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Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, were an English-American rock band formed in 1971 in London by former Beatles songwriter, bassist, guitarist, and singer Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. They were noted for their commercial ...
- Overview
- Beginnings and Wild Life
- First hits: “My Love” and “Live and Let Die”
- Band on the Run
- Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound
- “Mull of Kintyre” and later albums
- Disbanding and legacy
Paul McCartney and Wings, British-American rock band founded by Beatles icon Paul McCartney (b. June 18, 1942, Liverpool, England) and his wife, Linda McCartney (b. Linda Eastman, September 24, 1941, Scarsdale, New York—d. April 17, 1998, Tucson, Arizona). After a lackluster start, the band became a showcase for Paul McCartney’s masterful songwriti...
Following the breakup of the Beatles, Paul McCartney released the albums McCartney (1970) and Ram (1971). However, he wanted to avoid long stretches away from his wife, Linda McCartney, whom he married in 1969. Having her tour with him and perform onstage would solve many of the problems that befall marriages in the world of popular music, so he taught her to play keyboards, and they formed a new band. He invited guitarist Denny Laine (b. Brian Hines, October 29, 1944, near Jersey, Channel Islands), former Moody Blues member and longtime friend, as well as Ram session drummer Denny Seiwell (b. July 10, 1943, Lehighton, Pennsylvania) to join.
The band, which Paul McCartney named Wings, recorded their first album, Wild Life (1971), in eight days to give it a live feel. The record, however, received mostly mediocre reviews from critics. In 1972 guitarist Henry McCullough (b. July 21, 1943, Portstewart, Northern Ireland—d. June 14, 2016, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland) joined Wings, and the band decided to embark on a tour to establish themselves. They avoided playing Beatles songs and only performed in small clubs and colleges in the United Kingdom.
In 1973 the band renamed themselves Paul McCartney and Wings to combat the sluggish commercial response to Wings. They released Red Rose Speedway, which featured the single “My Love.” The song provided the band with their first hit, reaching number one in the United States. Later that year, the band released “Live and Let Die,” the theme for the Ja...
After “Live and Let Die,” McCullough and Seiwell left the band, and the remaining members traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, to record Band on the Run. It became the band’s most successful album and later appeared on lists of the greatest rock records of all time. The title track reached number one in the United States, while the singles “Jet” and “Helen ...
Wings added guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (b. June 4, 1953, Dumbarton, Scotland—d. September 27, 1979, London, England) and drummer Geoff Britton (b. August 1, 1943, London) to the lineup, but the latter left during the recording of Wing’s next album Venus and Mars (1975). He was replaced by Joe English (b. February 7, 1949, Rochester, New York) soon after. The album reached number one in the United States on the strength of the single “Listen to What the Man Said.”
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The release Wings at the Speed of Sound was a number one album in the United States. “Let ‘Em In,” and “Silly Love Songs” were massive hits, with the latter showcasing Linda’s vocals. Wings toured the United States on the Wings over America Tour, the first time Paul McCartney had played live in the U.S. since the last Beatles concert there, in 1966. The band also began playing Beatles songs, drawing yet more interest. The 1976 live album Wings over America documented the tour and was certified platinum in the United States.
In 1977 Wings released “Mull of Kintyre,” which became the most successful single of Paul McCartney’s career, selling more than any Beatles single had in the United Kingdom. That same year, however, English and McCulloch left the band, with Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, and Laine a trio once again. Wings’s subsequent albums had mixed success. Lo...
A series of events in 1980 led up to Paul McCartney choosing to dissolve Wings the following year. In January the band’s tour of Japan was canceled after McCartney was arrested for marijuana possession when he arrived at Narita International Airport, Tokyo. The tour was subsequently canceled, and McCartney delayed resuming public appearances, repor...
- Kirk Fox
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- WINGS EXISTS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AS CHEERS AND FRASIER. It’s no coincidence that Wings is the airport version of Cheers, as its co-creators—David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee—spent several years working together on the beloved series about the bar where everybody knows your name.
- GEORGE CLOONEY WANTED TO BE BRIAN HACKETT. Four years before landing the career-changing role of Dr. Doug Ross on ER, George Clooney auditioned to play the role of fun-loving playboy Brian Hackett.
- BRYAN CRANSTON TRIED OUT FOR THE PART OF JOE HACKETT. The future Walter White auditioned to play Joe Hackett, the anal-retentive owner of Sandpiper Air.
- TIM DALY DIDN’T APPRECIATE THE SERIES UNTIL YEARS LATER. In a 2014 interview with The A.V. Club, Daly admitted that “like a lot of people, I hadn’t really appreciated Wings until sort of recently.”
Jun 8, 2021 · Wings shared a fictional setting with Cheers and just as many laughs. Here's what the many cast members have been up to since the show finished in 1997.
Jan 29, 2024 · Wings was one of the most successful sitcoms of the 1990s. The series is set at the Tom Nevers Field airport, located on the island of Nantucket, and follows the airline of Sandpiper Air, run by brothers Joe and Brian Hackett.
Wings is an American sitcom television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from April 19, 1990, to May 21, 1997, for a total of 172 episodes.
