The Amazing Story Behind One of the Most Performed Songs in the History of Canadian Popular Music
WATERLOO, Ont., August 22, 2024 – Living in Jerusalem in 2008, award- winning author Lesley Ann Richardson met and later married Dave Richardson, a Canadian policeman with an incredible life story. In Wildflower; The Love Song from Heaven (Word Alive Press), Richardson shares the amazing story of love and courage behind the famous ballad from the seventies. The book also includes other poems and lyrics composed by the late Dave Richardson over his long, impressive career.
“When my husband passed away in 2019, I began looking through his handwritten lyrics on yellowing sheets of paper, some going back decades,” said Richardson. “After finding so many remarkable poems, I felt compelled to weave them into his story.”
David Richardson was a rare combination–a lawman who was also a poet during a time when many artists saw law enforcement as the enemy. Back in the 1970s, he wrote a poem for his girlfriend, which he called “Wildflower.” In 1972, it was set to music by guitarist Doug Edwards, and produced by David Foster for the Canadian band Skylark. The song, with its tender, haunting lyrics, became a worldwide smash hit, and Canada’s best-known love ballad, later covered by over 70 artists.
Dave turned his back on fame during the turbulent decades that followed. He continued to fight against crime and injustice as a police officer in Victoria, BC. After returning to his childhood faith, he discovered his affinity with his namesake in the Bible, King David, the warrior and “sweet psalmist of Israel.” Upon retiring with the rank of staff sergeant, Dave found himself taking up a new battle, against the spiritual evil afflicting the souls of men and women troubled by addiction, in a street ministry that revealed God’s heart of compassion toward them. The same God who rescued him from addiction.
“Dave had an amazing life, both as a songwriter and a lawman. He loved Canada and Canadian values of integrity and courage. My hope is that Wildflower: The Love Song From Heaven makes an impact on readers and our nation and passes on the legacy he left behind,” said Richardson. “Wildflower: The Love Song From Heaven presents a faith in God that can do the most marvelous and life-transforming things for those who put their trust in Him.”
To schedule an interview with Lesley Ann Richardson or request a review copy of Wildflower; The Love Song From Heaven contact Paola Theaker at paola@grafmartin.com or 519.342.3703 ext 2.
About Lesley Ann Richardson:
Lesley Ann Richardson is originally from Australia, where she grew up and studied English Literature and Theology. Later she moved to Israel, where she worked for several international Christian organizations and met and married her husband, David Richardson, in Christ Church in Jerusalem’s Old City. David was a Canadian with a remarkable life story, which she has set down in Wildflower; The Love Song From Heaven. She has also published Bible Gems from Jerusalem, an award-winning work on history and theology, and Creating Beauty from the Abyss, a biography of Holocaust survivor and artist, Sam Herciger. In her writing, Lesley desires to focus on “the love that moves that sun and all the stars.”
For more information, visit www.lesleyannrichardson.com