2016, the year that keeps taking: Doug Edwards, co-writer of Wildflower

November 28, 2016 2:31 AM

A member of two seminal BC bands, Chilliwack and Skylark, dies of cancer. I remember first hearing Wildflower on local Vancouver AM station CKLG in the middle of an insomniac night. It was more of an FM tune in those early-70s years, so at first the radio station probably wouldn't chance playing it during the day, saddled between the likes of Grand Funk Railroad and Donny Osmond. For years I never knew the story behind the song, and was only vaguely aware of a connection with the rockier band Chilliwack. And, yes, that's the David Foster in Skylark.
posted by morspin (13 comments total)

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Fly At Night, Doug.
posted by fairmettle at 3:18 AM on November 28, 2016 [4 favorites]

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posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 5:55 AM on November 28, 2016

Wildflower was from the summer of my driver's permit and sneaking the family car out for a midnight drive through country roads of Iowa. Only thing missing to make the memory complete are the periodic AM-band static bursts from a distant thunderstorm.

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posted by hal9k at 8:26 AM on November 28, 2016

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posted by Sys Rq at 8:38 AM on November 28, 2016

For our American friends, Chilliwack where a staple of Canadian 70's FM radio, a very talented and underrated band.

So many hits.
posted by Cosine at 9:48 AM on November 28, 2016

Ahhh, Chilliwack. Gone Gone Gone I been gone so long, I been gone gone gone so long...
posted by jonmc at 9:51 AM on November 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

(He didn't join Chilliwack until the late nineties.)
posted by Sys Rq at 10:11 AM on November 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Sys: I didn't know that, still gets . from me just for Skylark though.
posted by Cosine at 10:18 AM on November 28, 2016

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posted by philip-random at 10:19 AM on November 28, 2016

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Sure, time means attrition. I guess it's the nature of the gig, and I'm down with the ride. But 2016 has been a particularly depressing handbasket.
posted by mule98J at 12:06 PM on November 28, 2016

From SCTV, The Recess Monkeys cover of My Girl, featuring Stephan Seely (John Candy), Paul Rey (Eugene Levy), and Steve Applebaum (Rick Moranis).
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 1:43 PM on November 28, 2016

Chilliwack are one of the great bands to ever come from BC's Lower Mainland area, no question. But they are one of those outfits that, through sheer longevity, have ended up including in their lineup probably half of the pro musicians in the region (including one of my immediate neighbours). So yeah, the thing to focus on here, I think, is Edwards' contributions to Skylark, even if it was just the one song, because Wildflower is for the ages. Listening to it now as the sun goes down on the first full sunny day in what seems like a year.
posted by philip-random at 4:53 PM on November 28, 2016

Well, crap.

I used to see Doug every Thanksgiving and Christmas. He wasn't there this year. Now I know why.

My first babysitting-gig was for the hippy-chicks who rented out their basement to Chilliwack to practice. They paid me with home-made LSD.

Other attendees at the time were Anne and Nancy Wilson, and Denise McCann.

California Girl was about Denise.

Their breakthrough song was written down there. Naturally, all about our weather.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 10:36 PM on November 30, 2016