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| Denny Laine, 2014 |
Guitarist Denny Laine, center front, is shown in a 1979 image with the band Wings,for the release of the album "Back To The Egg." In front row, left to right are Steve Holly, Laine and the late Linda McCartney. Paul and Laurence Juber are standing at the back.
A series of guitarists and drummers rotated through the lineup of Wings, Paul's post-Beatles band that helped Macca continue as a superstar in the '70s. In addition to his late wife, Linda, the only other musician who was there for the duration was former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine.
Now 69, Laine will perform an intimate gig Friday in the new Midwest Music Museum at the Mall of America. Think of it as a preview for Paul's sold-out show Saturday at Target Field.
While Laine will be best remembered for Wings, he worked with a ton of interesting folks, starting with the Moody Blues. He left that group soon after their debut album, but he sang the Moody Blues' first hit, 1964's "Go Now." From there, Laine bounced around in several bands, playing with a young Steve Winwood in Ginger Baker's Air Force as well as several other guys who would later end up in the Move and Electric Light Orchestra.
Paul came calling in 1971 and Laine spent the next decade writing, recording and touring with Wings. A handful of his songs popped up on later Wings albums, and he shared a writing credit with Paul on "Mull of Kintyre," a 1977 single that flopped here but broke sales records in England.
Wings dissolved after two major events in 1980 left McCartney uninterested in touring, the pot bust in Japan that January that led to him spending 10 days in jail and the December murder of John Lennon. Laine went on to record a series of minor solo albums and has spent recent years occasionally touring the nostalgia circuit and reportedly working on his autobiography.
If you're headed to see McCartney Saturday night, you can avoid post-show traffic by popping over to First Avenue where your Macca ticket stub is good for free admission to a trio of cover bands: Steeling Dan, All Tomorrow's Petty and Wangs. Wangs includes members of Night Moves and Buffalo Moon and earned a best cover band of the year nod from City Pages.
A series of guitarists and drummers rotated through the lineup of Wings, Paul's post-Beatles band that helped Macca continue as a superstar in the '70s. In addition to his late wife, Linda, the only other musician who was there for the duration was former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine.
Now 69, Laine will perform an intimate gig Friday in the new Midwest Music Museum at the Mall of America. Think of it as a preview for Paul's sold-out show Saturday at Target Field.
While Laine will be best remembered for Wings, he worked with a ton of interesting folks, starting with the Moody Blues. He left that group soon after their debut album, but he sang the Moody Blues' first hit, 1964's "Go Now." From there, Laine bounced around in several bands, playing with a young Steve Winwood in Ginger Baker's Air Force as well as several other guys who would later end up in the Move and Electric Light Orchestra.
Paul came calling in 1971 and Laine spent the next decade writing, recording and touring with Wings. A handful of his songs popped up on later Wings albums, and he shared a writing credit with Paul on "Mull of Kintyre," a 1977 single that flopped here but broke sales records in England.
Wings dissolved after two major events in 1980 left McCartney uninterested in touring, the pot bust in Japan that January that led to him spending 10 days in jail and the December murder of John Lennon. Laine went on to record a series of minor solo albums and has spent recent years occasionally touring the nostalgia circuit and reportedly working on his autobiography.
If you're headed to see McCartney Saturday night, you can avoid post-show traffic by popping over to First Avenue where your Macca ticket stub is good for free admission to a trio of cover bands: Steeling Dan, All Tomorrow's Petty and Wangs. Wangs includes members of Night Moves and Buffalo Moon and earned a best cover band of the year nod from City Pages.
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