Wings
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One of the successful bands in the early 70’s until the early 80's which was formed by the former member of the popular band, The Beatles, Paul McCartney. One of their biggest hit albums is, Red Rose Speedway.
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About
Wings was formed in August 1971 by one of The Beatles member, Paul McCartney. Other original members comprised of Paul's wife, "Linda McCartney", "Denny Laine" and "Denny Seiwell". Denny is a former guitarist of Moody Blues. The group has been formed bu Paul after the break up of The Beatles.
In December 1971, their first album, Wild Life was released. The album was greeted with poor reviews and was a relative flop. In 1972, "Henry McCullough", former Grease Band guitarist was added to the line up. They spawned three singles, "Give Ireland Back to the Irish," "ary Had a Little Lamb," and "Hi Hi Hi" in that same year.
In 1973, their second album, Red Rose Speedway was released. The album chartered #1 at the UK Album Chart. It features the hit single, "My Love" which chartered #1 at the UK Singles Chart. In that same year, Denny and Henry left the band. In the later part of 1973, their third album, Band on the Run was released. The album spends four weeks at the US Album Charts. The album went to #1 in both the US and UK Album Charts. It issued three hit singles, "Jet", "Helen Wheels" and "Abbey Road".
After the released of the said album, "Jimmy McCulloch", former lead guitarist of Thunderclap Newman and Stone The Crows joined the band. They released their next album, McGear in 1974. After a shortwhile, "Geoff Britton" was added to their line up.
In 1975, they released their new album, Venus and Mars which became #1 at the US Albums Chart. It contained the number 1 hit single, "Listen To What The Man Said". After the released, George left the band and replaced by "Joe English". Their next album, Wings at The Speed of Sound was released in March 1976.
After their Wings tour, they released their next single, "Maybe I'm Amazed". In 1977, they took a break from the music industry. In the later part of that year, Jimmy and Joe left the band. The now trio members released their next single, "Mull of Kintyre" in that year which became a huge hit. It became one of the biggest selling UK Singles of all time.
The trio released their next album, London Town in 1978. It spawned two hit singles, "With A Little Luck" which chartered #1 in the US Singles Chart and "London Town". In the later part of that year, "Laurence Juber" and "Steve Holly" joined the band. However, their next album Back To The Egg, did not received good critics, and has sold disappointingly, at least when compared to its immediate predecessors. The group took a break again in 1979 with Paul releasing a new solo album. In April 1981, Denny left the band and so Paul decided to disband the band.
Members
(1971 - 1981)
Paul McCartney (vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar)
Linda McCartney(vocals, keyboards)
Denny Laine" (vocals, guitar, bass, piano)
(1971 - 1973)
Denny Seiwell (drums)
(1972 - 1973)
Henry McCullough" (vocals, guitar)
(1974 - 1977)
Jimmy McCulloch" (vocals, guitar)
(1974 - 1975)
George Britton" (drums, percussion)
(1975 - 1977)
Joe English" (vocals, drums, percussion)
(1975 - 1981)
Tony Dorsey" (Horn, brass)
"Howie Casey" (horn, brass)
"Thaddeus Richard" (horn, brass)
"Steve Howard" (horn, brass)
(1978 - 1981)
Laurence Juber (vocals, guitar)
Steve Holly" (vocals, percussion)
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus for "Band on The Run". |
Certifications
| Year | RIAA USA |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Certified 3x Platinum |
Chart Toppers
| Year | UK Album Chart | US Album Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 11 | 10 | Wild Life |
| 1973 | 5 | 1 | Red Rose Speedway |
| 1973 | 1 | 1 | Bandon The Run |
| 1975 | 1 | 1 | Venus and Mars |
| 1976 | 2 | 1 | Wings at the Speed of Sound |
| 1976 | 8 | 1 | Wings over America |
| 1978 | 4 | 2 | London Town |
| 1979 | 6 | 8 | Back To The Egg |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Wings.
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
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 Band on The Run
December 7, 1973 |
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Give Ireland Back to the Irish | Apple |
| 1972 | Mary Had a Little Lamb | Apple |
| 1974 | Band on the Run | Apple |
| 1974 | Junior's Farm | Apple |
| 1975 | Listen to What the Man Said | Parlophone |
| 1975 | Venus and Mars/Rock Show | Capitol |
| 1976 | Silly Love Songs | Parlophone |
| 1978 | With a Little Luck | Parlophone |
Compilations & Live Releases
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 Wings Greatest
December 1, 1978 |
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Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Trivia
- The band name is said to have come to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella McCartney. Paul McCartney recalled in the film Wingspan that the birth of Stella was "a bit of a drama"; there were complications at the birth and that both Linda and the baby almost died. He was praying fervently and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to name his new band "Wings"
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | Rock | Soft Rock
