Paul McCartney & Wings

Paul McCartney & Wings was the band McCartney formed in London in 1971 with his wife Linda and Denny Laine after the Beatles dissolved. Band on the Run (1973), cut in Lagos under trying circumstances, is his post-Beatles high-water mark and hit number one on the Billboard 200. Find Paul McCartney & Wings vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.

About Paul McCartney & Wings

Wings formed in London in 1971 by Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942, Liverpool) following the April 1970 dissolution of the Beatles. The band was his attempt to return to live touring activity (which the Beatles had abandoned in 1966) and to recover from post-Beatles depression. The initial lineup featured Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney (keyboards, vocals), and Denny Laine (formerly of the Moody Blues). The lineup rotated across the band's decade-long history with revolving drummer and lead guitarist positions. Their 1973 album Band on the Run - recorded in Lagos, Nigeria amid security and personnel issues - is widely cited as one of Paul McCartney's most important post-Beatles works and reached number one on the Billboard 200. They continued through Wings over America (1976, the Wings touring document), London Town (1978), and the final album Back to the Egg (1979). The band dissolved by 1981 amid McCartney solo work pivots. Linda McCartney died of breast cancer on April 17, 1998 at age 56. Denny Laine died on December 5, 2023 at age 79. Paul McCartney has continued his solo career across multiple decades.

Sound and style

Wings's sound combines rock, pop rock, soft rock, rock and roll, glam rock, art rock, and progressive rock with Paul McCartney's distinctive vocal delivery, his foundational melodic bass approach, multi-vocalist arrangements (Linda McCartney harmonies and Denny Laine co-leads), and arrangements drawing on classic Beatles traditions alongside contemporary 1970s rock influences.