15 Facts About David Wiffen

David Wiffen was born on 11 March 1942 and is an English-Canadian folk singer-songwriter.

David Wiffen spent his early childhood with his mother, living on an aunt's farm in Chipstead, while his father, an engineer, contributed to the war effort.

David Wiffen first sang with the Kingston upon Thames-based Black Cat Skiffle group.

David Wiffen moved with his family to Canada at age 16, and became part of the burgeoning folk music scene, initially in Toronto.

In 1964, David Wiffen hitchhiked to Edmonton and later managed The Depression folk club in Calgary.

In 1965, having moved to Vancouver, David Wiffen was invited to perform at The Bunkhouse club on a live ensemble album.

David Wiffen was in several bands, including The Pacers, based in Prince George, British Columbia, where he was the lead vocalist, and The Children, based in Ottawa.

David Wiffen subsequently joined 3's a Crowd, whose initial members included Brent Titcomb, Donna Warner, Trevor Veitch and Richard Patterson.

David Wiffen cohosted a television variety series on Ottawa station CJOH with Ann Mortifee, which was produced for a period by William Hawkins.

David Wiffen subsequently signed to Fantasy Records as a solo artist.

In 1971, he released David Wiffen, and had hit singles with "One Step" and "More Often Than Not".

David Wiffen continued to perform regularly in the 1970s, though found his success diminishing and a consequent source of frustration and depression, compared to the success of contemporaries Bruce Cockburn and Murray McLauchlan.

David Wiffen eventually ceased performing, choosing to become a limousine driver and later a publicly funded driver for handicapped persons in Ottawa.

David Wiffen suffered a serious back injury on the job while moving a wheelchair, which required corrective surgery and impeded any return to performing.

At that time, David Wiffen had been sober for ten years and had spent six years in preparation and development for the album's production.