Sir Paul McCartney Receives Companion of Honour Award
Sir Paul McCartney turned 75 yesterday, and not only was the day extra special with the addition of Father’s Day, but the day was made, in his words “colossal,” by the honor of having his knighthood title elevated to Companion of Honour.
McCartney controversially received his original MBE or Member of the British Empire medal in 1965 along with John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, much to the chagrin of much of the British Empire. McCartney was officially knighted and given the title of “Sir” on March 11, 1997 at the age of 54 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Paul McCartney is only a handful of musicians to ever be bestowed with the Companion of Honor award, and is joined in receiving the title this year by Stephen Hawking, Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, and J.K. Rowling, who were all named as part of this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honors list.
Willie And Merle Final Filmed Set to Air This Sunday
The long-anticipated special performance by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard at Austin’s Arlyn Studios from November 2014 has officially been picked up by music performance network AXS TV.
The episode was originally slated to be the pilot for the more-intimate-than-Austin City Limits “Inside Arlyn” series, and was taped back in 2014 to coincide with Nelson and Haggard’s Django and Jimmie album that was released a year later. The episode has only continued to earn a special place in history considering Merle Haggard’s death last year.
“It’s the last thing they did together, so it’s kind of timeless,” said Freddy Fletcher, nephew of Willie Nelson and founder of Arlyn Studios. The duo’s performance includes classics and new originals, as well as interview footage with the two outlaw country singers and Dan Rather.
AXS TV is carried locally by AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV, Dish Network, Grande, and others, and will air at 7 PM this Sunday, June 25th.
-Taylor Wallace