Graham de Wilde

British songwriter Graham de Wilde reached the British Top Ten in 1981 with "Wikka Rap," a novelty tune that was sampled 14 years later by Coolio. Although he has focused primarily on composing songs for radio commercials -- for such companies as BMW, IBM, Volvo, Kodak, and Ford -- and soundtracks for films including Medicine Man, Hope It Rains, The Ultimate Package, and Hollywood Women, de Wilde has not given up performing. He released a solo instrumental album, Airborne, in 1995. Launching his career as a jingle writer in the early '70s, de Wilde opened his own production company by the end of the decade. A highly sought music arranger, de Wilde has worked on albums by British comedian Spike Mulligan and heavy metal band Angra. ~ Craig Harris