Danny Wilson

Danny Wilson were a Scottish pop band formed in Dundee in 1984. The band was best known for its 1988 UK number 3 hit single "Mary's Prayer". The band served as a launchpad for the career of Gary Clark, who also played in the 1990s bands King L and Transister before becoming a successful songwriter for other artists including Natalie Imbruglia, Liz Phair, Nick Carter, k.d. lang and former Spice Girls Melanie C and Emma Bunton. Other former members of the band have played in Simple Minds, Deacon Blue and Swiss Family Orbison. History Background and early history Gary Clark and Ged Grimes grew up together in Dundee, Scotland and played together in school bands. Influenced by soul and pop artists such as Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David, they eventually moved to London, where they played in the bands Perfect Strangers and Dream Kitchen during the early 1980s. Neither band met with success: circa 1984, while still in London, Clark and Grimes noticed that talent scouts and journalists were beginning to follow the soul and pop scenes in Scottish cities. Returning to Dundee, they teamed up with Gary Clark's younger brother Kit Clark to form a new band called Spencer Tracy (after the film star of the same name).