Wings (Musical group)

Wings, sometimes billed as Paul McCartney and Wings, were a British rock band from 1971 to 1981, formed in London. The core members were Paul McCartney, a former member of The Beatles, 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". In 1977, McCulloch and English departed before the release of Wings' only UK number-one single, "Mull of Kintyre", which became one of the best-selling UK singles in history. Following the 1978 album London Town, the McCartneys and Laine added guitarist Laurence Juber and drummer Steve Holley. The resulting album, Back to the Egg, underperformed and received negative reviews. During the supporting tour, Paul was arrested in Japan for cannabis possession, putting the band on hold. Following a US number one with a live-recorded version of "Coming Up" (1980), Wings disbanded in 1981 after Laine departed. In total, Wings had six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.