17, some maybe 19, but that’s rare. Paul didn’t have a growth spurt in ’66 at the age of 24, he died! The taller, lankier Billy Shears moved into his place and Beatlemania went on. It was a business decision. Despite the many different physical characteristics that are blatantly obvious to most, those who can’t accept truth, will never see it. It’s very sad that people are so co-dependent that it will alter their reality.
To answer your question, yes, Paul was aware of the song. However, Terry Knight did not get the kudos. It was New Zealand singer Shane who covered the song only a few months after Terry Knight recorded his version. Shane received a congratulations letter from Paul McCartney as the song did hit the top charts in New Zealand. Though it failed to become a worldwide hit.
*VINYL REWIND*!! The SMOKING GUN is the 2 books called “The Memoires of Billy Shear”! Released by Paul McCartney’s own publishing company. George Martins oldest son did an interview about how he read the audio version of the books and that he thought it was a parody, but soon discovered that the author E U Harriet who Paul McCartney hired to write these books was totally serious and there is no parody, sarcasm or irony involved. I never bought this insane story until I came across these interviews and bizarre books. Check Mike Williams’s website on YouTube with interviews with one sound engineer and George Martins sons confession about something so insanely mindblowing that I lack the words to express my chock over hearing this a year ago!
Anyone who knows anything about the whole Paul Is Dead thing knows that song was written in response to it, and many know The Beatles wound up with the rights afterward. The fact remains that if you play any recording of All Together Now backward, the chorus will sound like “I buried Paul” repeated several times. Also, if you think you’ve easily explained away all the evidence, that means you are likely unaware of the most compelling evidence.
The man Who sang Long Tall Sally also sang Helter Skelter, Maybe I’m Amazed and that crazy high screaming part on I’ve Got A Feeling. The man Who sang And I Love Her and Yesterday is the same man Who sang I Will and The Long & Winding Road. Same for I’ve Just Seen a Face, Good Day Sunshine, Fixing A Hole, Ob La Di Ob La Da, etc.
Here is another clue for you all: The Anthology 3 cover. The pictures of John, George, and Ringo are all from the cover of Let It Be. The picture of Paul for Let It Be is torn away to reveal a picture of Paul from the Rubber Soul album. The original Paul. That is NOT an accident. That was done on purpose. This was a multi-million-dollar product they were releasing. Nothing was left to chance; it was all thought out ahead of time. They were STILL promoting the “Paul Is Dead” idea in the 1990’s. So you have 2 options: Paul is really dead or Paul is just playing with us. If you want to blame someone for the “Paul Is Dead” theory, blame Paul because he started it.
They noticed the song because he used so many of their lyrics. Most lyrics used were written by Lennon. It wasn’t all 50/50 writing, sometimes one wrote more of a song. Still listed as Lennon/ McCartney. The whole thing is B.S. If you really want proof, get his dna, from coffee cup, spoon etc. Compare to his brother or other family member.
Paul did a show on the marquee of ed sulivan theater recently this was a return to their first big break In the audio you can hear paul talking to one of the stage hands, that had been there since pauls first appearance in 60s. He had helped paul with an equipment problem.Any faux paul would never have known about this incident
the rumor got started at least on february of 1967 because the official fan club magazine published a “the rumor is not true” thing. the whole thing didn’t start in 1969, it became more massive but it already existed. search for a article called “who buried paul” by a guy called brian moriarty, he explains the whole thing perfectly.
Mr. Rewind, may I suggest you do a article on the Love album? If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a remix of many different songs throughout The Beatles’ career done by Giles and George in 2006. It would be really interesting to see what you think about it and to hear what parts you recognise from the originals. Keep it up!
Anyone who cannot see that pictures of Paul and Fail are two completely different people is refusing to admit the truth. There is not just one difference there are countless differences, but one thing about Faul is that he has to stick to his story word for word and a true person can jump ahead when telling something and simply add that he left something out and make sure that people can make sense of what the jist of the story is supposed to be about, imagine if someone else was interuptting Faul when he was telling the story like friends do Faul would be so put off his train of thought that he would find it difficult to think of how to continue the theme of the story.
The musician who replaced original Paul also had performed as the 1960’s version of Vivian Stanshall in the Bonzo Dog Do Da Band. The lyrics to their song “Look Out, There’s a Monster Coming” are a revelatory description of the process that Paul’s replacement went through in order to take on his new role as a member of the Beatles. Not coincidentally, monster imagery was later used by both John Lennon (in his recording-studio doodles of a creature possessing a prominent cocked toe) and Ringo Star (the photo of the Frankenstein creature on the sleeve to his 45rpm single “Back Off Boogaloo”) as a metaphor representing the new Paul McCartney. Also, replacement Paul’s biological son James, with his pufferfish face and strawberry-blond hair, bears an uncanny physical resemblance to 1960’s Vivian Stanshall.
Here’s one for you. On the Abbey Road album you see Paul McCartney barefoot. They asked him why he was barefoot and he said it was hot that day and that’s why Paul was barefoot. Here’s where it becomes questionable. If it was that hot. Why are they wearing long sleeves and or blazer jackets? Streets and sidewalks get extremely hot easily. Why would you walk barefoot in the heat?
I don’t know why so few people seem to realize / speculate on the other obvious possibility: That many of the PID “clues” are real and intentional– even though Paul never died… (In which case, there would obviously be some other reason for it.) The Beatles were famous jokers. And it’s even known that they often slipped little Easter eggs or jokes into their music! Like the time they sang “tit tit tit tit” in the background of the song “Girl.” They were also known for being into avant garde and performance art. And mysticism. What if all these traits came together in one big crazy joke / art project? Do you have any idea how many times Beatles members reference PID stuff in interviews? An unnaturally huge number of times, for something that’s allegedly fake! I don’t think Paul died. Not in a physical sense. But I think there’s something to the clues…
Not convincing facts. Paul’s appearance over the years and height difference and personality change are more clues to me. I am starting to consider, there is a possibility there was always more than one paul. Whether these things are true or not possible, the fact remains something hasn’t been right with paul/Faul for a long time.
The Beatles manufactured the ‘Paul is Dead’ theory. They were smart enough to know we’d still be sitting here all these years later looking for the answer. It was free press at the time, and something to keep their name relevant and interesting. It was ingenious, and has cemented their position in music history. There is nothing more to it than this.
I actually asked a British friend about the rumors. He said “yeah, we all know that”. They did stop touring after the supposed accident. Said it was because of screaming girls but maybe they had to stop. Faul has been spotted in earlier vids playing right handed. Part of me believes it, part doesn’t. On the fence actually.
The guy who has been playing Paul since 1966, is William Shears Campbell. He was also Vivian Stanshall too. He also waa part of George Martins team of songwriters and orchestra. The Beatles didn’t write all of their songs 1962-1966. If anyone has seen Wrecking Crew or Hired Gun, you will see the truth of how songs were recorded back then. Vic Flick was on those albums, Bernard Purdie, Andy White, amongst others . Listen to the songs if you are a pro musician. You can hear differences. Norwegian Wood is too complex for Lennons playing at the time. Yes, they sang on those songs but they did not play on all of them. How would the Beatles have time to do things? Tours, public appearances, films, meetings, photo shoots, sleep, rest, etc…How can one cram two albums and a few singles into one year with all of that? 15 songs written in 6 hours??? Nope. Rubber soul is manufactured as well as the stories. Their Hamburg story is also manufactured too. How can you write songs when you have 2-3 hours till you have to go play 8-10 hours a night, then sleep almost all day. How many 17-20 year olds wake up at 6 am, eat a hearty breakfast, then work ? Especially after rolling in around 3-4 am? None. George Martin said their music was rubbish and he was responsible for recording and writing. The Beatles had corporate binders in the studio with those words. The whole thing we have been fed is a lie and hype. Biological Paul wasn’t towing the line and wasn’t doing as he was told, so he was knocked off.
The answer to the question is..something else. Here is an example – a couple of days ago Paul was pictured arriving at an airport in New York. Meanwhile, the same day, in a London Tube station, a busker gets a shock when Paul gives her money whilst she plays a Beatles song. There is your answer. William in New York. JPM in London.
The Stones =Ruby Tuesday, The Who=Won’t get Fooled Again, Elton John =Grey Seal, Donovan =Epistle to Dippy, Sweet=Fox on the Run these are other songs that tried to cash in on the Death of Paul, especially the Band the Beatles, they really ran with it, They even made Paul taller, a late growth spurt I guess
Paul did have an accident but it was with his motorbike …..you can see his cut lip and broken front tooth in Revolver articles (Rain). Also Paul’s left eye is lower than his right eye and continues to this day. Check it out! He is the same person. He is one of a kind and irreplaceable…..just ask his children!
Too all you believers that think the current Paul is the original Paul: Look at every picture you can find of “Paul” while the Beatles were still touring, that is up into the summer of 1966. Look at the shape of his head, his hair, his eyes, his nose and, in particular, what his ears look like. Watch him play bass. After a bit of study observing this individual, look at pictures of “Paul” from 1967 on. It clearly isn’t the same person. This guy has a different shaped head, different hair, a very different face in general, and the later “Paul” is an absolute stiff playing bass compared to the earlier “Paul”, who was a brilliant bass player. Still believe it’s the same person? Find pictures of his ears from pre-1967 and post-1967. They are unmistakably different. Different ears equal different people. Sorry to mess with your cognitive dissonance, but the current “Paul” is not the same person as the original Paul McCartney.
Has anybody seen ” Paul Really is Dead? The last testament of George Harrison.? ” Ive never even put much thought into this conspiracy one way or the other, but on a rainy day a couple months ago I decided to be lazy and have a do nothing and watch movies day. I stumbled on that movie / doc what ever you wanna call it and its suppossed to be actual voice recordings of George Harrison after he was attacked in his home . He breaks down the entire conspiracy and explains what happened the day Paul died and everything that happened as the result of it being covered up and why. I was shocked, if you havnt seen it,you should . whether you believe it or not its gonna make you stop for a min and ask the question Is this for real? bcuz if it is him talking on those recordings, it changes everything in regards to The Beatles and theyre legacy. Check it out, id love to hear what others think about that movie.
Billy shears was a session musician and disappeared in 1966, given the Beatles were the biggest act in the world around the time I don’t think it would be hard to replace him if he died especially when there’s talk of Beatles look alike contests and a man in another band who was very identical to Paul but lighter, taller and more tenor If he did die in a car crash in 1966 given how big the Beatles were it would have caused an insane wave of grief and chaos and ended the bands career – a band only works fully with all its living members in tact and that’s obvious when you look at other deaths like Brian jones, Kurt cobain, Brad delp and I’m sure many more Cheers everyone it’s fun to dig into this stuff
Paul Died, in a Car crash on the M1, in the Fall of 66,…The Beatles, quit Playing Live in 66,…their Manager Brian Epstien, committed suicide in 67,…,the Beatles legally disbanded in 1970,…Mal Evans, The Beatles Roady and 6th Beatle was Murdered in California, in 1976, for Pointing an air Rifle at a Policeman, He was shot before he could release His Auto Biography of his Band Mates,…Lennon, was assassinated in 1980,…George, was attacked and Nearly Killed in,1999,….Ringo, ain’t talking,…and Sir Billy keeps raking in the Doe!
there is always the other rumor that he almost went crazy and could not handle the stress and quit the Beatles. then they found the other guy while the real Paul continued too write the songs. I have watched all the Paul is dead articles and never believed he died but maybe as I said he could not handle all the business and just quit.