Ian Thomas (Canadian musician)
| Ian Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ian Campbell Thomas |
| Born | 23 July 1950 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actor, author |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 1970-present |
| Labels | Anthem, Warner, Alma Records |
| Associated acts | Tranquility Base, The Boomers, Lunch At Allen's |
| Website | http://www.ianthomas.ca |
| Notable instruments | |
| guitar, keyboards | |
Ian Campbell Thomas (born 23 July 1950) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actor and author. He is the younger brother of comedian and actor Dave Thomas. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Career
Thomas is a successful rock and roll musician in Canada, at the height of his solo career during the 1970s, with his most memorable hit being 1973's "Painted Ladies". Success in the American market, however, has proven to be elusive with the possible exception of "Painted Ladies", which remains his only U.S. Top 40 hit, and the song "Runner" which was recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. He has also done musical composition for about a dozen films and television shows. Before breaking through with "Painted Ladies", he was a producer at the CBC. Before that, he was part of the folk music group Tranquility Base.
In 1974 he won a Juno Award for "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year".
In 1981, Thomas made a cameo appearance on SCTV with his real life older brother Dave Thomas during a sketch of "The Great White North". He played himself and performed the songs, "Pilot" and "Hold On". He also wrote and recorded the theme song for his brother's film Strange Brew. As well, Thomas was a musical guest on the CTV children's show Whatever Turns You On (a short-lived spinoff of You Can't Do That on Television) in 1979.
Many of his songs have been covered by popular artists, including "Hold On" (Santana, 1982), "The Runner" (Manfred Mann's Earth Band, 1984), "Right Before Your Eyes" (America, 1983), and "Chains" (Chicago). In 1988, Daryl Braithwaite had hits in Australia with two Thomas compositions: "As the Days Go By" (which peaked at #10), and "All I Do" (a #12 chart hit). Bette Midler also covered his song "To Comfort You" on her Bette of Roses CD.
He is also known for the portrayal of the character "Dougie Franklin" on the Canadian comedy series The Red Green Show.
From 1991 through 2002, Thomas released four albums with The Boomers.
Currently, he performs with Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church, and Marc Jordan in the group Lunch At Allen's.
In 2009, Thomas provided the music for the animated series Bob & Doug, based on the SCTV characters of the same name.
He has written two books, Bequest (2006), Canadian Best Seller, and The Lost Chord (2008), both through Manor House Publishing.
In 2010, Wounded Bird Records re-issued "Still Here" on CD.
He continues to make appearances to perform songs old and new, and to tell stories of these songs. In 2015 he performed with Darcy Hepner and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and has recorded with them for an upcoming CD.
Discography
Singles
With Tranquility Base (1970-71)
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM 100 |
Canada A/C |
US Hot 100 |
|||
| 1970 | "If You're Lookin'" | 24 | 47 | - | Non-LP singles |
| "In the Rain" | - | - | - | ||
Ian Thomas solo career (1973-1988)
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM 100 |
Canada A/C |
US Hot 100 |
|||
| 1973 | "Painted Ladies" | 4 | 5 | 34 | Ian Thomas |
| "Come the Sun" | 41 | 84 | - | ||
| 1974 | "Long Long Way" | 85 | 39 | - | Long Long Way |
| 1975 | "Mother Earth" | 41 | - | - | Re-recorded single version: Original version from Long Long Way |
| "Julie" | 69 | - | - | Delights | |
| "The Good Life" | 92 | - | - | ||
| 1976 | "Liars" | 25 | - | - | Calabash |
| "Mary Jane" | - | - | - | ||
| 1977 | "Right Before Your Eyes" | 57 | - | - | |
| 1978 | "Coming Home" | 40 | 33 | - | Still Here |
| 1978 | "I Really Love You" | - | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Time is the Keeper" | 71 | - | - | Glider |
| "Pilot" | 83 | - | - | ||
| 1980 | "Tear Down the Wall" | - | - | - | The Best of Ian Thomas |
| 1981 | "The Runner" | - | - | - | The Runner |
| "Hold On" | 28 | 20 | - | ||
| "Borrowed Time" | - | - | - | ||
| "Chains" | 29 | - | - | ||
| 1983 | "Strange Brew" | - | - | - | Strange Brew Soundtrack |
| 1984 | "Do You Right" | 65 | - | - | Riders on Dark Horses |
| "Picking Up the Pieces" | - | - | - | ||
| 1985 | "Endless Emotion" | - | - | - | Add Water |
| "Harmony" | - | - | - | ||
| "Touch Me" | - | - | - | ||
| 1988 | "Back to Square One" | - | - | - | Levity |
| "Levity" | 25 | - | - | ||
With The Boomers (1991-2002)
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM 100 |
Canada A/C |
US Hot 100 |
|||
| 1991 | "Love You Too Much" | 41 | 32 | - | What We Do |
| "One Little Word" | 49 | 29 | - | ||
| "Wishes" | 68 | 28 | - | ||
| 1993 | "You've Got to Know" | 20 | 26 | - | Art of Living |
| "Art of Living" | 41 | - | - | ||
| 1994 | "Good Again" | 68 | - | - | |
| 1996 | "I Feel a Change Coming" | 17 | 15 | - | 25 Thousand Days |
| 1997 | "Saving Face" | 18 | 24 | - | |
| 2002 | "I Want to Believe in Something" | - | - | - | Midway |
With Lunch At Allen's (2004-present)
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM 100 |
Canada A/C |
US Hot 100 |
|||
| 2004 | "Perfect World" | - | - | - | Lunch at Allen's |
| 2007 | "What Kind of Love" | - | - | - | Catch the Moon |
Solo albums
- 1973 - Ian Thomas
- 1974 - Long Long Way
- 1975 - Delights
- 1976 - Calabash (aka Goodnight Mrs. Calabash)
- 1978 - Still Here
- 1979 - Glider
- 1980 - The Best of Ian Thomas
- 1981 - The Runner
- 1984 - Riders on Dark Horses
- 1985 - Add Water
- 1988 - Levity
- 1993 - Looking Back
- 2012 - Little Dreams[1]
Albums with The Boomers
- 1991 - What We Do
- 1993 - Art of Living
- 1996 - 25 Thousand Days
- 2002 - Midway
Albums with Lunch At Allen's
- 2004 - Lunch At Allen's
- 2007 - Catch The Moon
- 2010 - More Lunch At Allen's
Comedy Album with the Air Pirates
- 1990 - Volume Two
References
External links
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