Biography of Kim Wilde, written by Marcel Rijs. Published by This Day In Music Books on 3 June 2021. The book starts in 1939 with the birth of Marty Wilde and tells the story of Kim’s childhood and her career in music and gardening up until the release of Pop Don’t Stop: Greatest Hits in 2021. The book draws from magazine articles, TV and radio interviews to tell the story in great detail. The book also features short interviews with Anton Corbijn, Richard Blanshard, Gregg Masuak, Martin Zandstra, Sabrina Winter, Nick Beggs, Case Eames and Steve Norman.
It is illustrated with many photographs, including exclusive photography by Katrien Vercaigne and a front cover photograph by Anton Corbijn.
Release date: 3 June 2021
Written by: Marcel Rijs
Publisher: This Day In Music Books
Number of pages: 360
ISBN: 9781838379865 (hardback) / 9781739582753 (paperback)
Book description:
Kim Wilde first saw success in 1981 with her debut single ‘Kids in America’, which reached No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo artist. In 1986, she had a UK No. 2 hit with a reworked version of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’, which also later topped the US BIllboard Hot 100. Between 1981 and 1996, she had 20 singles reach the Top 40 of the UK singles chart.
Worldwide, Kim has sold over 10 million albums and 20 million singles. She holds the record for being the most-charted British female solo act of the 1980s, with 17 UK Top 40 hit singles. Starting in 1998, while still active in music, she has branched into an alternative career as a landscape gardener, which has included presenting gardening shows on the BBC and Channel 4. In 2005, she won a Gold award for her courtyard garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show. A return to music followed, with hit albums in Europe and a triumphant return to live stages all over Europe and in the UK.
Marcel Rijs has followed Kim’s career from the start. In 1996 he started a website about her, which eventually became her official fansite wilde-life.com. He was involved in several compilation CD’s and reissues of Kim’s early albums. After writing the liner notes for Kim’s first three albums, released by Cherry Pop in 2020, he was inspired to write a full biography. The book came together over the course of a year, with Kim contributing exclusive quotes to tell the story of an astonishing career.