File:Wings_1976.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Wings
Sign in to saveAlso known as Paul McCartney and Wings, Paul McCartney & Wings, Suzy And The Red Stripes, The Country Hams, Paul McCartney and The Wings, Paul McCartney & The Wings, The Wings
British-American rock band led by Paul McCartney
Key facts
- Also known as
- Wings, Suzy and the Red Stripes, The Country Hams
- Origin
- London, England
- Genres
- Rock soft rock
- Years active
- 1971–1981
- Labels
- Apple Capitol Parlophone Columbia
- Spinoff of
- The Beatles
- Past members
- Paul McCartney Linda McCartney Denny Laine Denny Seiwell Henry McCullough Jimmy McCulloch Geoff Britton Joe English Steve Holley Laurence Juber
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official name
- Wings
- Official website
- www.PaulMcCartney.com
- Image
- Paul McCartney with Linda McCartney - Wings - 1976.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- inception
- 1971-00-00
- start of work period
- 1971-00-00
- end of work period
- 1981-00-00
- Commons category
- Wings (band)
Sources (7)
via Wikidata · CC0
~32 min read
Article
Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, were a British rock band from 1971 to 1981, formed in London. The core members were McCartney, the former Beatle, on vocals and bass, his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, and Moody Blues alumnus Denny Laine on guitar and vocals. They were noted for their commercial successes, musical eclecticism, and frequent personnel changes. They went through three lead guitarists and four drummers; the core trio of the McCartneys and Laine, however, remained intact throughout the group's existence.
Originally consisting of the McCartneys, Laine, and drummer Denny Seiwell, the band's first two albums, Wild Life (1971) and Red Rose Speedway (1973), the latter featuring guitarist Henry McCullough, were viewed as artistic disappointments beside Paul's work with the Beatles. After the release of the title track of the James Bond film Live and Let Die, McCullough and Seiwell resigned from the band. The McCartneys and Laine then released 1973's Band on the Run, a commercial and critical success that spawned two top-ten singles in "Jet" and the title track. Following that album, the band recruited guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Geoff Britton, only for Britton to quit shortly afterward and be replaced by Joe English. With the new line-up, Wings released 1975's Venus and Mars, which included the US number-one single "Listen to What the Man Said", and undertook a highly successful world tour over 1975–76. Intended as more of a group effort, Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976) was issued midway through the tour and featured the hit singles "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In".