# Wix Wickens

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

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 Strangers | 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 |