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.
Paul Wickens

bluecherry74 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Born
- 27 March 1956
- Birthplace
- Brentwood, Essex, England
- Birth Name
- Paul Wickens
- Occupation
- Musician, producer
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Fields
- music, individual double-skin hourglass-shaped drums and both heads played.
- Education
- Brentwood School.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
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.
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Note VALÉORINE
Paul Wickens (born 1956) is a British composer, musician and record producer, among other activities. The composer was born in Brentwood. Paul Wickens is also known as Wix.
Paul Wickens studied at Brentwood School. The composer is active in individual double-skin hourglass-shaped drums, both heads played and music. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 27 March 1956 • Birthplace — Brentwood, Essex, England • Birth Name — Paul Wickens • Occupation — Musician, producer • Instrument — Keyboards • Years Active — 1973–present
Early life
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
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".
Music producer
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
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

Abraham (Abe) Laboriel Jr. | Drums / Vocals Brian Ray | Guitars / Vocals) Rusty Anderson | Guitars/Vocals Paul 'Wix' Wickens | Keyboards / Vocals Estadio Centenario. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Jimmy Baikovicius from Montevideo, Uruguay · Uruguay and British Flags | Paul McCartney | ON THE RUN | 120416-9673-jikatu

Paul and Paul 'Wix' Wickens. Estadio Centenario. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Jimmy Baikovicius from Montevideo, Uruguay · Uruguay and British Flags | Paul McCartney | ON THE RUN | 120416-9666-jikatu
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Andy Gregory. The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. : Taylor & Francis Group. 542. 2002. 978-18574-316-12.
- 2.Canhoto, Bela. Interview With Paul "Wix" Wickens.
- 3.Regen, John. VIDEO - Wix Wickens' Touring Rig with Paul McCartney.
- 4.Simpson, Dave. 'It means more to me now I've lost family': how the The made This Is the Day. The Guardian. 25 April 2022.
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Citations
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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