Wix Wickens

Paul "Wix" Wickens is an English musician best known as keyboardist and musical director of Paul McCartney's touring band since 1989.^[1][2] In a career spanning more than 40 years, Wickens has also worked with artists including Nik Kershaw, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bon Jovi, Edie Brickell, Kevin Coyne and many others.

Quick Facts Background information, Birth name ...

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 67) Brentwood, Essex, England
Occupation(s)	Musician, producer
Instrument(s)	Keyboards
Years active	1973–present

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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".^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Wickens played accordion on The The's minor UK hit "This Is the Day", from their album Soul Mining.^[3] He also recorded a version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".^{[citation needed]}

He 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.^{[citation needed]}