User:Edgarsteve

David Wilcox was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1949. David idolized the king of Rock N’ Roll, Elvis Presley. At a very young age, David started playing guitar in order to try and become like his idol. At the age of fourteen Wilcox played his first gig to a room full of convicted criminals. When Wilcox bought his first electric guitar (telecaster), he didn’t even know how to plug it in as he was solely just an acoustic musician up until then. David has used his blues-rock infused tracks to create gold and platinum albums and survive for more than 25 years in the music industry.

Early Years: On the day Wilcox couldn’t figure out how to plug in his guitar, he was auditioning for a band called The Great Speckled Bird. This was the band that supported Ian & Sylvia Tyson, and it was Wilcox’ first big break. This provided Wilcox with a ton of exposure on Ian & Sylvia’s Weekly T.V show. After a few years with Speckled Bird, Wilcox finally spread his wings and formed his own Group. David Wilcox and the Teddy Bears hit Toronto area bars and nightclubs in the mid 70’s. With Original Material such as “Old Cats” Wilcox was now performing to bigger crowds and building a reputation for himself.

The 1980’s: After 1977’s Out of the Woods, with such Blues infested upbeat songs such as “That Hypnotizing Boogie”, David Wilcox was establishing himself as a mainstream recording artist. After this album Wilcox’s’ sound could be described as a mix of 50’s rock and roll hiccup vocals, and a bluesy Chuck Berry Guitar sound with blues riffs and a slide guitar. Wilcox had dropped the thick plastic mustache and baggy suits of the Teddy Bear era, and was now a serious professional. With that came 1983’s My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble. This album was popularized by songs like “Riverboat Fantasy” showed different themes in Wilcox’s music. There was a slower more subtle blues style vocal and a quieter blues backing guitar. As Hypnotizing Boogie was about rock and roll, Riverboat Fantasy was about drugs. Wilcox was now beginning to write and sing about his excessive lifestyle. Continuing with these themes of Excess, 1984’s Bad Reputation brought such Sex defining classics as “Somthin’s Shakin” and “The Grind”. By the mid-1980’s Wilcox was getting extensive radio play and was widely becoming recognized for his musical productions. Because of his extensive commitment to playing shows on college campuses he was awarded by the COCA (Canadian Organization of Campus Activities) the Entertainer of the year in 1985. Wilcox was then signed under contract by EMI Canada and was headed for more commercial success. With 1987’s Breakfast at the Circus and 89’s The Natural Edge, Wilcox was exploring the stylish synthesizer-electronic sound of new wave and 80’s popular music. The title track off Breakfast at the Circus is an upbeat synthesized track. It draws comparison to Dire Straits 1986 hit “Walk of Life”. This album also brought the Hit “Laying Pipe”. It was metaphor using tracks such as this that helped relate Wilcox’s music with the blue collar down home man. Using digging and installing pipe as sexual references created popularity amongst his audience.

 1990-Present: In the next 10 years Wilcox released only one brand new studio album with 13 songs on it apply titled, Thirteen Songs. In this 1996 release Wilcox becomes a story teller with Piano infused tracks such as “Rainy Night Saloon”. Wilcox was once quoted saying that “this song is about some of the best and worst bars I’ve ever been in, what’s amazing is that some of them fit both categories.” Wilcox’s latest release is 2007’s Boy in the Boat. Wilcox created this album with the no business approach. “My first albums were done with no adult supervision!” Wilcox says, “With this one, we took that approach.” He goes on to say. David Wilcox is still performing today and over the last 15 years has released 2 compilation discs in which his music comes full circle. From blues guitar, to synthesizers, to putting it all together, David Wilcox will remain an iconic figure in Canadian Music. His family legacy will continue on as his daughter Simon Wilcox is also a musician. You can hear her voice on backup vocals on David’s 1996 release of Thirteen Songs.

 Discography:'

References:

David Wilcox Biography, Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.davidwilcoxrocks.com/bio.htm

David Wilcox Discography, Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.davidwilcoxrocks.com/discography.htm

David Wilcox, Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.canadianbands.com/David%20Wilcox.html