Happy 60th Birthday Dundee Musician Gary Clark, born March 10th 1962 in the city of discovery.
Now I know most of you will not recognise the name, but you will know his biggest hit with the band Danny Wilson, Mary’s Prayer. “Och but I thought that was a guys name” I hear you say, well you’re no t the only, I remember a singer in an Inverness bar a few years ago singing it, and I said I loved the band, she looked at me, she was singing a song but didn’t know that Danny Wilson was a group, and Gary Clark was the singer-songwriter with them.
During the early 1980s Clark worked with his long-time friend, Ged Grimes in a variety of London-based bands including Clark’s Commandos and Dream Kitchen. Returning to Dundee, Clark and Grimes formed a trio with Gary’s brother Kit Clark, initially under the name of Spencer Tracy. They signed to Virgin records in 1986, and (after objections from the estate of Spencer Tracy changed their name to Danny Wilson.
Gary Clark recalls this as “a real last-minute crazy, fearful moment… The album was done, the artwork was done… We were just told, ‘If you try and use this, you will be sued.’ And so the label just went 'Nope. Change it. Now.’” For their new name, the band chose Danny Wilson, taken from a 1952 Frank Sinatra film called Meet Danny Wilson, the film was a favourite of Clark’s father.
The trio in the band were all talented on many instruments and sometimes cant even recall who played what on there records, but generally speaking, Gary Clark played most of the guitar and piano parts on album while Grimes played all of the bass parts. Kit Clark functioned as a multi-instrumental wild card, even playing the accordion! The band remained a trio through there life, only hiring in session drummers during their time together.
1987’s Mary’s Prayer earned the group its first and only top 20 hit reaching number 3, their follow up flopped, although it did have a great title….what was it? Davy! The group had a minor hit in 1989 with a cracking song called Second Summer Of Love, it reached 23. Mary’s Prayer was a minor hit in the states reaching 23. Danny Wilson were the house band at Dundee nightclub The Swamp when they released their first album Meet Danny Wilson.
The band have split and got back together a few times over the years, but Gary Clark has forged for himself a successful career as songwriter and record producer. Gary has wrote several songs for Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia contributing to all her album so far. He also wrote Under, for Alex Hepburn, which although wasn’t a hit at home was top five in several European countries in 2013. Other artists and writers Clark has worked with include Lloyd Cole, Mel C, Mel B, Cathy Dennis, Mark Owen, Eddi Reader, Demi Lovato and The Wanted.
I’ve chosen a Burns song where Gary teamed up with Ged Grimes of Simple Minds.....
