| Wix Wickens | |
|---|---|
 Wickens at RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland, in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Wickens |
| Born | (1956-03-27) 27 March 1956 (age 68) Brentwood, Essex, England |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
| Instrument | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1973–present |
Paul "Wix" Wickens is an English musician best known as keyboardist and musical director of Paul McCartney's touring band since 1989. In a career that started in 1973, Wickens has also worked with artists including Nik Kershaw, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bon Jovi, Edie Brickell, Kevin Coyne and many others.
Early life
Wickens attended Brentwood School, Essex where he became a friend of fellow student Douglas Adams. Wickens composed the music for the sequel radio productions of Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary to Quintessential Phases and performed at his memorial service in 2001.
Career
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In the early 1980s Wickens was a member of Woodhead Monroe, a band that issued two singles distributed by Stiff, "Mumbo Jumbo" and "Identify".
Wickens began touring with Paul McCartney in 1989. Since then, Wickens has served as the musical director for many of McCartney's tours. He continues to tour with McCartney (as his keyboardist, occasional guitarist and backing vocalist), and is the longest serving of the four musicians in McCartney's touring band.
Wickens played on albums by Tommy Shaw of the American rock band Styx, the Damned, Tim Finn, Paul Carrack, Nik Kershaw, Jim Diamond, Boy George, and David Gilmour, and was the co-producer of the first Savage Progress album. He also was the keyboardist and programmer for Edie Brickell & New Bohemians album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars – which was where he first met Chris Whitten. Wickens was also involved in making the 2008 album Bandaged in aid of BBC Children in Need.
Wickens played accordion on the The's minor UK hit "This Is the Day", from their album Soul Mining. He also recorded a version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
Selected discography
Music producer
| Year | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Desire for Freedom | Jim Diamond |
| 1988 | Creeping Up on Jesus | The Big Dish |
| 1992 | Sleeping Satellite | Tasmin Archer |
| 1992 | Great Expectations | Tasmin Archer |
| 1993 | In Your Care | Tasmin Archer |
| 1996 | Big White Room | Melanie Garside |
| 1996 | She Knows | Melanie Garside |
Performer
References
- Canhoto, Bela, Interview With Paul "Wix" Wickens, archived from the original on 22 May 2008, retrieved 19 January 2009
- Regen, John, VIDEO - Wix Wickens' Touring Rig with Paul McCartney, retrieved 29 April 2018
- Simpson, Dave (25 April 2022). "'It means more to me now I've lost family': how the The made This Is the Day". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
External links
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- 1956 births
- Living people
- Edie Brickell & New Bohemians members
- English male songwriters
- English pop keyboardists
- English record producers
- English rock keyboardists
- English session musicians
- Musicians from Essex
- Paul McCartney Band members
- People educated at Brentwood School, Essex
- People from Brentwood, Essex
- British keyboardist stubs
- British composer stubs