Did you ever think this? Kim Wilde’s first singing experiences stem from when she was only twelve years old. Back then, in the year 1972, father Marty made one of his biggest ever tours around Australia. As always, he took his wife Joyce and his kids Kim and Ricky along. This is how Kim and Ricky first got to know more about the business.
During the last concert of the tour in Melbourne, Marty had the idea of bringing out his daughter, who was already as beautiful as she was talented, for an encore. Totally uninhibited, Kim sang the John Denver song “Take me home Country Roads” (later also sung by Olivia Newton-John) before a wildly enthusiastic crowd.
Right at that moment, she and her parents first got the idea that she might once be a star in her own right. But first, the parents insisted that Kim and Ricky would go through their years in school. Of course, this led to some family arguments, but in the end, they had to listen. Despite this, they kept trying to get on stage for a moment. They succeeded twice to persuade their fater and to sing backing vocals during concerts. Once during a concert in Lewisham (East London) and the second time in Cesars Palace in Luton (Hertfordshire).
At the time, Kim and Ricky were in Presdale School in Ware (Hertfordshire), but the concert took place in the weekend, so they wouldn’t have to skip school for the occasion. Resolutely, Kim kept pleading for herself and Ricky, so they were finally able to sing with their fathers superhits “Bad Boy” and “Sweet little 16”.
Back then, Ricky Wilde was more in the spotlights than his beautiful sister: he had a record deal with UK-Records in 1973 and the singles (written and produced by father Marty) “I’m an astronaut”, “Teen wave” and “I wanna go to a Disco” caused the English press to describe him as the counterpart of the American child star Jimmy Osmond. Now, he doesn’t envy his sister Kim at all.
Both Kim and Ricky still think often of the times that they first got to know life on stage. The enthusiasm for a career of their own was born right there.