Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney, Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney racked up yet another honor on Friday when he received the MusiCares’ 2012 Person of the Year award at a star-studded ceremony hosted by Grammy organizers ahead of this weekend’s major music awards.

The line-up of artists celebrating the former member of the Fab Four at the charitable affair included veteran artists Neil Young and James Taylor, singers Katy Perry, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and Diana Krall, and pop rockers Coldplay and Foo Fighters,

McCartney opened with his own rendition of “Magical Mystery Tour” and throughout the night of tributes a string of performers sang tunes from his life’s work.

Katy Perry belted out a rendition of “Hey Jude.” Neil Young rocked the house with “I Saw Her Standing There.” Cold Play cried “We Can Work it Out,” and Alicia Keys gave a soulful version of “Blackbird” on piano.

“For me, obviously it’s great to here these fantastic artists singing my songs,” McCartney said when it came time to accept his award. He noted the different nuances each artist brought to his music and, of course, thanked everyone there.

Actor-comedian Eddie Izzard hosted the event to honor McCartney for his creative accomplishments over decades in the industry and his charitable work off the rock ‘n’ roll stage.

The gala for MusicCares, which is supported by Grammy organizers at the Recording Academy, raised $6.5 million to provide aid to musicians in need of help. The night featured a live auction of a red and cobalt blue piano, painted by Peter Max for Ringo Starr, that sold for $175,000.

Paul McCartney Wife Nancy Shevell

Paul McCartney Wife Nancy Shevell, Nancy “Trucker Girl” Shevell has stepped down from her position as a board member for the M.T.A., reports AMNY.

During a Wednesday morning meeting, Ms. Shevell gave her parting remarks: “In my 30-year professional career, this has been the highlight for me… Thank you so much. I am so very emotional and sad right now.”

Ms. Shevell will now be splitting time between New York and London, home of her Beatles husband Paul McCartney lives.

Born into the New England Motor Freight haulage dynasty, Ms. Shevell began serving the city in 2001. Her term on the M.T.A. board actually expired last year, but she had remained the head of the bus committee.

“She plays for the company team,” said Gene Russianoff , longtime spokesperson for the Straphanger’s Campaign during an interview last year with the Observer. “During her tenure as bus committee chairman, they eliminated 570 bus stops, which led to worse service. She didn’t publicly fight the budget cuts. She’s not a thorn in the side of the M.T.A.”

The Beatles Music

The Beatles Music, When jamming out to The Beatles with friends while in high school 17 years ago in Atlanta, Michael Fulop had an epiphany. “I said, ‘Let’s form a Beatles cover band,’ ” Fulop said while calling from Atlanta. “This will be amazing. I can’t believe that no one had ever thought of this before. I’m a genius.”

Fulop soon discovered that Beatles tributes were ubiquitous.

“I had never heard of ‘Beatlemania’ or any of those Beatles acts or shows,” Fulop said. “Not long after I thought I came up with something new, I discovered that there were 800 Beatles cover bands in 1995. I guess I wasn’t a genius after all.”

Fulop was hardly an original when it came to his Beatles cover concept. However, his love of The Beatles never abated.

“I loved it then, and I love it just as much now,” Fulop said. “It didn’t matter that there were so many Beatles cover bands. There was room for one more.”

The Return, performing Thursday (Feb. 9) at the Prudential Center between periods and after the New Jersey Devils-St. Louis Blues game, has been delivering Beatles tunes for 17 years.

“It’s a passion,” Fulop said. “It started simply. We just played parties. We combed our hair out into mop tops and had fun with it. But it became a career that I love.”

Fulop, who portrays George Harrison and his mates — Shane Landers as Paul, Richard Stelling as John and Adam Thurston as Ringo — deliver two types of sets, while sporting Beatles-era duds. The Return offers the early days through 1966 and the latter years after the group stopped playing live.

“When we perform in New Jersey, we’re going to do the early years through ’66, when they stopped doing concerts,” Fulop said. “What’s fun about doing the early stuff is that people get so excited and they start dancing. It’s a lot of fun and I think that will work well when we come up there to perform.”

Fulop can’t imagine ever tiring of The Beatles.

“You think I would get sick of it,” Fulop said. “I’ve played ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ way more than they ever did. Add it up. We’ve played it 100 times a year times 15-plus years, but I never get sick of it. In fact, what do I play when I’m home from the road? Beatles discs. I fall asleep to Beatles music at night.