ALL ABOUT DANNY

Danny was born in Hampshire, England in 1947. He skipped school as a child as much as possible and hid in an old growth forest; usually returning home after dark as it was the only way to find peace in post-war England. His first introduction to the ‘wondrous world of melody’ was by his mother and father who owned the widest array of classics Danny has ever seen to this day.

Two choirs and a stint playing violin in the junior branch of the local symphony led to Danny applying and being accepted in the Brigade of Guards Music School. After one year he transferred to the regiment itself, The Grenadier Guards. Danny’s years in the Guards included service in combat zones as well as performing Royal Duties in London including the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and Windsor Castle.

After working as a stage manager hosting some of England’s most prestigious rock concerts, Danny picked up a flute for the first time, studied and by his account, ‘Got thrown out of most of the studios in London.’ He professes he ‘wasn’t very good’. After some work honing his craft, he added the soprano sax to his arsenal and gained both expertise and confidence along the way.

It was about this time Danny began his relationship with percussionist Phil Collins of Genesis fame. He and Collins formed what Danny calls a ‘fun band‘ named "Zocks and the Radar Boys". Next Danny landed the position of A&R man at what would become the world’s largest independent music label, Island Records. While at Island, Danny met John Giblin, Percy Jones and John Goodsall who together would become the nucleus of their fusion band Brand X. Phil Collins joined Brand X one year later.

Wilding then met Pete Bonas and together they wrote and recorded ‘Pleasure Signals’. This album featured a controversial cover and a fusion sound, entertaining measurable success. While ‘Pleasure Signals‘ was moving up the charts, Danny joined Ginger Johnson and the African Drummers as its lone white performer featuring a fifteen-piece band including eight Conga players!

“Pleasure Signals‘" success brought a measure of personal achievement for Danny when Record World Magazine named him as one of the ‘Top Five Flautists in the World’. In 1978 he moved from London to New York and then on to his next home for thirty years, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Danny credits New Mexico with bringing him the peace he had been searching for and with it; a surprisingly wide-array of nearly unimaginable adventures and challenges that are all too common in the Land of Enchantment and especially in Santa Fe, ‘The City Different’. Through it all he kept his lips expertly settled upon his flute’s mouthpiece and evolved a playing style unlike any other.