Wings

Paul and Linda McCartney formed Wings in the wake of the Beatles' breakup, and for a band designed as a short take-off recording and touring group, it had a rocky start. With Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell on guitar and drums and Linda McCartney wherever Paul put her, the first release, Wild Life, was anything but to critics' eyes. Henry McCullough joined in '72, the band toured England, Siewell and McCullough left, McCartney's "Live and Let Die" topped the charts, and finally, in 1973 the band had its first big album, Band on the Run. A new Wings was formed on the heels of Band on the Run and that line-up, which included Jimmy McCulloch and Geoff Britton, produced Wings' monster smash and reason-to-remember-the-band, Speed of Sound in 1976. McCartney continued to invest his time in side projects, and although Wings turned out more albums, notably 1979's successful Back to the Egg, its days were numbered. McCartney had a dust-up on the Japan tour and a year later put a hold on touring after John Lennon was killed. Laine left, Wings crashed, and McCartney went on to other highly successful ventures.