CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) 鈥� The largest collection of Paul McCartney’s personal artifacts ever publicly displayed is part of a new exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame centering on his life after .
鈥淧aul McCartney and Wings,鈥� which opened Friday in Cleveland, explores after leaving the iconic British rock band through displays of instruments, handwritten songwriting notes and photographs taken by his wife, Linda McCartney, who was keyboardist and harmony vocalist for Wings during its decade-long run from 1971 to 1981, when the band produced hits including 鈥淏and on the Run,鈥� 鈥淪illy Love Songs鈥� and 鈥淟ive and Let Die.鈥�
After the breakup of The Beatles, Paul McCartney was no longer just the musician who had been known around the world since his teenage years, but a husband and father of a young family. What he built with Wings reflected that new stage of life, said Andy Leach, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame鈥檚 senior director of museum and archival collections.
Leach said the band鈥檚 embrace of domestic life 鈥� bringing children on tour, having a married couple perform together and writing songs inspired by his wife, who was also a member of the group 鈥� was 鈥渞emarkable and unusual鈥� for the era, when rock music remained overwhelmingly male-dominated and family life was rarely incorporated so visibly into a band鈥檚 public identity.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 interesting about Wings is that they were formed around the idea of reinvention, renewal, risk-taking, experimentation, but collaboration,鈥� Leach said. 鈥淎nd family was at the center of it, too.鈥�
Leach traveled to London to work with McCartney and his team to prepare and transport guitars along with clothing worn during performances to Cleveland. The vast majority of the artifacts are from McCartney鈥檚 personal collection.
Leach said Wings helped pioneer the large-scale production that came to define 1970s arena rock, using increasingly elaborate lighting and stage design on tours such as Wings Over the World and Wings Over America.
Leach said it was amazing to see and handle guitars that 鈥淚鈥檝e heard on record my whole life.鈥�
Visitors will also be able to step into a recreation of the farmhouse that McCartney still owns in Scotland, where Paul and Linda retreated after The Beatles’ breakup in 1970 and set up a recording studio.
In the home, photos of Paul and Linda McCartney and their children line the walls. Linda鈥檚 camera sits inside a case on the makeshift kitchen table.
The photographs taken by Linda, an acclaimed artist in her own right and the first female photographer to have a photo featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, in 1968, showcase her role 鈥渁t the center of the family, and in some ways, at the center of the band,” Leach said.
Linda McCartney was married for three decades to Paul, who taught her to play the keyboard after The Beatles’ breakup. She died in 1998 of breast cancer.
Another of Leach’s favorite artifacts is the handwritten scores by famed Beatles producer for the songs 鈥淯ncle Albert鈥� and the James Bond theme 鈥淟ive and Let Die,鈥� which became one of Wings’ most enduring songs.
Other items were lent by longtime Wings roadie John Hamill, former band members and the widow of , the co-founder of Wings and The Moody Blues, who played guitar, bass and keyboards and contributed both lead and backing vocals.
The Hall of Fame said the exhibit will be open for at least a year with the hope of keeping it open through the summer of 2027.
Leach said the exhibit is 鈥減erfect timing鈥� because of what he described as 鈥渁 nice kind of renaissance or at least a new appreciation for them among fans and a new understanding about how remarkable and important鈥� Wings鈥� musicians were.
He pointed to the release of the Amazon Prime documentary , a new box set and the 2025 book , co-written by Paul McCartney and historian Ted Widmer.
__ Willingham reported from Boston.
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