He first became known as one of the original members of the late 1970s Stiff Records artist roster, along with Ian Dury, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.

The following month, the song was one of five tracks broadcast for the first of two sessions Eric recorded for DJ John Peel at BBC Radio 1.

[citation needed] The song's reputation has grown over the years and numerous bands have covered "Whole Wide World", such as the Lightning Seeds, Mental As Anything, The Monkees (on their Pool It!

The label forced Eric to work with songwriting teams, hired backing bands and assigned his music to unsympathetic producers.

Despite leaving the mainstream music business, he has continued writing songs and performing consistently throughout Europe and the United States.

In 1989, he signed to New Rose Records as Eric Goulden, released the homemade Le Beat Group Electrique with bassist André Barreau and drummer Catfish Truton.

Eric contributed his version of "Clevor Trever" (sic) to the Ian Dury tribute album Brand New Boots and Panties released in 2001.

[10] Eric joined The Proclaimers onstage at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, on 19 July 2008, to perform his song, "(I'd Go the) Whole Wide World" which they covered on their album Life with You.

[citation needed] Eric and Amy Rigby joined John Wesley Harding onstage at Wiggins Park in Camden, New Jersey, United States, on 25 July 2009, to perform "(I'd Go the) Whole Wide World".

In 2012, Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby recorded a version of the Bread song "The Guitar Man", for the fund raising CD Super Hits of the Seventies, for the radio station WFMU.

In April 2018, Wreckless Eric released an album of new songs, Construction Time & Demolition, supported with shows in the UK, the US, and Canada.