Wings Over New Orleans

It's not every day that you get to meet your idol. For John Taylor, that day came in 1975 when he stopped by New Orleans' Sea-Saint Studio on a whim and struck up a relationship with Paul and Linda McCartney. After the breakup of the Beatles, the McCartneys formed the band Wings, which was active through the early '80s. The band had come to New Orleans to record their album Venus and Mars at Allen Toussaint's famous studio, setting the stage for some of the greatest-ever moments for McCartney fans.

The chance meeting with Paul and Linda McCartney led to a prolonged acquaintance, and Taylor, a professional musician, snapped scores of candid photographs of the famous couple. Taylor's recollections, along with those of other locals who spent time with the McCartneys and their children during their New Orleans stay, are included with more than sixty of these photographs, many published here for the first time. The McCartneys' graciousness and unpretentious nature shine through in these vignettes.