Paul Wickens

Paul "Wix" Wickens (born 27 March 1956) 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, David Gilmour 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's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary to Quintessential Phases and performed at his memorial service in 2001.

Career 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 Year Album Artist 1978 Dynamite Daze Kevin Coyne 1978 Millionaires and Teddy Bears Kevin Coyne 1979 Babble Kevin Coyne and Dagmar Krause 1983 "All I See Is You" Eddie and Sunshine 1983 "Do What You Wanna Do" / "Movin' On" Chris Thompson 1983 "Perfect Stranger" Eddie and Sunshine 1983 The Golden Section John Foxx 1983 Soul Mining The The 1984 Human Racing Nik Kershaw 1984 Un autre monde Téléphone 1984 The Riddle Nik Kershaw 1984 The Bad and Lowdown World of the Kane Gang Kane Gang 1985 In Mysterious Ways John Foxx 1986 "Hi Ho Silver" Jim Diamond 1986 Radio Musicola Nik Kershaw 1986 Big Canoe Tim Finn 1986 Get Close The Pretenders 1987 Blue Slipper Helen Watson 1987 American English Wax 1987 Ambition Tommy Shaw 1987 To Be Reborn Boy George 1988 Ain't Complaining Status Quo 1988 What Up, Dog? Was (Not Was) 1988 From Langley Park to Memphis Prefab Sprout 1988 Creeping Up on Jesus The Big Dish 1989 One Good Reason Paul Carrack 1989 Gatecrashing Living in a Box 1989 The Works Nik Kershaw 1989 Flowers in the Dirt Paul McCartney 1989 Mind Bomb The The 1990 Stolen Moments John Hiatt 1990 Other Voices Paul Young 1990 Tripping the Live Fantastic Paul McCartney 1991 Places I Have Never Been Willie Nile 1993 Off the Ground Paul McCartney 1993 Paul Is Live Paul McCartney 1996 Big White Room Melanie Garside 1996 Desire for Freedom Jim Diamond 1997 So Help Me Girl Gary Barlow 2002 Back in the US/Back in the World Paul McCartney 2003 Seven Years – Ten Weeks David Sneddon 2007 Memory Almost Full Paul McCartney 2009 Good Evening New York City Paul McCartney 2013 New Paul McCartney 2018 Egypt Station Paul McCartney