Cover revealed for Sir Paul McCartney’s upcoming Wings book
By Kerri-Ann Roper, PA Entertainment Editor
Sir Paul McCartney says working on upcoming book about former band Wings “awakened so many beautiful memories of our times back then”.
Based on dozens of hours of interviews with Sir Paul, Wings: The Story Of A Band On The Run, edited by American historian Edward “Ted” Widmer, details the journey of the band, from its inception to the group’s dissolution in 1981.
Following his success with The Beatles, the Liverpool-born musician co-founded Wings in 1971, with his late wife Linda one of the members.
A picture, taken by Linda in Spain in 1972, and which is to be used as the book cover, shows her alongside Sir Paul, and former band members Denny Laine, Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell.
Sir Paul, 82, has written a foreword for the book, which is being published in November, and says: “Suddenly Wings has found its moment. We have a generational shift at work, and it’s like being transported back on a magic carpet.
“Working on the book has awakened so many beautiful memories of our times back then.”
The book is compiled from hours of new and historical interviews, as well as newly discovered and previously unheard interviews from Sir Paul’s personal archive.
It features more than 150 photographs, some unseen, capturing the band through the years and which were taken by Sir Paul, Linda, Sir Paul’s younger brother Mike, and photographers Clive Arrowsmith, Henry Diltz and Robert Ellis.
The book will also feature some of Sir Paul’s diary entries from the time and handwritten lyrics.
Singer and songwriter Sir Paul has had a career spanning more than six decades as one of the most famous stars the UK music industry has produced.
In July 1971, Sir Paul and Linda teamed up with The Moody Blues’ Laine and drummer Seiwell to start working on a Wings debut album.
Titled Wild Life, it took just two weeks, according to Sir Paul’s official website, with opening track Mumbo recorded in one take.
The next year, in 1972, Sir Paul embarked on a Wings tour with the University of Nottingham the first venue on February 9th.
That same year, Wings performed a concert tour of Europe, notable for the eye-catching double-decker bus which was used, with its psychedelic colour scheme ensuring nobody missed it along its travels.
Wings went on to have hits with songs including Mull Of Kintyre, James Bond film theme Live And Let Die, Band On The Run and more, before they disbanded in 1981.
From the 1973 album of the same name, Band On The Run went on to win a Grammy in 1975 for the best pop vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus and peaked at number three in the UK singles chart in August 1974.
Laine’s death at the age of 79 was announced by his wife Elizabeth Hines in December 2023, who said he had “passed away peacefully” following a battle with lung disease.
In 2022, Sir Paul, then aged 80, delivered a history-making Glastonbury headline set as he became the festival’s oldest solo headliner.
In December 2024, he played songs by Wings and The Beatles to a packed crowd at London’s O2 Arena in a performance that saw him welcome his former Beatles bandmate Sir Ringo Starr to the stage.