Paul McCartney Pays Tribute To Wings Longtime Bandmate Denny Laine: “Great Talent With A Fine Sense Of Humour”
From left: Denny Laine, Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney of Wings in the 1970s Everett Collection
Paul McCartney paid tribute tonight to his fellow Wings co-founder Denny Laine, who died Tuesday at 79.
“I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with the Moody Blues,” the Beatles legend wrote on social media. “Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player.”
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McCartney added: “He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre’ which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.
“Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humour and was always ready to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great fondness by his friends. I send my condolences and best wishes to his wife, Elizabeth and family.”
Laine co-founded The Moody Blues in 1964 and sang on its first hit “Go Now” before leaving the group in 1966. He teamed with Paul and Linda McCartney and Denny Seiwell to form Wings in 1971, and the band went on to have six U.S. Top 10 singles and three chart-topping singles in “Silly Love Songs,” “Listen to What the Man Said” and “With a Little Luck.” It also scored a dozen Top 10 hits the in UK and one No. 1 single there.
Wings had multiple lineup changes, but Laine and the McCartneys were the only constants throughout the band’s initial 10-year run. He later went on to release solo albums and work with the former Beatle on his solo work.