David Wilcox (born July 13, 1949 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian rock musician.
Montreal native, David (Karl William) Wilcox drew inspiration from musician Elvis Presley at the early age of six. Wilcox soon picked up the guitar and began playing, having his first live performance (to a room of ex-convicts) at fourteen years old.
In 1970, Wilcox replaced Amos Garrett in Ian & Sylvia Tyson’s band, Great Speckled Bird, playing backup for acts such as Anne Murray, Carl Perkins, and Charlie Rich. In 1973, after two records, Wilcox left the band to go solo and never looked back.
Wilcox's first band, David Wilcox and the Teddy Bears, hit local stages as a flashy character with an oversized waxed moustache, a baggy suit and a flower in his lapel. His debut album, Out of the Woods came out in 1977. Out of the Woods produced his three top hits, "Do the Bearcat", "Bad Apple", and "That Hypnotizin’ Boogie". Wilcox signed with Capitol Records in 1982, re-releasing Out of the Woods, which became Wilcox’s first album to reach gold status.
Wilcox's second album My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble, released in 1983, featured "Downtown Came Uptown" and "Riverboat Fantasy". It was his second straight gold record and another series of tours followed.
Wilcox became popular among students on the college concert scene in the 1980s, for his guitar skill, humorous lyrics and quirky vocal styling.
Wilcox at a concert in Spencerville, Ontario in 2006
Motivated by the success of his tour and two gold records, Wilcox went back into the studio in 1984 to record Bad Reputation. A year later he released The Best of David Wilcox, his first compilation album, as a hit-inspired collection of his songs. It was also the debut album for "Blood Money" and "When You Mistreat Her".
Later that year, Wilcox was honoured with the COCA (the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities) for Entertainer of the Year award (1985) (Biography, 2007).
Wilcox’s next album to be released was yet another compilation of previously recorded successes and was part of Capitol Records' series Over 60 Minutes with...
In the late 1980s, Wilcox moved away from his past raw live-in-the-studio approach, to a more produced synthesizer and drum program modern rock sound. The album Breakfast at the Circus (1987) featured "Layin' Pipe","The Song He Never Wrote", sounding like a Wilcox tribute to his excessive side. After more tours, he returned with 1989's The Natural Edge. It featured the title track, "The Natural Edge", the sweet anthemic pop of "Lay Down in Your Arms", "Ivory Tower", "Pop Out World", and the leadoff track "Still Life".
It was not until some years later, in 1993, when Wilcox came out with his next album, a box set titled, The Collected Works 1977-1993. It featured live versions of "That Hypnotizin' Boogie" and "Trip Out Tonight". It also featured unreleased material such as "Needle in a Haystack" and "The Groove".
Thirteen Songs, released in 1996, featured acoustic-based music played with a small band, playing sax-and-organ jazz "Rainy Night Saloon", country storytelling "Shotgun City" and deep blues "Three Past Midnight". "God Is On a Bender" is considered one of Wilcox's best songs. Wilcox released Greatest Hits Too in 1997, with much of the album being produced by Wilcox.
Wilcox's record producer released him in 1997 due to slumping sales. In 2002 he was able to pick up a contract with Edmonton-based Stony Plain Records, and he produced the album Rhythm of Love which featured "Play That Guitar Rag", "Easy Like Rain" and "Rattlesnakin' Daddy". In 2003 Wilcox released Rockin' the Boogie: The Best of Blues and Boogie, featuring many of his best known work. In 2007, Wilcox released Boy in the Boat
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