Kim Wilde | Wilde Life : Official Kim Wilde fansite Wilde Life : Official Kim Wilde fansite Written by: Mik Glass Mik Glass examines the career of one of Britain's top pop stars, and the family background that has aided her success. The recent success of 'Say you really want me' has given Kim Wilde her 14th chart hit - 11 of which have been Top 30 entries. This run puts her at the forefront of Britain's female vocalists and has silenced her initial detractors who proclaimed she was nothing more than a pouting puppet. This charge of fabrication stems from the fact that her father was no other than Marty Wilde, who himself enjoyed a few years of success under the tutelage of a guiding figure, Larry Parnes, during the years before the arrival of the best groups. After she first leapt into the charts back in 1981 with 'Kids in America', Kim's records fared increasinly badly; even a change of label couldn't seem to offer the miracle cure until she bounced back in the winter of 1986 with a faithful cover of the Supremes' 'You keep me hangin' on'.

Since then, her fortunes have stabilised, and she is currently enjoying the most successful phase of her career. Although Kim has now notched up as many hits as her father, she has inherited Marty's ability to miss out on the much-covered No. 1 U.K. single. Marty's best effort was with 'Teenager in love', back in 1959, and while Kim has had the disappointment of just missing out on two occasions, she can take satisfaction in that her international following has far surpassed her dad's, both in terms of sales and popularity. While she has topped the charts on the continent many times, taking 'You keep me hangin' on' to the top in the U.S. must have done wonders for her confidence. After marrying Joyce from the Vernon Girls, not much was heard from Marty until the early Seventies when, along with his friend Mickie Most, he tried to launch his eleven-year-old son Ricky as Britain's answer to Donny Osmond.

Between February 1973 and March 1974, four singles - 'April Love', 'Do it again just a little bit slower', 'Mrs Malinski' and 'Teen wave' - were issued, but not one could pentrate the teeny market, which preferred to import its idols. After Ricky's voice broke, he began to show more interest in what happens on the other side of the recording booth. It was while Ricky was recording for Mickie Most's RAK label at the start of the 1980s that Kim Wilde made her first impression as a singer. Although it was Ricky who had the production deal with RAK, it was her backing vocals - and then her image - which attracted the attention of Mickie. A rumour which has appeared in print on at least one occasion is that Kim actually released a single before 'Kids in America'. This has been described as a 'disaster', and is, of course, extremely rare. However, we have been assured by sources close to Kim that no such record exists. If any knowledgeable reader thinks they know otherwise, feel free to write in.

Before this, Kim had spent her late teens at art school, occasionally taking time out to sing backing vocals for her dad. But within months of celebrating her 20th birthday, she had been transformed from the semi-anonymous student, Kim Smith (sic), into one of the most successful chart acts of 1981. Her success came at a time when female singers like Toyah, Hazel O'Connor and Kirsty MacColl were coming into their own. None of them, of course, were any less packaged than Kim. All four rode on the back of the 'wild woman' punk image set by such luminaries as Siouxie Sioux and the Slits, but neatly tailored it to suit popular tastes. Carefully tousled hair and some uptempo tunes weren't designed to endear them to a punk audience but the combination worked wonders in terms of chart successes. After its release in January 1981, 'Kids in America' became a huge international hit and established the name of Kim Wilde in many countries, not least on the continent where she still has a large following today.

In the U.K., the song - reputedly recorded in just one take - was kept off the top spot by revivalist Shakin' Stevens' version of the 50s hit, 'This Ole House'. Though picture sleeve copies shouldn't be too hard to find, 7" test pressings now fetch £ 4. Managed jointly by Mickie Most and her mother, with father Marty and brother Rick taking care of the writing and production of the music, Kim's years with RAK Records never quite capitalised on her initial impact. 'Kids' established the archetype for the string of singles which followed. All employed an uptempo dance beat, but it was the infectious choruses which seemed to implant themselves firmly in the minds of the public. Perhaps the best of these was the third single, 'Water on glass', whcih, after a shaky mock-hard rock start, was soon put on the right course by Kim's charmingly nasal vocals. Import picture sleeve copies of these early singles are quite sought after by collectors and can still be picked up at a reasonable price. Portuguese copies, for example, have been spotted for as little as £ 2,50.

While 'Chequered Love', 'Water on glass' and 'Cambodia' all followed 'Kids' into the Top 20, each fared progressively worse in terms of chart placing. However, her eponymous debut LP proved successful, reaching No. 3 and enjoying a 14-week run in the charts. Including the first three singles (though not the B-sides of the latter two), 'Kim Wilde' did not always find charitable words from the 'quality' music papers: 'It is the classic emptiness of pop presented with serious style and not much shame', wrote one 'NME' scribe. True, Ricky had taught the captains of industry a thing or two by penning most of the material in just three weeks; and who could deny that a lot of money - an estimated £ 250,000, £ 75,000 on image alone - had been invested in Kim's ability to sell records. As it was such as easy target for the knockers, many have overlooked the fact that it was just this 'classic emptiness' which delivers some of pop's finest moments.

Kim's last Top 20 hit for RAK was 'View From A Bridge' in spring 1982, after which it was announced that in just 18 months, she had already sold more records than her dad Marty had done in his entire career. Although there was no U.K. 12" release of the single, copies were made available on the continent and have since become collectors' items. Another rarity from this time was her appearance on the 'SFX' tapezine, No. 2. Copies of this short-lived venture are highly sought after today and collectors would have to pay up to £ 4 for this now. By mid-1982, she had a deal with EMI/Liberty in the U.S. and 'Kids in America' did well to achieve a Top 20 placing in this most lucrative of markets. However, Kim's appeal in the U.K. was on the wane as 'View From A Bridge' could get no higher than No. 16 and the LP only just scraped into the Top 20. 'Select' was tainted by the inclusion of more M.O.R. material which, presumably, was intended to widen her market.

The sleeve dispensed with the idea of Kim fronting a backing band and featured a portrait by the famed Rolling STones' photographer Gered Mankowitz. One of Kim's rarer singles was 'Child Come Away', released in November 1982. Coupled with 'Just Another Guy', neither song came from an album and it soon sunk without making much impression. Around this time, Kim bought her own flat and soon installed a pinao. As early as March 1982, she had been airing in interviews her intentions to write her own material. However, it was to be a while before the fruits of her labours were given a public airing. It became obvious that Kim's career was in need of a radical relaunch by the end of 1983. After a rare bout of touring at the end of 1982, she all but disappeared from the public eye until the release of the 'Love Blonde' single in July. The first to be issued on 12", it was an improvement on her previous effort and was rewarded with a Top 30 placing.

Foreign picture sleeve copies are pupular with collectors, and Dutch, German and Spanish editions can be bought for less than £ 5 apiece. Yet the follow-up, 'Dancing In The Dark', sunk almost without trace. One month later, the 'Catch as catch can' LP, which contained both sides of both singles, did disastrously. It was no surprise, then, that Kim became a prominent name in the various 'Where Are They Now?' features that recur seasonally. When Kim returned, in September 1984, out went the kitsch appeal, the sanitised rebel-next-door; in its place was a more mature, altogether classier image which, again, could be seen as tailor-made to suit the demands of the time. The launch of this new image came with her first recordings for MCA - two singles in quick succession, 'The Second Time' and 'The Touch'. Both were issued as 12" extended releases, though only the first showed any signs that the world was ready for a Kim Wilde revival.

Surprisingly, RAK had not capitalised on Kim's visual appeal to the extent of issuing picture discs of every release, and so it was not until 'The Touch' that this ready-made collector's item was employed. However, the head-shaped disc couldn't help the single any higher than No. 56. 'The Touch' did spawn one real collector's rarity, a one-sided Master Room acetate, which is worth around £ 30. The new LP, 'Teases and Dares' at last introduced the world to Kim Wilde, songwriter, on 'Fit In' and 'Shangri-La', the latter having already appeared on a B-side and turning up in extended form (4.45) on issue 5 of the magazine/LP 'Debut'. While 'Teases And Dares' failed to make much of an impression in the album charts, it still managed a higher placing than 'The Very Best Of Kim Wilde', issued a month earlier. As well as including all her RAK singles, 'The Very Best Of...' also included some B-sides and LP cuts. This compilation was accompanied by a video EP release, which featured promo films for six of her eight singles for RAK.

It was Dave Edmunds' remixing of 'Rage To Love', issued in April 1985, which provided Kim with her best chart position since spring 1982. This time, the 12" version included a 'US mix' of 'The Second Time', while a second Kim-shaped picture disc must have sold in greater quantities than the first. Import picture sleeve copies again fetch up to £ 5. One of the most popular collector's items among Kim's army of fans is the 3-LP boxed set of LPs issued in France in June 1985, on the Pathe Marconi label (1552383). At present, this collecton of her first three albums fetches around £ 15. After this flurry of activity, it seemed as if Kim Wilde had once again slipped into oblivion. However, during this 'lay-off' period, she still proved big in Europe where she preferred to play live. But no-one really could have predicted just what a success her next offering would be. When 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' reached No. 1 in the U.S.

at the start of 1987, Kim received a telegram from Lamont Dozier, one of the celebrated Holland/Dozier/Holland songwriting team, congratulating her on the fresh treatment of the old Supremes' hit. In the U.K., the No. 1 spot again proved just out of reach as the song gave Kim her biggest hit since 'Kids in America'. An LP, 'Another step', seemed to confirm her return and with the sale of her infamous mini-skirt at Christie's in 1986 for £ 400, it seemd as if she had turned over a new leaf. 12" promos of the single fetch £ 3,50, but most collectable is a U.S. 12" which featured a different picture sleeve and a 9.02 mix not on the U.K. release. This sells for £ 6.50. Since then, Kim has been very much in demand on various projects.

She participated on the Ferry Aid single, 'Let it be', sang 'Something better' on the 'Anti-Heroin Project' LP and appeared at the Aids benefit in April at Wembley alongside Ricky and Marty singing Elton John's 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word'. Her best recent move, however, has been teaming up with Junior for a single, 'Another Step (Closer To You)', which enjoyed a long chart run, reaching No. 6. The 12" featured an extended version, in addition to the 7" take and the usual B-side, 'Hold Back'. Kim's most recent single, 'Say You Really Want Me', originally graced the 1986 film, 'Running Scared' and this time MCA pulled out all the stops in promoting it. In addition to a limited edition 7" gatefold sleeve, early 12" copies came with a video poster. There was also the 'controversial' video ploy, which found Ms. Wilde enjoying the company of four hot-blooded males. From awkward adolescent to "slinky, sexy and very physical", Kim Wilde has finally come of age.

Although her bursts of popularity have been highly irregular, she has proved to be one of the top U.K. chart acts of this decade. For newcomers to the Wilde phenomenon, three of her LPs, 'Kim Wilde', 'Select' and the essential 'The Very Best Of Kim Wilde' have been made available at budget price, while those who have switched to the CD format can purchase her two most recent albums. As a further indication that she is back on top, a video EP has recently been reissued. How long this resurgence will last is anyone's guess. Of course, it is easy to forget that during her spells of inactivity in the U.K., she continued to build up her audiences elsewhere. One sphere in which she has yet to convince her British following is in concert, where she has been reluctant to perform. Incredible though it may seem, Kim has proved to be by far the most successful member of one of Britain's best-known entertainment families. While this once proved to be an obstacle in her career, it seems as if Kim Wilde has finally broke free of the stigma of being merely the visual product of a family affair.

Mickie Most (Producer) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Mickie Most Male Born Jun 20, 1938 Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate and the Jeff Beck Group, often issued on his own RAK Records label. related links The Rhino Records Story Takes Shape Part 6: Business Advice From Rock Stars Huffington Post - Nov 16, 2013 'In the mid-1970s, my business partner Richard Foos and I were two college graduates with little more than a passion for music and a record store on Westwood Boulevard in L.A. How did we get the knowhow to launch a record label, Rhino, and make it into a major entertainment company? There was no wise mentor peeking over our shoulders, and neither of us had been to business school. While we got advice from many people, some of the most important tips didn\'t come from business executives. They...

70s Legends David Cassidy, Leo Sayer, Hot Chocolate And Smokie Announce Uk Tour Doncaster Free Press - Apr 17, 2012 ' Once In A Lifetime is an unforgettable UK tour that will feature the crÃ¨me de la crÃ¨me of 70s superstars and hit singles from the likes of pop icons David Cassidy, Leo Sayer, Hot Chocolate and Smokie. The tour will stop off at the Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield on Friday, November 16. Tickets priced Â£38.50 (booking fee may apply) will go on sale to the general public on Friday April 20 at 9am in person at the Arena Box Office, by phone on 0114 256 5656 or online at { Me And My School Photo: Kim Wilde Remembers Her Dad Writing A Space Age ... Daily Mail Google News - Aug 05, 2011 'Ricky was signed by the famous <mark>Mickie Most</mark> in London, I came along for a recording, and Mickie signed me too. I was thrilled.

Shortly after, the job centre said they&#39;d found me a job in a record shop but it was too late. I was 20 and already recording' The Vibrators + Guests Thursday July 21 @ Sneaky Dee's Blog To (Blog) Google News - Jul 21, 2011 'On Spedding&#39;s recommendation, <mark>Mickie Most</mark> signed them to his label RAK Records. Most produced their first single, &quot;We Vibrate&quot;. The band also backed Spedding on his single, &quot;Pogo Dancing&quot;. The Vibrators recorded sessions at for John Peel at BBC Radio 1' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Mickie Most. CHILDHOOD 1938 Birth Born on June 20, 1938. TEENAGE 1951 13 Years Old Most was born as Michael Peter Hayes in Aldershot, Hampshire. The son of a regimental sergeant-major, he moved with his parents to Harrow in 1951. … Read More He was influenced by skiffle and early rock and roll in his youth.

Leaving school at 15, he worked as a singing waiter at London's The 2i's Coffee Bar where he made friends with future business partner Peter Grant, and formed a singing duo with Alex Wharton (aka Alex Murray) who billed themselves as The Most Brothers. They recorded the single "Takes A Whole Lotta Loving to Keep My Baby Happy" with Decca Records before disbanding. Wharton later went on to produce the Moody Blues single "Go Now". Read Less TWENTIES 1959 21 Years Old After changing his name to Mickie Most in 1959, Mickie travelled to South Africa with his wife Christina, and formed a pop group, Mickie Most and the Playboys. … Read More The band scored 11 consecutive No. 1 singles there, mostly with cover versions of Ray Peterson, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran songs. Read Less 1962 24 Years Old Returning to London in 1962, Most appeared on package tours as well as recording "Mister Porter", a No.

45 hit in the UK Singles Chart in July 1963 and had moderate success with 'The Feminine Look' in 1963, this latter featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar and heralding early British heavy rock. … Read More Becoming tired of touring clubs, Most decided to concentrate on other aspects of the music industry. His first job was selling records in stores and displaying them on racks (later inspiration for his record label, RAK) before finding a niche with production for Columbia Records. After spotting The Animals at Newcastle's Club A-Go-Go, he offered to produce their first single, "Baby Let Me Take You Home", which reached No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart. Their follow-up 1964 single, "The House of the Rising Sun", became an international hit. Read Less Show Less Most had success with Herman's Hermits after being approached by their manager Harvey Lisberg at Derek Everett's suggestion. Their first Most production, "I'm into Something Good", went to No. 1 in 1964, beginning a run of single and album sales (ten million over 12 months), the group for a time challenging The Beatles in popularity in the United States.

… Read More His down-to-earth handling of the band, his business acumen and knack for selecting hit singles established Most as one of the most successful producers in Britain and kept him in demand throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Read Less In July 1964, Most scored another top 10 hit with The Nashville Teens cover of the John D. Loudermilk song "Tobacco Road". In September 1964, with Most at the control board, Brenda Lee recorded "Is It True" and "What'd I Say". "Is It True" was released in England and later in the US, and it became a hit and a gold record. "What'd I Say" became another hit throughout Europe but was never released in the US.

Most had equal success with other artists for whom he produced chart-topping albums and singles between 1964 and 1969, notably Donovan with "Sunshine Superman", "Mellow Yellow", "Jennifer Juniper", and "Hurdy Gurdy Man", and Lulu's hits "To Sir, with Love", "The Boat That I Row", "Boom Bang-a-Bang" (which finished equal first in the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest), "Me the Peaceful Heart", and "I'm a Tiger". … Read More Most also produced the final studio single of the 1960s by The Seekers, "Days of My Life", in 1968, and Nancy Sinatra's "The Highway Song" in 1969. Additionally in the '60s, Most signed and produced artists such as singer-guitarist Terry Reid, and all-girl rock band The She Trinity.<br /><br /> Most's productions were backed by London-based session musicians including Big Jim Sullivan and Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass guitar and arrangements, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Bobby Graham on drums.

He produced Jeff Beck's hits "Love is Blue" and "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and the Jeff Beck Group albums Truth and Beck-Ola. He teamed the Beck group with Donovan for the single "Barabajagal". Read Less 1967 29 Years Old By 1967, after commercial and critical failure of The Yardbirds album Little Games, he decided to steer clear of rock groups. … Read More The Yardbirds objected to his insistence that every song be cut to three minutes and that albums were an afterthought following the singles. Read Less THIRTIES 1968 30 Years Old … Most and Donovan reunited in 1973 for the album Cosmic Wheels on which Most was credited under his real name, Michael Peter Hayes. <br /><br />Despite these setbacks, Most set up his own production office at 155 Oxford Street, sharing it with his business partner Peter Grant. It was through Most's association that Grant was asked to manage The Yardbirds. Read Less In 1968, Most and Grant set up RAK Management, but Grant's involvement with The Yardbirds, which soon evolved into Led Zeppelin, meant Most had control in late 1969.

… Read More RAK Records and RAK Music Publishing were launched in 1969. RAK Music Publishing has the copyright of such classic popular songs as "You Sexy Thing" composed by Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown and a half interest in the song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of the band Arrows. Both acts were produced by Most. Read Less 1969 31 Years Old His focused approach also led to a split with Donovan in late 1969. Some K.Wilde articles (part 2) · Kim Wilde News The music.com.au Interview (Australia-Tuesday 18th October 2016) : Driven Wilde By ’80s Nostalgia Kim Wilde Oct 18th 2016 | Cyclone Pop diva Kim Wilde chats with Cyclone about receiving flowers and champagne from David Bowie, her musical family and feeling the pull of ’80s nostalgia. Those who caught ’80s New Wave starlet Kim Wilde on 2013′s Australian tour with Nik Kershaw were wowed by her powerful performance – the Brit worthy of the title ‘pop diva’.

“A lot of it’s to do with the fact that I have done an awful lot of live work in the last ten, 15 years – more in the last ten, 15 years than I did during the ’80s, that’s for sure,” Wilde admits. “The ’80s was a really great time for miming on shows like Top Of The Pops!” “A couple of times he’d just pop his head in, wish me luck for the show.” The London native opened for her hero David Bowie on 1990s hits-based Sound + Vision Tour, recalling him as surprisingly personable (she’d previously supported a remote Michael Jackson). “A couple of times he’d just pop his head in, wish me luck for the show,” Wilde shares. “When I arrived, the first gig, there was a lovely bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne. I know obviously his PA had done stuff like that, but it was nice. It didn’t have to happen – and you know that he would have made sure it did. So, yeah, very down-to-earth, lovely bloke.” Wilde will return here in November, this time co-headlining with Howard Jones – the pair “a class act”.

She is considering a Bowie tribute, having recorded Kooks for 2011′s covers album Snapshots as a duet with her husband Hal Fowler, a music theatre actor. “It might be something I could do with Howard!” The daughter of ’50s rocker Marty Wilde (born Reginald Smith), Kim’s career was launched by accident. Younger brother Ricky Wilde, a former teenybop star, cut demos with her on backing vocals – attracting the attention of RAK Records boss Mickie Most. With Marty’s help, Ricky wrote Kim’s Blondie-esque breakthrough Kids In America. Ricky became Kim’s chief writer, producer and collaborator – the ‘Wildes’ now a pop dynasty. Though remembered as a singles artist, Wilde was trailblazing – the synthwave Cambodia, View From A Bridge and Child Come Away still sound cutting-edge today. She attributes this electronic experimentation to Ricky – “a massive fan” of The Human League, Gary Numan and Kraftwerk. Nonetheless, Wilde’s biggest success came with her hi-NRG take on The Supremes’ You Keep Me Hangin’ On – a US #1.

The American Rick Nowels, Lana Del Rey’s future cohort, orchestrated what would be Wilde’s final original hit – 1992′s guitary Love Is Holy. “He’s an incredible talent,” Wilde enthuses. “I’ve never met anyone with quite so much energy.” Wilde staged another reinvention with 1995′s swingbeat album Now & Forever – only it floundered. She quit music to raise a family, re-emerging as a (celebrity) gardener. But Wilde was eventually lured back into music by surging ’80s nostalgia. She last put out a quirky festive album, Wilde Winter Songbook, featuring both a remake of Fleet Foxes’ White Winter Hymnal and Rick Astley cameoing on Winter Wonderland. “I was very inspired by Tracey Thorn from Everything But The Girl,” Wilde says. “She did an album [Tinsel And Lights] that was Christmas-inspired and she made it her own. She didn’t go down any obvious roads. I felt inspired to do the same.” Wilde is working on a record for 2017. “I’m really proud and really excited about it!

I think anyone who is into what I do, and has been, will love this album. I’ve got great hopes for how it’s going to get received.” On The Spot Interview (Australia-Thursday 7th July 2016) : Kim Wilde has sold 10 million albums and 20 million singles and is the most successful female UK artist of the 80s. Her girl-next-door-meets-glam appeal, combined with a slew of highly charting hits, have firmly cemented her reputation as one of the most popular female artists of our time. Mega-hits, including Kids in America, You Keep Me Hangin’ On, If I Can’t Have You, Cambodia, View From a Bridge, You Came, and Chequered Love have enjoyed high radio rotation and established a massive fan base for this immensely likeable, down-to-earth songstress. 2013 saw Wilde head down under with Nik Kershaw for a wildly successful tour, and this year, fans can look forward to her playing a set of dates with none other than keyboard whiz and 80s icon, Howard Jones.

Thanks to our good friend, John Howarth of Bullet Proof, we recently got to have a chat with the blonde bombshell, (whom the French have fittingly dubbed the Brigitte Bardot of pop) about life, music, family, performing, and what we can expect from her 2016 Oz tour!SR: Hi Kim – Thanks for your time today. We really appreciate it.KW: Hello? Can you hear me?SR: Yes, we must have a bad line. KW: Sorry, my ears are going funny. It’s that rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of mine.(Both laugh)SR: Mm, and the fact that you’ve just done a million interviews this week.KW: Well, it’s amazing how many different ways you can come up with an answer to keep things interesting. I will do my very best.(Both laugh)SR: You’re coming down with Howard Jones to play a set of dates this November. How did that first come about and were you and Howard friends, back in the day?KW: Well, back in the day I don’t remember bumping into Howard hardly at all. But we know each other very well now.

The last decade has been, I think, more eighties than the eighties were. And we’ve done more gigs during that time and spent more time together. I was in Australia a couple of years ago – in 2013 – with Nik Kershaw. That tour went so well and when I got back, I said, ‘We’ve really got to go back there. Australia is just loving this eighties stuff and loving what we do.’ Now’s a good time, I think. It’s been a few years since we were there last and Howard’s got some great tunes to sing for everyone. I think the combination of him and me and the combination of songs that we have together will create a really fabulous evening for everyone and be very uplifting and fun. You know, I think this poor old world needs a bit more of that stuff in it.SR: What is your favourite song to perform? KW: Ah, it depends really. I mean, it does change. I mean, recently, for instance, there’s a band called The Shields who have done a sort of acoustic, folky version, believe it or not, of Chequered Love.

And my brother and I, who wrote that song, have been doing their version of that song in our set, as well as the rocky version. And, at the moment, that’s the song I’m enjoying the most to sing – I guess because it’s a fresh approach to a song I’ve lived with all my life. But I mean, Kids in America of course has the most incredible impact on an audience – it never fails. SR: Speaking of family, your son, Harry, is in a band. What advice did you give him about the industry and are you aligned in your thinking, creatively? KW: Yeah, his band’s called KEID. He’s progressed into a very accomplished musician. You know, he buys a lot of vinyl and he’s into a lot of retro music. He’s someone to watch, for sure, Harry Fowler. And our daughter, Rose, is 16 and she’s a singer/songwriter. So music’s really a massive part of their existence and inspires them massively. SR: Your own parents were in the industry. What was it like growing up in a musical household? KW: It was fantastic! Just fantastic!

You know, just having all these fantastic albums playing all the time: everything from Tchaikovsky to Elvis Presley…a bit of Pet Sounds from the Beach Boys thrown in…and some Joni Mitchell…some Simon and Garfunkel…and of course, all The Beatles’ stuff and all The Beatles’ solo stuff. Oh, and a lot of stuff from America. It was fantastic. It gave me ears and an appetite for great music. And of course, we had Top of the Pops and an amazing pop culture in the UK in the sixties, of course, and the seventies. I grew up in both of those decades. So, you know, there was just an onslaught of amazing music all around. There were so many different styles and they all kind of fermented and created me and the way I wanted to present my version of pop music. SR: You’ve mentioned Joni Mitchell and Debbie Harry as influences in the past. When you were starting out, who else did you look to for inspiration and what were the beginnings of your own stage persona when you were very young? KW: Yeah, it was kind of trick because I’d just left art college.

I loved Debbie Harry, I loved Chrissie Hynde…I mean, I loved Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder. I loved The Clash and I loved the Sex Pistols and I loved ABBA. So, I was in a bit of a confused place because my appreciation for music was so eclectic, which, in the fullness of time, became a real asset. But as a young woman, it was hard to know how I could place myself. In a way, I was very lucky because my brother and my dad came up with a song called Kids in America which helped put me on a path. And, although sometimes that path felt a little bit narrow, I did have the sense that one day I could make my own way on that path and branch out and become a writer and a performer. I knew that I’d been given a path and that I could make it my own, in time, which I did. SR: You are the most charted female British artist of the 80s and have had I think 25 singles on the UK charts alone. Does that ever really sink in and how aware were you of your fame in other parts of the world at that time?

KW: I think it’s taken years for statistics like that to sink in. At the time, they certainly didn’t. I remember my boss, Mickie Most from RAK Records, would come in every day while Kids in America was going up the charts. He’d say, ‘Oh, your record has sold 40,000 copies today in the UK’ or ’50,000 copies over the weekend’. This was going on a lot, but I was more interested in the fact that Elvis Costello had been into the studio and said how much he loved the record. So, in those days, I wasn’t really interested in the hard mechanics of what my career actually meant, at certain levels. I was more interested in Elvis Costello liking my record. And in many ways, I’m still like that. I’m still a hopeless romantic about music. I’m not all that interested in facts and figures – they don’t really impact on or affect how I move through my life or this music world. They don’t have any impact at all. Which is good, I think. I love listening to pop music still. I love listening to all kinds of music. But facts and figures have never really done it for me.

SR: Something that struck me the other day, while I was looking at your old clips is the fact that you weren’t sort of over-sexualised in the way some other female artists have been, and still are. Did you ever feel pressured to go beyond a certain threshold in that regard? KW: I don’t think I did, no. I don’t think I did. I think I just sort of embraced the glamour aspects of my persona and I enjoyed them. But I never felt that I had to compromise myself at any stage during that period. SR: What do you think when you see young women getting their kit off in videos now? KW: Well, there are plenty of artists who don’t need or want to go down that road. I mean, I’m 55 now. When I see artists looking like they’re simulating sex on stage, I have a view on that. I don’t much get it. But, if I talk to my 16-year-old daughter, she’ll say, ‘Yeah, but that’s twerking, Mum! That’s not sex. That’s something else. It’s dancing.’ And I start feeling really old.

And I say, ‘Yeah, but don’t you think that’s a little bit… You know… I find that offensive.’ And she’ll say, ‘Yeah, but Mum, you don’t get it!’ And I suppose that when I was young, all the stuff the Sex Pistols were doing – in a totally different way, of course – was still as offensive to a lot of people, who were older, like myself now. But I have a very open mind about how people wish to express themselves. I mean, a lot of people would say that artists like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus are owning their sexuality and that they are calling the shots. I’m sure that’s how they feel, but it doesn’t look that way to me sometimes. But I’m an old girl now. (Both laugh) SR: I saw an interview where you talked about how the best part of your life was when you weren’t ‘Kim Wilde’, but got to create a totally different world with your family and interests aside from music. Do you see yourself in terms of ‘performer Kim’ and ‘at-home Kim’? Is there a separation? KW: There sort of is, but I’m not aware that there are two different people inside me.

I don’t feel like a Jekyll and Hyde. I don’t feel that there’s one person while the other person keeps quiet and vice versa. I don’t feel that way. I feel that, when people see me on stage, they get to see a bit of the girl that loves being in the garden and a little bit of the mother and a little bit of the wife and a little bit of the human being who’s not running around with red lipstick and blonde hair. I don’t see much of a separation these days – I think there was a lot more of one when I was younger; but, I suppose I’ve grown into myself now. I feel more able and more confident to show all of it at the same time. That’s one of the great advantages of getting older. (Both laugh) SR: You’ve talked ab out your battle with depression and the fact that fame and fortune weren’t the answer to happiness that you thought they’d be. KW: Yes. SR: What did you discover about yourself during the dark days that most surprised you? KW: I suppose that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, because for some time I didn’t see one. That was a really scary time.

I suppose the big question that was all over my head was ‘If I have all of this success and I still feel really uncomfortable in my own skin, what’s going on?’ I had to do something about that, but I didn’t know what to do. And that was a dark place. Then I thought, ‘What does an unemployed pop star like me do? How can I be useful in the world? How can I feel comfortable in my own skin?’ And, if I’m honest with you, it wasn’t until I got out of the music business that I started making a move to do that. I had to start taking responsibility for myself, because I’d given a lot of my power and a lot of the responsibility of living my life over to a team of people, you know? I was working with my brother, I was working with my parents, I was working with my record company, I was working with our co-managers. I kind of got lost in all of that. So I had to kind of claw my way back to myself. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just how fame had kind of swallowed me up.

And it wasn’t really until I met my husband that I could rediscover who I could be without being ‘Kim Wilde.’ I became Mrs Fowler and we had two children and I became a horticulturalist; and, for me, that’s when my life really started to make sense. And that’s why I could get back into music, because then it really was on my terms – not just physically, but emotionally. That’s why I enjoy it so much more now than I did then. SR: It goes without saying that landscaping and horticulture must be very therapeutic. Does it also offer you the mental space to become inspired, creatively? KW: Yeah, all the time! Nature is powerfully inspiring. It’s so honest – it’s so pure and beautiful. It’s so effortlessly beautiful. You know, I’m looking at a gorgeous foxglove now. It’s in the darkest corner of my garden. Nobody knows it’s there except me, and I’m the only person who’s going to have a relationship with that beautiful, exquisite, perfect plant. I don’t know how anyone could fail to be moved by the simplicity and the beauty of that reality. It’s just this beautiful object that’s just there for me.

It doesn’t mind whether I’m there or not – it’s still going to be beautiful and it’s still going to do what it does. That just blows my mind every day. Nature is so humble and so magnificent and it gives so much. I don’t know how anyone can fail to be moved by it. SR: You’ve dueted with a number of people. Which musician, alive or dead, would you most love to share a stage with for one night if you could? KW: It would probably be Todd Rundgren. He’s my favourite artist of all time. SR: What song would you perform together? KW: Maybe Bang on the Drum. There’s something really euphoric about that song, and I’d love to just be banging a drum next to him. I just love that man’s songs and his voice and the joy and pain he can communicate. Of all the songwriters in the whole world, I think he is supreme. SR: You played the highest gig in the world with Spandau Ballet a few years back for Comic Relief. What’s one record you’d love to break that you haven’t yet? KW: I don’t know.

I got involved with it because it was Comic Relief and it was a charity thing. It’s never really flicked my switch, breaking records. SR: In that case, which super power would you choose? KW: Oh, I’d love to fly! Oh, I’d love that! SR: Have you ever suffered from stage fright and what do you do to prepare before performances? KW: No, I’ve never had stage fright. I prepare by getting a lot of rest, drinking a lot of water, and not really interacting with anybody else. It’s a whole process of internalising my energy. So, during the 24 hours before a gig, I become more and more quiet, because I am quite garrulous, as you’ve probably noticed. I do like having a chat and communicating and being out there amongst people. When I know I’ve got a gig coming up, I internalise all of that energy. When people see me for an hour and a half on stage, there’s been a good 20 hours before that that takes me to that moment. SR: Speaking of being out among people, I saw that terrific YouTube clip of you doing impromptu Tube karaoke.

What did you think when you first saw it and will you do it again? KW: Crikey. Well, we really got caught out there – my brother and I, absolutely as drunk as skunks on a train at Christmas. Yeah, I just didn’t know what to think about it. Worst case scenario? I still had my husband and my kids. I just feel invincible with them, so nothing can hurt me as long as I’ve got them. SR: Oh, I didn’t see anything negative about it. I wish I’d been on that train! KW: Well, luckily most people just thought it was hilarious and a lot of fun. But it was one of those things where it could’ve just been the end of my career. (Both laugh) KW: The only thing that stopped it from being completely pathetic was that I had some antlers on. SR: Oh god, I thought it was great. Well, what can fans expect from your sets down here? KW: Lots of great hits. Lots of songs they’ll remember to bring back some great memories for them. We’ve got some amazing musicians, so this is serious stuff. Some really incredible musicians are going to be playing with us.

So, all the musicians and music people out there are not going to be disappointed. The pop fans of the eighties aren’t going to be disappointed. There’s going to be some surprises for sure, and some collaboration between Howard and myself. And there’ll be a lot of positive energy and a lot of love. SR: Have you got a message we can send out to Aussie fans ahead of the tour? KW: Oh, I just can’t wait to come back. I mean, I’ve been coming to Australia since I was 13. There’s a little corner of my heart where Australia lives at all times. I carry that great place around with me all the time. So yeah, I can’t wait to come back.

Australian Tour Dates – November 2016 Wednesday 2nd November – CANBERRA, Canberra Theatre Friday 4th November – SYDNEY, Enmore Theatre Saturday 5th November – BRISBANE, Eatons Hil Sunday 6th November – GOLD COAST, Jupiters Wednesday 9th November – SYDNEY, Rooty Hill RSL Thursday 10th November – HOBART, Wrest Point Friday 11th November – MELBOURNE, Palais Theatre Saturday 12th November – ADELAIDE, The Gov Sunday 13th November – PERTH, Astor Theatre Tickets on sale via: metropolistouring.com AAA Backstage Interview (Australia-Friday 1st July 2016) : 80s synth-pop queen Kim Wilde is finally coming back to Australia after three years! This time she’s teaming up with the legendary Howard Jones for a few nostalgic nights dedicated to a generation of teased hair and skin-tight lycra. We caught up with the Kids In America songstress to discuss the upcoming tour, charity projects, and horticulture hobbies.What are you most looking forward to about coming to Australia?

Well, I’ve been coming to Australia since I was 13. I first came with my dad in 1973 and I think when you travel to a country that young and impressionable, it stays with you forever. I always felt a little part of my home was in Australia. I started coming again in the 80s when my career began and went on the big shows at the time – Hey, Hey It’s Saturday and stuff with Molly Meldrum, and I just kept coming back. I did a tour in the 90s and an 80s tour in the noughties, and I went backpacking in ’94 which was really good fun, so I have a really strong connection with Australia.What can fans expect from your shows?It’s been built as an 80s extravaganza so we’re not going to let anyone down in that respect. We’re going to obviously throw in all our biggest, greatest hits and a few surprise tracks – maybe interesting covers from other 80s artists. Howard and I have yet to sit down and plan what we could do together, which would be lovely.

I’ve known Howard quite well, I’ve worked with him over the years and he’s a beautiful human being inside and out so I’m really looking forward to being on tour with him. He’s a very gentle man and he’s written some superb, timeless pop records. Do you ever get sick of singing your classic hits? Back in ’96 – I think that’s when I got married – I actually retired for a while because at that point I had a career about 16 years old and I was really fed up with everything to do with the music business and certainly singing Kids In America, so I didn’t for several years. When I started singing again I realised how much people loved that song. I just kind of fell in love with it again and I’ve re-recorded it over the years, but now I’ve got it back to how it sounded originally – very synth-led and rocky still, with a kind of punk attitude. That’s what you’re going to get when we come down and see you guys.How do you keep your voice in such good shape?Oh, thank you! Yeah, I mean it’s a strong voice for sure and I think a lot of it is genetics.

My dad’s voice is still stronger than ever and he’s in his late seventies now so I think that plays a part, but I do a lot of singing. It’s like any muscle if it doesn’t get used, so I’m always singing. Singing is such a huge part of my life, I can’t imagine a day without singing at some point.Your songs have been covered by many bands over the years including the Foo Fighters and the TV show Glee. Do you have a favourite cover?There are a couple. There’s a recent one from a band called The Shields who’ve done a really interesting, laid-back version of Chequered Love. My brother, who wrote that song together with my dad, and I have started doing the version this band has been doing, which has been really fun. It’s a spin off, taking a pop-rock record down to an acoustic vocal-led rendition. It’s crazy but it really works. Then recently I joined a thrash metal band called Lawnmower Deth who were playing at the Download Festival, and we did their version of Kids In America which was very fast, very punky, and mad.

I really loved doing it, so yeah, it’s from one extreme to the other – thrash metal to quiet acoustic. Astonishing!What other projects are you currently working on? We’ve virtually finished recording a new album which we’ve been working on over the last couple of years and we’re over the moon about. At the moment we’re talking shop with various record companies… I imagine at this point it won’t surface until the very beginning of next year now but I’m very excited about it! Looking forward to hearing it! Is it the same genre of music? Yep, it is. It’s quite 80s-influenced pop-rock, and it’s not a million miles from what you can imagine a Kim Wilde record to be. I recently read an article about your love for horticulture. How did the interest first come about? We moved from London to the countryside when I was very young and the difference was so dramatic and it had a big impact on me. I went from London to the countryside where people were growing vegetables and flowers and there was a lot of natural beauty everywhere. I absolutely fell in love with it as a child.

Then when I got married and we were going to have our own children, I wanted that to be a big part of their life too. When I went back to the countryside I started growing lots of plants and studied at a local college for a while. I just got immersed in it. I ended up writing books and got involved in competitions and doing TV. It just became a massive part of my life. Now it’s more on the down low. I work with local horticultural projects, but music has taken over. Music is on the front-burner again, but I have both of them. They compliment each other. Do you have a horticulture specialty? I love knowing as much as I can about different kinds of plants. I’m very interested in acquiring knowledge about more plants and how they do well. I love working with shrubs and herbaceous perennials and I love the design aspects of it. I’m an old art student, so for me working with plants is just a different way of working with paints and drawing and composition. It’s a very creative process for me to garden. I’ve had a go at growing vegetables over the years but normally the slugs get into it before I have a chance to eat anything.

You’ve been a part of several charities including Thrive, Waste Not and a Breast Cancer fund. How did you get involved in those charities? Thrive and Waste Not are projects that work for people and plants and I’ve always felt there was a lot of healing to be done there. It’s very therapeutic being outside, especially for people with mental health issues and people who’ve found themselves in difficult situations, or people who are just lonely and need some company. You’re never alone when you’re working with plants. I mean, I talk to plants quite often and I don’t feel like I’m working with inanimate objects like a can of baked beans. When you’re working with a plant, it’s a part of this earth the same way we are, so I really believe in the therapeutic benefits of people working with plants. Thrive does that nationwide while Waste Not does that locally, and I volunteer there regularly. I’m a big part of that project here at home. Breast cancer has infected members of my family and I’m raising money for a local unit, which screens women locally. I like to do things I can see the results of and stuff that doesn’t get swallowed up by bigger charities.

I do give to big charities too, but I’m more interested in working with projects where I can see where my effort is going. What is essentially the heart of your music? I was brought up on music as a small child and it was the one thing I responded to most powerfully even as a three or four year old and that’s never changed. I think music has a great capacity to unite people in a way that most things fail at doing especially religion. It’s a great leveller. Music is one place where everyone can come together and unite humanity and it’s inspiring and fun. It reminds you what it’s like to be alive a lot of the time and so for me that’s never gone away. It makes me feel the most alive I can feel! Catch Kim Wilde on her Australian tour in November with Howard Jones ! Music Injection (Australia-Monday 27th June 2016) : Jen finds out Kim Wilde’s best memories of Australia and chats about her Australian tour with Howard Jones in November.

Posted on June 27, 2016 in Interviews , Uncategorized // 0 Comments Get ready for a double dose of the 1980’s smash hits as two of the era’s biggest icons, KIM WILDE & HOWARD JONES, return to Australia for a co-headlining tour. thanks to and David Roy Williams. Mention KIM WILDE and people’s eyes light up. The blonde singer with the siren voice and girl-next-door appeal is one of pop music’s most dazzling stars. The French consider her the “Brigitte Bardot of Rock”; German fans still revere her as the sexiest glamour girl to come out of the 80s and in Australia she has always been very close to our hearts having charted three number one mega-hits – ‘Kids In America’, ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and ‘If I Can’t Have You’ as well as another 6 Top 40 hits including ‘Cambodia’, ‘You Came’, ‘View From A Bridge’, and ‘Chequered Love’.

To put her amazing career in perspective she has sold 10 million albums and 20 million singles and is the most successful British female artist of the 80’s! Despite being broadcast on Australian shores on MORE Digital with ‘The Kim Wilde ‘80s Show’ this will be Kim’s first performances on Australian shores in almost three years. Hi Kim, Such a pleasure to have a chat with you, I was a teen in the 80’s so I lived those fun and crazy times! Yeah it was a decade that never really wants to go away and it just holds a lot of happy and affectionate memories for so many people. It is amazing, if anything I think the 80’s is bigger now than there were in the 80s! Yes I agree! Yorkshire Evening Post (UK-Friday 4th December 2015) : Music interview: Kim Wilde talks about her Christmas Party Kim Wilde Eighties star Kim Wilde gave up the pop world for gardening but is back on tour with a series of Christmas party shows. She spoke to Duncan Seaman. There’s much commotion in the Kim Wilde household when The Yorkshire Post catches up with the Kids In America hit maker.

“I’m home alone today with a puppy which has only been with us this past week and just as you called she woke up and I had to put her straight outside,” she says, composing herself. “We can carry on now.” Aside from puppy-sitting, the 55-year-old singer is gearing up for a handful of festive shows to coincide with an expanded re-release of her album Wilde Winter Songbook, one of which is at Holmfirth Picturedrome. “I’ve loved it ever since I was a child,” she says of the Christmas season. “I’m sure a lot of children would say that to you, although sadly I’m sure there are many children who don’t have that experience of it. “Fortunately Christmas has always held some kind of magic for me in some way or another, especially since having our own children, and I’ve always loved everything that goes with it, from the most profound aspects of it to the most superficial – everything from the fact that it’s about family and love and hope and all of those old-fashioned but very meaningful concepts to Christmas decorations.

I love the whole thing.” At her Christmas Party shows the Brit Award winner will be performing a selection of songs from her album – “Of course there are some classic Christmas songs on there – Let It Snow and Winter Wonderland” – then as a bonus, she says: “I’m going to throw in some of my own favourite festive pop tunes as well that everybody knows.” Kim Wilde “The idea is for everyone to have a really good time,” she adds. “It’ll be a very accessible show, you won’t have to know the album inside out to enjoy it. A lot of care and attention is going into it and a lot of charm and a lot of love.” As well as several self-written songs on a wintry theme, including one with her husband Hal Fowler, Wilde’s album intriguingly includes a cover of Fleet Foxes’ White Winter Hymnal featuring her 50s rock ’n’ roll star father Marty and her brother Ricky, who wrote her 80s hits Kids in America, Chequered Love and Cambodia.

“I love that song, it has a sort of Beach Boys quality to it from the Pet Sounds album, I think, it could almost have been on that album,” she says, adding how much she likes the coldest of seasons. “I’m a real winter girl, I was born in the winter, in November, I always associate good things with my birthday and the winter time.” She’s especially keen on winter as a gardener – the alternative and highly successful career she took up after leaving the pop world for a time when she started a family. “It’s a great time when all the shrubs and all the trees on the outside to the untrained eye look like they’re dying, or almost dead, but underneath but all the life is still pumping away under the ground, ready to burst into action the following spring.

“I love the silhouettes of winter, I love the shapes and the forms of trees and shrubs and landscape and shadows, I love the frost and I love the snow so, yeah, I’m a real winter fan.” Wilde says she thought she’d “left music for life” when she quit the business aged 36 and couldn’t have envisaged that “live music was going to reclaim me in quite the way it has” via the vogue for 80s revival tours and festivals.Horticulture had been recommended to her by a man who came to “keep the grass down” in her new home. “He had just been to Capel Manor, the horticultural college in Enfield, which is only about 40 minutes from where I live, and he said, ‘You should go there, you could learn a hell of a lot about what you could do with the garden’.

I said, ‘I just don’t know what to do with it’, so he said, ‘Why don’t you go and do a summer course there’ and that summer changed my life, I got the bug for it big time.“I think the creative vacuum that was left from my music career was much bigger than I anticipated and it needed filling, really, and I guess even having two children wasn’t enough for me.”Wilde became such an accomplished gardener she won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2005. It’s a hugely proud moment to rank alongside her highest charting singles.“In the countdown of my final seconds on this planet the moment that I won that medal will certainly be in that countdown,” she says. “It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me, one of the most amazing experiences. It took a long time coming, there was an amazing journey to get to that little courtyard garden at Chelsea Flower Show, and it was an incredible adventure and I shall probably write about it one day.”Next year she intends to release a new album of original material, “most of which I’ve either written with my brother or some writers in Sweden”. “I’m very excited about that,” she says.

“I’ve been working on this album for over a year now and it’ll probably be out next autumn.”Looking back, she feels fortunate to have had a career “that’s only ever given me challenges and success, more than I ever dreamed of or felt I deserved”.“I fell very humbled by it and very grateful for it,” she says.Kim Wilde’s Christmas Party is at Holmfirth Picturedrome on December 16. For details visit : picturedrome.net The Guardian (UK-Saturday 5th December 2010) : Kim Wilde: ‘I felt caged in by Kids in America’ Kim Wilde: ‘You’ll never find pictures of me displaying half as much as what the girls are showing these days.’ Photograph: Richard Saker for the Observer Music was everything when I was growing up. My dad Marty Wilde was always playing the guitar, writing songs, singing. I vividly remember Cilla Black’s “Anyone Who Had a Heart” going to No 1 in 1964. I was four; I had no comprehension of what it was about, but I could feel the passion in the lyrics. After the 1980s I felt very caged in by “Kids in America”.

I put out a more R&B influenced album but the public just didn’t want that girl Kim Wilde doing that. So I got out of the music business. Now I realise what a piece of gold that song is; I feel extremely honoured it’s mine. Looks were a big part of my success, and I always understood that. I grew up in the 70s when there were a lot of beautiful people around, not least David Bowie. I embraced it, but I never took myself that seriously. I felt a bit objectified as a pop star in the 80s, but I went along with it quite willingly. Although you’ll never find pictures of me displaying half as much as what the girls are showing these days. Maybe they’ve got better bodies! The other day my daughter said to me: “It’s different now, Mum, it’s not so good, you had the best of it.” But everyone says that about every decade. It just seems to be the human condition to keep making the same mistakes. The older I get the less things scare me.

So when someone asked if they could put that video online of me on the tube [drunkenly singing Rocking Around the Christmas Tree] I just thought: “Everyone’s been to a Christmas party and got paralytic. I’m not going to get in the way of this.” It went viral. There’s a sort of worldwide consciousness about Christmas that allows you to think about what it means to be a human being a bit more than you do for the rest of the year. That’s partly what inspired my Christmas album. Advertisement People need gardening more than ever before. Anything to get people connected to the planet and excited about what nature does is important. I love the build-up to a show. I walk out of my house after having done a load of laundry, or whatever, and I put on a slightly higher pair of shoes, some red lipstick, black eyeliner. By the time I get on to the stage, I’m Kim Wilde. I’ve made a complete metamorphosis. I had a bit of a bad time in my early 30s. I was really lost and anxious. My dad said to me: “You’ve got to push out on the world.” I did and I recovered.

My kids have a healthy disrespect for money mixed with a healthy respect for it. I’m very proud of them for that. I adore my two Airedales, Jess and Bo. And it’s not just me, the mad dog woman. We all love them. They’ve brought so much joy into our home. The thing about ageing is that the good stuff happens where you can’t see it. The bad stuff happens where you can. A deluxe edition of Wilde Winter Songbook is released on 4 December.

Kim Wilde’s Christmas Party with Heaven 17 and Altered Images is at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 18 December 1950's heart-throb Marty Wilde is back but now he's all about family | Music | Entertainment | Daily Express 00:42, Sat, Aug 23, 2014 Marty is back - but now he's a true family man[TIM CLARKE] Dressed head-to-toe in black with a grey-patterned waistcoat, the Marty Wilde who greets me in the kitchen of his Hertfordshire home still has shades of the tall teenager from Greenwich who first wowed the nation in the late 1950s as one of Britain's first homegrown rock 'n' roll heart-throbs.' He may be in his mid-70s but Wilde has kept the weight off and his quiff, while thinning, has not been allowed to become streaked with grey. We are here to discuss his upcoming 33-date national tour that kicks off in October. The fact that Wilde can take to the stage at all is thanks to an epiphany he experienced 25 years ago.

He was touring with fellow ageing pop star Brian Hyland when one night the American crooner invited him to join in a duet of one of his biggest hits Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. "I said 'I'd love to, Brian'," recalls Wilde, sitting in the souvenir-strewn den of his home, which is dubbed the guitar museum. "He was singing away like a lark but I found I couldn't hold the high notes." And Wilde knew exactly what the problem was. He had been smoking between 45 and 55 cigarettes a day for years and his vocal cords were giving up the unequal battle with the noxious fumes. He had tried to stop before but neither a course of hypnotherapy nor the nagging of his children had been enough. What was enough though was the prospect of losing the voice that had brought him so much success and happiness. "I gave up smoking and it completely changed my life," he says. "I got my voice back." When Wilde hits the road with his backing group The Wildcats, concert-goers can expect a trip down memory lane that will include performances of timeless hits such as Teenager In Love, Donna and Sea Of Love.

Just don't expect much jumping around. "Most of the artists I work with have had major surgery of some sort," says Wilde. "On this next tour Eden Kane's had a triple heart bypass. Johnny Leyton, who was due to tour with us two years ago, went down with prostate cancer about three days before the first rehearsal. These things happen. One day you're fine, the next you've got arthritis. I used to run and I loved it. I could eat what I liked, drink what I liked and keep the same weight. Suddenly, bang, you get arthritis in your knees. Then it is out of the question. "You've got to watch your health like crazy. I know so many people who passed away because something came into their lives and they thought it was nothing." Wilde didn't make that mistake eight years ago when he spotted traces of blood in his urine after a gig. "I acted immediately," he says. "I fixed an appointment with the doctor. He got me to meet a professor who told me I had bladder cancer and they zapped it out.

It all happened in the space of about three weeks." The fact that Wilde is still able to do what he does best is a blessing for a man for whom singing has always been his destiny. Born Reginald Smith in 1939, he first performed in public at the tender age of three when his father - a sergeant in the army - took him to his barracks and got him to stand up and sing The Son Of Sergeant Smithy. "Of course it brought the house down," he says. In his rocking heyday in 1964 [REX] He first performed in public at the tender age of three He learned to play the ukelele at a young age and his passion for music was nurtured by an inspirational teacher at his school in Greenwich, south-east London. So by the time he left school "totally unqualified" at 15 and found a job as a messenger in the City, he was performing in the evenings with his band Reg Smith And The Hound Dogs.

After being talent spotted by a music publisher he was offered a two-week slot as a solo artist at the Condor Club in Soho, then a fashionable hangout that attracted the likes of motor-racing legend Stirling Moss and, it was rumoured, Princess Margaret. He was paid £1 a night and a plate of spaghetti but it proved to be a passport to stardom. The 18-year-old was spotted by songwriter Lionel Bart (who later wrote the musical Oliver!), who was so impressed he tipped off his friend Larry Parnes, then a big noise in the music business. The next day Smith returned from a day out to find his mother in a state of some agitation. A man had knocked on the door who was so keen to sign him up he had a contract in his hand. "She said his name was Larry Parnes and I said, 'My God that's Tommy Steele's manager'," he recalls. "He was the Colonel Tom Parker of Great Britain, the Simon Cowell of his day. He was mega. He had a very rare quality. I've only met two people who ever had it. There was something about their aura. Whatever it was they could work miracles." This particular manager was also something of a shark.

The press christened him "Larry Parnes Shillings and Pence" because of his habit of ripping off his artists by paying them wages rather than royalties. Wilde was one of the lucky ones, however. "He was great to me," he says. "He put the others on a wage - about £24 a week or something stupid - but I got 60 per cent and he got 40. I never cared about the 40 per cent. I was being given a chance to fulfil my dreams." They did have one dispute over his stage name. Parnes had a penchant for changing the quaint names of his prot©g©s to dramatic Americanised ones. Hence Ron Wycherley became Billy Fury, Clive Powell became Georgie Fame and Richard Knellar became Dickie Pride. Reg Smith, who wanted to perform as Reg Patterson after one of his heroes, world champion boxer Floyd Patterson, wasn't keen on Marty Wilde. After some toing and froing they agreed to toss a coin: "Larry won so now I was Marty.

He did it again and I got Wilde otherwise I'd have been Marty Patterson which would have been awful." His first hit duly followed in June 1958 when Endless Sleep reached No 4 and stayed in the charts for 14 weeks. Wilde followed that up with Donna (No 3) and A Teenager In Love (No 2). His chart success led to appearances on the TV show Oh Boy! and its follow-up Boy Meets Girl, cementing his reputation as a bona fide heart-throb. Then he did something that was destined to destroy his career almost in a stroke: he fell in love and got married and Parnes knew what the consequences would be. "We had a meeting and Larry said what might happen," says Wilde. "He warned me my life could change. He said it could affect record sales and my popularity, and he asked 'Do you still want to go ahead with it?' I was pretty aware it would be a problem. But it forced me to go into other areas. You can't stay in that teen market for long - two or three years is enough for anybody.

You'd go mad." Marty and his wife Joyce, whom he met when she was a member of singing group The Vernon Girls, went on to have four children and, as things turned out, after years on the club circuit and a new career in songwriting, it was family that returned him to the big time. His daughter Kim became a pop star in her own right in the 1980s thanks initially to a smash written by Marty and her brother Ricky. Kids In America was a worldwide hit in 1981 and reached No 2 in the UK chart. In all Kim produced 12 studio albums and 30 singles - many written by her father - and performed to more than 2 million people as the support act on Michael Jackson's European stadium tour of 1988. Meanwhile dad says: "It will probably be the last time we tour together. But we've probably been saying that for 10 years." Marty Wilde's Rock 'N' Roll Party featuring Eden Kane and John Leyton (October 23-November 30). For tickets see Related articles

Question: How many number 1 singles did Kim Wilde and her dad Marty have between them?
Answer: 0