Donald Bradford Gerrard (March 19, 1946 – February 3, 2022) was a Canadian singer. He was a member of the band Skylark in the early 1970s, and in later years performed and recorded as a baritone backup singer for artists such as

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel music, gospel singer and civil rights activism, activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving memb ...

Early life

Gerrard was born in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada, on March 19, 1946. He began singing as a child and his talents became noticed when he was in high school. He and Al Foreman formed a group called "Donny Gerrard and the Checkmates" after the latter heard him sing at church community event in 1961. The band performed for three years before breaking up. He subsequently had a sojourn in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

with another band, before coming back to Canada and reuniting with Foreman in Night Train Revue as its bassist for the next two years. Gerrard later relocated to the United States and started out performing in flash Vegas lounge acts. He was also part of a group that disbanded after Floyd Sneed became a member of

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...

Career

Gerrard successfully auditioned as

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

for Skylark in the early 1970s, with his performance leaving an impression on

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...

. He sang with the band on its self-titled album in 1972, and was lead singer on their hit single, "

Wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

". It ultimately lasted 21 weeks on the ''Billboard'' charts. After Skylark disbanded in 1973, Gerrard commenced his solo career. He released his first single titled "(Baby) Don't Let It Mess Your Mind" in 1975 with The Rocket Record Company label. He issued another single, ''Greedy for Your Love'' in 1976, the same year he released a self-titled album with the Greedy label in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. However, his solo career never took off with the success his record label desired. He released his last single ''Stay a While With Me'' in 1977, before becoming a

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

. In 1985, Gerrard appeared in a duet on the " St. Elmo's Fire" soundtrack along with Amy Holland. The ballad from

, "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire (For Just a Moment)" was a slower version of the film's main theme song with added lyrics. He would also contribute vocals to Foster's charity single " Tears Are Not Enough," sung by a cavalcade of Canadian celebrities to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia. Gerrard was a backup singer for musicians such as

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

, and

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

. He sang backup for Mavis Staples on her album ''One True Vine'', and at live performances, including at the Lincoln Center in 2014. He continued to perform with Staples, and can be heard on her 2016 album ''Livin' on a High Note''. His final known contribution was in her album '' We Get By'', released in 2019.

Personal life

Gerrard was married to Myra until his death. Together, they had one child (Cooper). He also had another child (Traie Payne) from a previous relationship before he was married. While receiving hospice care at his home in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, Gerrard died on February 3, 2022, at the age of 75. He suffered from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

prior to his death.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerrard, Donny 1946 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers Canadian baritones Deaths from cancer in New Mexico Singers from Vancouver Skylark (Canadian band) members