Summer Of 1971 – August 3 – PAUL McCARTNEY Announced The Birth Of WINGS Today 55 Years Ago
3 August 2026
On 3 August 1971, today 55 years ago, a year after The Beatles split, PAUL McCARTNEY told the world that he had a new band called WINGS, which featured his wife Linda (1965-1998) and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine (1943-2013)
They recorded/released 7 LPs before breaking up in 1981.
Wings debut single, named Give Ireland Back To The Irish, was a very surprising
one, as it was the first political song Macca ever wrote (co-credited to his wife).
It was in response to the events of Bloody Sunday, on 30 January 1972, when British troops in Northern Ireland shot dead thirteen civil rights protestors. Keen to voice their outrage at the killings, Wings recorded the track two days later at EMI Studios in London.
It was, as expected, banned by the BBC.
