Eventually “Wildflower” spent 21 weeks on the Billboard pop chart. Capitol decided to issue it in neighboring Detroit as a regional release, where it became a huge soul hit before breaking out nationally and crossing over to the pop charts. During that period, it was the only radio station in North America to have the song on its playlist. Rosalie Trombley, music director at CKLW, a Canadian radio station in Windsor, Ontario, played “Wildflower,” at that time still an album cut, repeatedly for three months in an effort to satisfy the Canadian government’s requirements for Canadian content. After it was rejected by several studios, Capitol Records signed the band and the song, with Donny Gerrard handling the vocal, was included on their eponymous first album. Barry De Vorzon, by 1972 an established music business name, heard the demo and was convinced that the song would be a big hit. Their 1972 breakout ballad “Wildflower” peaked at No.9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later sampled on Jamie Foxx’s 2005 platinum-certified hit “Unpredictable.”Ĭo-written by Skylark’s Doug Edwards and band acolyte Dave Richardson, “Wildflower” was included on their initial demo tape. Born in Vancouver, Canada, on March 19, 1946, Gerrard was the singer for the soulful early 1970s band Skylark, who also featured producer David Foster as a keyboardist.
0 kommentar(er)
