Skylark (Canadian band)

Skylark

Industry	Music
Founded	1971 in Vancouver, Canada
Defunct	1973
Headquarters	Vancouver , Canada
Products	Music albums, singles

Skylark was a Canadian ensemble specializing in pop and rock genres, active between 1971 and 1973, and originating from Vancouver. Their most prominent success was the track "Wildflower.

History

Established in 1971 from a backing band associated with Ronnie Hawkins, Skylark secured a contract with Capitol Records and released their debut album, titled Skylark, in 1972, which featured three singles. The lineup included distinguished musicians such as David Foster. Following the disappointing performance of their sophomore album, the group disbanded. Band members Donny Gerrard and Carl Graves went on to explore other musical ventures with varying degrees of achievement.

Their hit single "Wildflower" reached the top position on the Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary chart in 1973, climbed to number 10 on the Canadian RPM singles chart, and attained number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, achieving sales exceeding one million copies. Composed by guitarist Doug Edwards alongside Dave Richardson, a police officer from Victoria, the song gained widespread attention due to frequent airplay on CKLW-AM radio.

Donny Gerrard contributed vocals to the 1985 charity single "Tears Are Not Enough", aimed at raising funds for famine relief in Africa, performing alongside artists including Bryan Adams.

Doug Edwards passed away on November 11, 2016. Donny Gerrard succumbed to cancer in February 2022 at the age of 75.

Former members

• B. J. Cook, Donny Gerrard, & Flip Arellano – vocals
• David Foster – keyboards
• Carl Graves – percussion
• Robbie King – Hammond organ
• Eddie Patterson, Doug Edwards, & Gaye Delorme – guitars
• Steven Pugsley – bass
• Duris Maxwell – drums
• Brian Hilton – drums (succeeded Maxwell)
• Kat Hendrikse – drums (succeeded Hilton)
• Norman McPherson – guitar (succeeded Edwards)
• John Verner – guitar (succeeded McPherson in 1972)
• Allan Mix – guitar (succeeded Verner in 1973)

Charted singles

Year	Title	Highest chart rankings								Album
		CAN	CAN AC	CANCON	US	US AC	AUS	NET	US R&B
1972	"What Would I Do Without You"	60	77	—	—	—	—	—	—	Skylark
1973	"Wildflower"	10	1	15	9	5	65	23	—
	"I'll Have to Go Away"	83	54	—	106	39	—	—	—
	"If That's the Way You Want It"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	55	2

1972 - Skylark (Capitol)

(reached number 53 on Canadian charts)

Track listing

Side 1

1. "Brother Eddie" (Howie Vickers, Joe Fahrni, Robbie King) – 4:31
2. "What Would I Do Without You" (Ernie Shelby, Phillip Mitchell) – 3:29
3. "A Long Way to Go" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) – 3:46
4. "Suites for My Lady" (David Foster, Duris Maxwell) – 2:06
5. "I'll Have to Go Away" (Kerry Chater, Renée Armand) – 5:07

Side 2

6. "The Writing's on the Wall" (Domenic Troiano) – 3:01
7. "Twenty-Six Years" (David Foster, Donny Gerrard, Linda Patterson) – 4:55
8. "I'm in Love Again" (Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew) – 3:18
9. "Wildflower" (David Richardson, Doug Edwards) – 4:08
10. "Shall I Fail" (Carolyn Borsman, Doug Edwards) – 1:27

Personnel

• Donny Gerrard – lead and harmony vocals
• B. J. Cook – lead and harmony vocals, percussion instruments
• Kitty Ditto – harmony vocals
• Patrice Holloway – harmony vocals
• Doug Edwards – electric and acoustic guitar
• David Foster – acoustic and electric pianos, harpsichord, Moog synthesizer, string arrangement (all except track 3)
• Steve Pugsley – bass guitar
• Duris Maxwell – drums and percussion
• Bobby Torres – conga drums
• Jimmie Haskell – string arrangement (track 3)
• Robbie King – organ and arrangements (track 8)

1974 - 2 (Capitol)

1. "You Remind Me of a Friend" (Brian Russell, Brenda Gordon) 3:20
2. "Love's a River Flowing" (Roger Nichols, John Bettis) 3:58
3. "It's a Wonder" (Alexandra Wangberg) 3:14
4. "Wingless Bird" (D. Edwards, C. Borsman) 5:07
5. "Wildflower" (D. Richardson, D. Edwards) 4:08
6. "If That's the Way You Want It" (Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter) 3:38
7. "Foster Frees" (David Foster) 6:19
8. "The Love Affair Is Over" (Bob Ruzicka) 3:15
9. "One More Mountain to Climb" (Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield) 5:04

Personnel

• Produced and engineered by Eirik the Norwegian
• David Foster responsible for arrangements and production coordination

Principal Skylark members:

• Donny Gerrard – lead vocals and backing vocal arrangements
• B. J. Cook Foster – lead and backing vocals
• David Foster – piano, electric piano, Moog synthesizer, pipe organ

Additional musicians:

• Steve Pugsley – bass guitar
• Alan Mix – guitar
• Brian Hilton and Duris Maxwell – drums
• Carl Graves – backing vocals and percussion
• Gabriel Delorme (Gaye Delorme) – acoustic guitar
• Robbie King – organ on tracks 2, 6, and 7
• William Smith – organ on track 9
• Bobby Taylor – backing vocals

See also

• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States