On 25 February 2015, fake news website World News Daily Report (WNDR) added a new chapter to a classic urban legend when they published an article claiming that Paul McCartney had passed away in 1966. It is inconceivable that not one of these people would be tempted to reveal if Paul had died to their families, friends and, most notably, for money to newspapers an TV companies. Paul McCartney was Irish, so wouldnt have been singing mull of kintyre. "Thank you very much". And guess what? And was as musically adept as the Original or better. In September, an article appeared in the student paper of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, which asked: "Is Paul McCartney Dead?" http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/files/faqs/pid.html, (-- unsigned, posted by 00:27:14 . Listen carefully. I work in the music industry and have played with Billy many times over the years and he sometimes slips up with his accent. Harrison would replace Yoko and Shears could go back to being just Paul, who was the richest of his personas. [23], The story was soon taken up by more mainstream radio stations in the New York area, WMCA and WABC. Though one thing I DO know for certain is Ringo can't sing worth a damn. Because without your revelations, nothing makes sense. In 2008, he joked that his success as a musician had extended his fifteen minutes of fame for his part in the rumour to "seventeen minutes". If you are interested give me an email will@williamshears.com. Again, dealing with grief through jokes. [71] In one telling, this theory contended that the album had been recorded in late 1966 but then mislaid until 1975, at which point Lennon, Harrison and Starr elected to issue it in McCartney's memory. well sorry i am CONVINCED and why did Ringo come out and say that Paul did pass away in 1966, Hello, I am a film maker and making a documentary about this conspiracy (partly because my name is William Shears..). "[44] He cited a 2009 Wired Italia magazine article that featured an analysis by two forensic research consultants who compared selected photographs of McCartney taken before and after his alleged death by measuring features of the skull. Regarding the rediculas conspirasy theory- John and Paul are both still well alive and working at my local Aldi supermarket, Paul collects the descarded shopping trolly's on the carpark and John bites off thewheels that have a mind of there own, ie: those wheels that want to travel left wile the other three in unison want to travel right, we have all had them! I do find it fascinating as to how it was all orchestrated with the untimely demise of the real Paul McCartney. And maybe Ringo did really commit suicide after telling Neil Aspinall he was going to do so, and Ringo was also replaced by a look-alike. Trying to prove or disprove anything from these albums is a waste of time. This is quite an exceptional read. The big one that was actually intentional was "Billy Shears," which means, "Billy's here," of course, although I hate . Billy and the Rest are the best. Listening to this show was another student, Fred LaBour, who wrote for the Michigan Dailystudent newspaper. Charlotte A's comment on Ringo's singing. [4] MacDonald groups it with the "psychic epidemics" that were encouraged by the rock audience's use of hallucinogenic drugs and which escalated with Charles Manson's homicidal interpretation of the White Album and Mark David Chapman's religion-motivated murder of Lennon in 1980. Maybe, just maybe John lost both legs in a horrific car accident in 1966, and unwilling to travel for his job found a way to trademark a popular singer's name, with both entities profiting. If you can think of any ways to improve the article, why not create one? [24] This scenario was facilitated by the Beatles' recent retirement from live performance and by their choosing to present themselves with a new image for their next album, Sgt. After Campbell killed off his fake George, He wanted to stick to his original role as being just Paul, so he and Harrison came to an agreement. The mana Canadian named William Shears Campbell, or Billy Shearsseems to have disappeared from the earth after November 1966. There must be articles about the car crash ( if there ever was one) in local newspapers??? Lennon himself dismissed any deep meaning to the mysterious lyrics: > I threw the line in "the Walrus was Paul" just to confuse everybody a bit more. I'm not here to judge you at all. The fact that Paul (i.e William Campbell Shears) is barefooted confirms it! If anyone's done research proving that the "biography" of William "Shears" Campbell of the "Ontario Police Department" with a girlfriend conveniently named "Rita" is a phantasm cobbled together from snippets of Beatles song's and album photographs, a reference to that research would also be good - Nunh-huh 01:45, 10 Jun 2004 (UTC) (There's also an actual person, two unrelated actors, and probably several other William Campbells that need disambiguation). William Campbell is far too common a name for this article to live here. [3][bettersourceneeded] By 1967, the Beatles were known for sometimes including backmasking in their music. And Listen. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, often credited as a concept album. Not much was said about Johns comment after that. Eric , george parasol and Paul , Macharmley, A.K.A. Most all of their music was written by others and played by other studio musicians. The WKBW DJs concluded that the "Paul is dead" hoax was fabricated by Lennon. Pepper recording session and drove off angrily in his car, distracted by a meter maid ("Lovely Rita"), not noticing that the traffic lights had changed ("A Day In The Life) crashed, and was decapitated ("Don't Pass Me By"). Rumors about McCartney's supposed death and replacement have been circulating for decades. Then in June of 1967 the album Sgt. [44][78][nb 6], Similar rumours concerning other celebrities have been circulated, including the unsubstantiated allegation that Canadian singer Avril Lavigne died in 2003 and was replaced by a person named Melissa Vandella. Also, check out this picture of Paul compared to Faul: i If you need more proof, Ringo has already admitted that Paul died and was replaced by Faul during an interview in his home in California. Afterward, I revisited videos, film clips, songs & interviews with John, George and Ringo, and it all finally made sense. The replacement, originally called William Campbell or, more recognizably, Billy Shears, according to Salon, and known as "Faul" to true believers of the theory, has, if the story is true, written some of the Beatles' greatest work, fathered four children with Paul's first wife, Linda McCartney, went on to establish the mega-popular band Wings, and had success with 20 solo albums, all under the moniker of the tragically deceased songwriter he replaced on the fly. [8] Gibb and other callers then discussed the rumour on air for the next hour,[18] during which Gibb offered further potential clues. When i was in my twenties and in the military, my heighth changed and my facial features changed. They have had to keep the fraud covered while Faul reaped the benefits of the fraud. Make up your own mind. [2] The rumour was acknowledged and rebutted in the February issue of The Beatles Book. In the 60's, it was all a brand new adventure for all of these parties involved with the Beatles brand name. Listen to Tina Foster's interviews. You're clearly a disinfo agent. It would have been easy to replace Paul in the 1960s. Ok there has been fraud committed but Billy is actually a much more talented writer than Paul ever was. I.e. "We felt guilty about the deception" added Ringo Starr. In an exclusive interview with the Hollywood Inquirer, Mr. Starr explained that the "real" Paul McCartney had died in a car crash on November 9 1966, after an argument during a Beatles' recording session. Now I am switching off whenever I can. More information, It was fifty years ago today Sgt. Billy Shears ,William Wallace Campbell or Billy Shepherd ?? Once they were brown now they are green. Basically, the Paul is dead controversy overshadowed John's statement and album sales went through the roof with kids trying to find new clues. [39], Many versions of this theory have arisen since its initial exposure to the public, however most proponents of the theory maintain that, on 9 November 1966 (alternatively, the 11th of September of the same year) [40][bettersourceneeded], McCartney had an argument with his bandmates during a Sgt. Perhaps the Beatles did not remember to change the 28IF clue when they published the album cover. It seems that someone as talented and no doubt popular as Billy Shears, might have been missed by friends and family, but he just said " Fuck em all. The greatest argument agagainst Elvis being alive is that he is dead, and the greatest argument against Paul being dead is that he is alive. So the smoke screen worked. I'm a Beatle Now; and to think that to this day his nuts are still in a vice. To spare the public from grief, or simply as a joke, the surviving Beatles replaced him with the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest. PMac and Wings, PMac and MJ, PMac on his own has done and continues to make some very tasty music. It's just insanity but it's a great plug for, The fact that he would have been 27 in late 1969, rather than 28, was dismissed with the rationale that, in the, In his article on the legacy of "Paul is dead", for. ", McCartney has been light-hearted about the issue. Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. John is very much alive and living in Brookville Long Island. How can the McCartney's (Brother Mike & Father Jim) be convinced to go along with this morbid and sinister cover-up. FACT Paul McCartney did have a minor accident on 26th Dec 1965 when he fell off a moped, split his lip and chipped a tooth. The O.P.D. Faul is protected by powerful people and money or he would have been exposed years ago. In fact, if you listen to all Beatles songs between 1967 to 1970, Paul breaks out that particular voice a lot (not always). Follow Billy online for tour dates, news and more! "[8], In late September 1969, the Beatles released the album Abbey Road as they were in the process of disbanding. Most are from military families that take oaths and sign disclosure agreements where everything can be taken away. During the following years, the Beatles disclosed the details of their ruse by placing hundreds of hidden clues within their albums. So begins a new novel, Whatever Happened to Billy Shears? If broken up, the name 'Billy Shears' actually reads "Billy's here"! The real Paul was killed in Dec of 1980 by an avid fan and then replaced by Billy Shears. Billy Shears is just a ficticious name. [24] Bailey left it to the viewer to determine a conclusion. Pepper album. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. I love this conspiracy. It was supposed to last only a week or two, but time went by and nobody seemed to notice, so we kept playing along. How could they find a musician that looks,sounds just like him & be accepted by the other 3,his family & girlfriend Jane Asher? Lennon later said that the words were actually "Cranberry sauce", and that the words "number nine, number nine" in "Revolution 9" (from the "White Album") became "turn me on, dead man, turn me on, dead man" when played backwards. That's a little eerie All aside, I feel like sharing George Harrison's last testimony. The rumour began circulating in 1966, gaining broad popularity in September 1969 following reports on American college campuses. Without Faul they probably wouldn't have been so influential. [20][21] It identified various clues to McCartney's alleged death on Beatles album covers, particularly on the Abbey Road sleeve. Looks like Paul with glasses, mustache, and combed back hair. "Paul is dead" is an urban legend and conspiracy theory alleging that English musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike. [61] Rocco Catena, Capitol's vice-president of national merchandising, estimated that "this is going to be the biggest month in history in terms of Beatles sales". Can reports of his belief in an early death be substantiated? The early bass lines were very simplistic in nature with mainly a 1-5 pattern. I must come out. Also Somerset House staff where all births, deaths and marriages are recorded. Imagine why we never saw the bruises etc. Then again, like Lennon, Paul McCartney never really diedgenetically speaking. William Shears Campbell, better known as Billy Shears, does indeed "disappear" from records in 1966 and no traces of him can be found after Paul's alleged death. Fearing that the photos would damage his image, McCartney then approached the pair and agreed to pose for a photo with his family and answer the reporter's questions, in exchange for the roll of film containing the offending pictures. There was no way we could prove he was alive. [7] According to music journalist Merrell Noden, Harper's Drake Times-Delphic was the first to publish an article on the "Paul is dead" theory. I for one, am very grateful to have had the pleasure of reading this most informative book. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, both of which had been off the charts since February, re-entered the Billboard Top LPs chart,[24] peaking at number 101 and number 109, respectively. It is called Im the Greatest. It's funny how far they go to convince you he didn't diewhy would anyone have to try this hard if the facts were that easy to prove.ppl that lie to themselves are the worst kind, All the publicity and speculation has done exactly what it was intended to do and put them all continuously in the pubic eye and under public scrutiny. win win win. According to Gadfly Online,the night was very icy, which may have put the rumor in the heads of some London journalists, who were always keen for a Beatles story. [35][nb 3] A cover version of "Saint Paul" by New Zealand singer Shane reached the top of that nation's singles charts. According to them there is a secret phone number hidden in the stars making up the title on the sleeve of the Magical Mystery Tour album. And we're talking merely on a biological level. Maybe in '66 and a year or three but now, No. The list could go on. Everyone is looking in the wrong place. Those dreamy eyes I fell in love with in 1963. His lips are also a darker color than all of the others, suggesting that his lips are blue (as corpses lips are). So is laziness-and apathy. What IF faul was knighted for his lifelong dedication to the lie? Shears and Paul's ends of their noses are different and the cheekbones on Paul are somewhat larger. Ring it and you will hear a true account of Pauls death. This material may not be reproduced without permission. No winners were ever announced for this competition. [17] McCartney said that the speculation was understandable, given that he normally did "an interview a week" to ensure he remained in the news. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in the US. Then Paul McCartney introduces the singer coming up on the next song So let me introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears and Ringo starts to sing. If you recall, Billy Shears had a heavy hand in penning the Sgt. I find peace in thinking about John playing a song he contributed so much to and lived thru in such Grace. [76] Among sociological studies, Barbara Suczek recognised it as, in Schaffner's description, a contemporary reading of the "archetypal myth wherein the beautiful youth dies and is resurrected as a god".