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Nicholas George Gilder (born 21 December 1951) is a British-Canadian musician who first came to prominence as the frontman for the glam rock band Sweeney Todd. He later had a successful solo career as a singer/songwriter.

Biography

Born in London, Gilder was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. He began his career as front-man for the glam rock band Sweeney Todd, which later briefly featured a very young Bryan Adams. Sweeney Todd had a number one hit, "Roxy Roller" which had the top spot in the Canadian music charts for three weeks in 1976. It went on to win a Juno Award for "Best Selling Single" in 1977.

Feeling they had international scope, Gilder and fellow band member, guitarist, and songwriting partner James McCulloch left the band and signed a US record deal. It was his second solo album, which spawned the hit "Hot Child in the City" and it gave Gilder chart success in the United States. The song went to No. 1 both in Canada and the US. It earned him two more Juno Awards: "Single of the Year" and for "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year" in Canada as well as a People's Choice Award in the US. It failed to chart in the United Kingdom, although it was featured on Top of the Pops and also in a Hot Gossip dance routine on The Kenny Everett Video Show. Since that success, Gilder has had only minimal success in Canada and none of his releases have hit the US Top 40.

Gilder has also been successful as a songwriter for artists including Bette Midler, Joe Cocker, Pat Benatar and Toni Basil. In 1984, the band Scandal featuring Patty Smyth had a US Top 10 hit with "The Warrior," which was written by Gilder and Holly Knight; it earned him a BMI Airplay Award. The song also reached No. 1 in Canada, making him the first Canadian artist to reach the Top of the Canadian chart as lead singer for a band (Sweeney Todd with "Roxy Roller"), a solo artist ("Hot Child in the City"), and songwriter for another artist.

Gilder's songs have been used in several movies such as Youngblood with Rob Lowe, The Wraith with Charlie Sheen, Barb Wire with Pamela Anderson, Scenes From the Goldmine (it included a cameo appearance in the movie by Gilder), and in TV series Sex and the City, That '70s Show, Ed, and Nip/Tuck. Most recently one of his songs was used in the 2010 movie The Runaways, where "Roxy Roller" was featured in the beginning of the film.

Armand Van Helden sampled "Rockaway" on his 2005 club hit, "When the Lights Go Down." The next year Nemesis recorded "Hot Child in the City" for their 2006 debut CD, Rise Up and Rocket recorded "Backstreet Noise" for the band's CD, Girls with Candy Hearts.

Gilder was set to release an album called A Night on the Town, A Day in the Country in 2005, but it was shelved. He returned to Canada in the mid-1990s, where he continues to tour as of 2020 (until the COVID-19 pandemic began). He has settled in the Vancouver, British Columbia area where he lives with his family.

Discography

Solo

Studio albums:

• 1977: You Know Who You Are, Chrysalis Records
• 1978: City Nights, Chrysalis Records (No. 13 Can, No. 33 Billboard)
• 1979: Frequency, Chrysalis Records (No. 71 Can, No. 127 Billboard)
• 1980: Rock America, Casablanca Records
• 1981: Body Talk Muzik, Casablanca Records
• 1985: Nick Gilder, RCA Records
• 1997: Stairways, Spinner Music Group/Gilder Records
• 1999: Longtime Coming, Page Music/Oasis/Orchard

Compilations:

• 2001: The Best of Nick Gilder, EMI- Capitol Music/Razor & Tie Entertainment (The Chrysalis Years)

Singles

With Sweeney Todd

Album:

• 1975: Sweeney Todd, London Records (No. 14 Can)

Singles:

• 1975: "Rock 'N' Roll Story", London Records
• 1975: "Sweeney Todd Folder", London Records (No. 36 Can)
• 1975: "Roxy Roller", London Records (No. 1 Can)

Songwriting contributions

‡ Also provided background vocals on "Don't Walk Away" & "Cool Zero"
‡‡ Not included in the soundtrack release

References

1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 971. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
2. "Sweeney Todd". AllMusic.
3. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
4. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
5. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
6. "Nick Gilder Online – Magazine Articles". Members.shaw.ca. 2 August 1998.
7. "Tour Dates 2020". nickgilder.com. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
8. "Nick Gilder – Keeping Sweeney Todd Rolling". The Music Express. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 125. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
10. In the US the original version of "Roxy Roller" with Nick Gilder on vocals had not been released. There were however two charting versions released by London Records on which newly recorded vocals replacing Gilder's were by new lead singers: Clark Perry resp. Bryan Adams. The first new version climbed to No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100, the latter to No. 99. Read the article on "Roxy Roller" for further information.
11. This is about Nick's own re-recording of the song released by Chrysalis Records, however not in Canada.

External links

• Official website

• 1951 births
• Living people
• Canadian male singers
• Canadian rock singers
• Canadian male songwriters
• Musicians from London
• Singers from Vancouver
• Writers from London
• Writers from Vancouver
• English emigrants to Canada
• Glam rock musicians
• Chrysalis Records artists
• Casablanca Records artists
• Juno Award for Single of the Year winners
• Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners
• Sweeney Todd (band) members