Ian Thomas (Canadian musician)
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Ian Thomas (born July 23, 1950) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actor and author. He is younger brother to famed Canadian comedian and actor Dave Thomas, and was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Thomas was a successful rock and roll musician in Canada during the 1970s, with his most memorable hit being 1973's "Painted Ladies". Success in the American market has proven to be elusive. 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 group Tranquillity Base.
In 1974 he won a Juno Award for "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year".
He is also known for the portrayal of various characters on the Canadian comedy series The Red Green Show, most notably the character "Dougie Franklin."
Thomas made a cameo appearance on SCTV with his real life brother Dave Thomas during a sketch of "The Great White North." He played himself and also performed the songs, "Pilot" and "Hold On." He also wrote and recorded the theme song for his brother's film Strange Brew.
Many of his songs have been covered by popular artists, including "Hold On" (Santana), "The Runner" (Manfred Mann's Earth Band), "Right Before Your Eyes" (America), 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).
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.
He has recently authored a book titled, Bequest .
[edit] Discography
Solo Albums:
- 1973 - Ian Thomas
- 1974 - Long Long Way
- 1975 - Delights
- 1976 - 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
Albums with The Boomers:
- 1991 - What We Do
- 1993 - Art of Living
- 1996 - 25 Thousand Days
- 2002 - Midway
Album with Lunch at Allen's:
- 2003 - Lunch at Allen's
Comedy Album with the Air Pirates:
- 1990 - Volume Two
