Paul McCartney’s Brother Refused to Admit He Was Related to the Musician

Paul McCartney’s brother Michael was also a musician, but his career did not reach the same level of success as the Beatle. This couldn’t have been easy, and he began calling himself Michael McGear instead of Michael McCartney. He also denied his relationship with the singer. He told people that he wished he was related to McCartney, because it would mean he had more money.

Paul McCartney’s brother was also a musician 

While growing up, McCartney and Michael were both interested in music. Their father had played in a band, and he passed down his love of music to both his sons. Michael also almost joined The Beatles, but a bit of bad luck meant that the band hired Pete Best instead.

“I’d been practicing on drums that had fallen off the back of a lorry into our house on Forthlin Road, Liverpool,” he told The Guardian. “But when I was 13, I broke my arm at scout camp, so Pete Best got the job in our kid’s group.”

Still, he continued playing music. He joined a comedy, poetry, and music group called The Scaffold, which saw minor success, though nothing all that significant. He also released a solo album. By the 1980s, though, he had retired from music entirely.

Paul McCartney’s brother wanted to avoid comparisons to the Beatle

Throughout his music career, Michael went by the name Mike McGear in order to discourage comparisons to his famous brother.

“I don’t want to be famous, just a success at my job, as long as I’m making it on my own,” he said in the book The Beatles: The Authorized Biography by Hunter Davies. “What I always worried about was being like Sean Connery’s brother, or Tommy Steele’s brother, just trying to follow in their brothers’ footsteps.”

While he didn’t necessarily want to be famous, he admitted that it wasn’t always easy having a famous brother.

“I suppose I couldn’t help being affected by our kid,” he said. “He’s always had success. He was the first boy, the best-looking one, the one who got all the girls and then all the fame.”

According to Davies, when fans approached Michael, he typically denied his relationship with McCartney.

“No, love, wish I was his brother,” he would tell them. “I’d be in the money then, wouldn’t I?”

Inviting comparisons may have helped his career

Michael’s desire to make it on his own as a musician was admirable, especially since his brother was one of the most famous people in the world. If he had leaned into his familial ties to McCartney, he might have seen more success. 

Through his connection to McCartney, he could have found producers and other musicians who were willing to work with him. This would not have guaranteed his success, but it might have set him up for a larger career. John Lennon’s father, relying on his son’s name, recorded an album. Michael might have had a more fruitful and lasting music career if he had leaned into his family name.