Lovely Linda

 

When Mark and I met in college, the only common album we shared was Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run.” Coming of age in the 70’s, we loved the Beatles but realized that they belonged to an older generation. After the Beatles break up, when McCartney pursued a solo career with his new band, Wings, we felt like the new music they created was ours. Paul’s solo career was a huge success and his wife Linda played a big role in that.

I didn’t realize, until we stumbled onto the North American premiere of “The Linda McCartney Retrospective”(hosted by the University of Arizona’s  Center of Creative Photography) the important role Tucson played in the McCartney family’s life.

Linda actually went to school at the University of Arizona and studied photography while majoring in art history. Before she met Paul, she was a barrier breaker of the times becoming the first female photographer to have work featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine; a photo of Eric Clapton. After meeting and marrying Paul, the McCartneys purchased a ranch in Tucson that Paul still owns today. While battling breast cancer, Linda chose to spend her final days on the ranch, with Paul and her children, and when she died, her ashes were spread across the property.

The exhibition of over 200 photos, ranging from pictures of the dynamic music scene of the 1960’s to images of Linda’s home life with Paul are incredible. A favorite photo of mine has always been one of Paul and daughter Mary used for the album cover “McCartney” over 52 years ago. How fitting that father and daughter, in partnership with The Center for Creative Photography, curated this premiere event in Linda’s beloved Tucson.