It was 45 years ago tonight (May 3rd, 1976) that Paul McCartney kicked off his one-and-only North American tour with Wings, dubbed “Wings Over America,” in Fort Worth, Texas. The tour, which featured the classic fourth lineup of Wings, marked McCartney's return to the U.S. concert stage for the first time since the Beatles' final tour during the summer of 1966.
Since 1972, McCartney and Wings had recorded and toured extensively throughout the U.K., Europe, and Australia with various lineups of the group, which included wife Linda on keyboards and Moody Blues co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine. It took the worldwide success of Wings' Number One albums Red Rose Speedway, Band On The Run, Venus And Mars — and his then-most recent release Wings At The Speed Of Sound — along with nine Top Ten hits, including the soon-to-be Number One “Silly Love Songs,” to bring the act to America.
By the time Wings hit the U.S., the group included drummer Joe English, 22-year-old guitar virtuoso Jimmy McCulloch, as well as a four-piece horn section. Throughout the two-and-a-half hour show, McCartney moved around the stage playing bass, acoustic guitar, and both grand and electric pianos.