Paul McCartney has announced Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, a new book he co-authored about the history of his band, Wings, formed in the 1970s after The Beatles broke up. Written by McCartney with an introduction by Ted Widmer, the 528-page book arrives on November 4.
The book opens with the original lineup of the band consisting of McCartney and his wife, American photographer and the band’s keyboardist and vocalist Linda McCartney, guitarist Denny Laine, and drummer Denny Seiwell. Serving as an oral history of the band, the book is structured around their nine albums (seven studio albums, a live album, and a compilation album) released in the ’70s, including 1973’s Band on the Run, going over their history up until their disbandment in 1981.
It includes interviews with McCartney’s former bandmates, family members, and key figures from that era, along with stories of key moments — such as the band surviving a robbery in Nigeria, making surprise appearances at university halls, and touring in a broken double-decker bus with their children — and over 150 previously unseen black-and-white and color photographs.
“I’m so very happy to be transported back to the time that was Wings and relive some of our madcap adventures through this book,” said McCartney, speaking about starting a band after the Beatles. “We proved Wings could be a really good band. To play to huge audiences in the same way the Beatles had and have an impact in a different way.”
Watch the trailer for Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run below:
Last year, the band released a 50th anniversary edition of Band on the Run, along with the live-in-studio album One Hand Clapping. Wings’ fourth studio album, Venus and Mars, is also set for a rerelease on March 21.
Meanwhile, Man on the Run, an upcoming documentary celebrating McCartney’s solo career and time in Wings, directed by American filmmaker Morgan Neville (Piece by Piece), will be released later this year.