Jon Mikl Thor

Jon Mikl Thor

Thor backstage at Kings in Raleigh, North Carolina, 2002
Born 1953 (age 61–62)
Vancouver, Canada
Occupation Bodybuilder, actor, musician

Jon Mikl Thor (born 1953)[1] is a bodybuilding champion, actor, songwriter, screenwriter, historian, vocalist and musician.

As a bodybuilder, he was the first Canadian to win both the Mr. Canada and Mr. USA titles. During his bodybuilding career, he has achieved over 40 titles around the world. As a musician, he is the front man for the successful heavy metal band Thor, billing himself as "The Legendary Rock Warrior". He has also has had career in acting appearing in such films as Recruits, Zombie Nightmare, Fubar, and Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare.

Music career

Jon Mikl Thor started touring as frontman for the band Thor in 1973. He combined strength feats, props, costumes and showmanship with music: his feats included bending solid steel bars in his teeth and having solid concrete blocks smashed off his chest with a sledgehammer. Jon Mikl Thor created the "THOR T in Shield Logo" in 1973 which would become the copyright and trademark for the band. Thor toured Canada and the US throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1976, Thor performed on American national television with his appearance on The Merv Griffin Show.

Shortly after, Jon recorded the album Keep the Dogs Away in 1976-77 through his own company God Of Thunder Productions. The album was licensed to RCA and released in early 1978. Jon appeared on the cover artwork as "Thor The Rock Warrior", holding back four dobermans. In February 1984 Thor performed at the Marquee in London, England, to great reaction from the audience which included Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. The review in Kerrang magazine proclaimed "He Came, He Thor, He Conquered". The reception of that show launched Thor's career to a new level. He then licensed recordings to Albion Records. Albion released songs such as "Thunder On The Tundra" and "Let The Blood Run Red" which went to #1 on the UK Rock Charts. Thor toured throughout the UK performing at such concerts as the Great Yarmouth Festival and released albums such as "Only The Strong" and "Recruits-Wild In The Streets".

In 1987, Jon Mikl Thor retired from live performances and started to write and produce films as well as forming his own record label. By 1997 he had returned to the recording studio and started to make live appearances with the release of Ride Of The Chariots. More albums followed from 1998 to 2009. In 2004 Jon Mikl Thor was voted one of the top 100 greatest frontmen of all time in Classic Rock Magazine by an international panel of journalists as. In 2005 Thor signed with Smog Veil Records and released Thor Against The World followed by Devastation Of Musculation in 2006.

In 2009, Thor signed on to the label Vulcan Sky Records, and released the albums Unchained and Sign of the V. The same year he played with his bandmates Steve Price, Mike Favata, and Ben Perman at the Sweden Rock Festival and Muskelrock Festival in Sweden and the Sauna Open Air Festival in Finland.

In 2011, Thor embarked on a tour of Scandinavia from May 31 to June 7, with Frank Soda on guitar, Savage Watts on drums and Killer Kilby on bass. He played at DOM in Helsinki on June 1st, performing his live rock opera and showcasing his latest film Thor - The Rock Opera; then, he revisited the Muskelrock Festival in Alvesta, Sweden from June 2nd to June 4th.

After months in the studio recording the 2012 album Thunderstryke for Rock Saviour Records in Germany, Thor returned to live performing by headlining the Armstrong Metal Fest 2012 at Hassen Arena. "Thunderstryke"(2012) and "Thunderstryke II" (2013) were released to rave reviews and commercial success worldwide.

In 2013, Thor signed with Cleopatra Records in Los Angeles, California and released a CD/DVD deluxe edition of Only The Strong in May 2014. This package includes additional unreleased bonus tracks and lost live footage.

Other ventures

A native of Vancouver, Jon Mikl Thor, an avid historian and sports enthusiast, resurrected the Vancouver Millionaires hockey team, Vancouver's only Stanley Cup champions who won the cup in 1915. With the help of his wife Katherine Elo, he actively pursued a retail and internet merchandising program incorporating his trademarks of the Vancouver Millionaires name and "V" logo which he owned since 1977. He created a marketing concept using concerts, music and sporting events which made the Vancouver Millionaires synonymous with his Thor image. After years of historical study and promotion, Thor turned ownership of the Vancouver Millionaires, their website and the "Victory V" logo over to the Vancouver Canucks and the NHL.

He is also the founder of VM Sports, a line of authentic Vancouver Millionaires apparel such as reproductions of the team's jerseys.[2] Thor's Millionaires memorabilia commemorates the city's historic 1915 Stanley Cup-winning team.[3]

Acting

Jon Mikl Thor's music career coincided with his film career. In 2002, he wrote the title song for the movie Fubar titled "Fubar Is A Super Rocker". In 2005 he wrote "Glimmer" for the movie Murder At The Presidio as well as appearing in the movie. In 2007 he starred in the Lifetime network TV movie A Family Lost.

In 2011 Jon Mikl Thor starred in the movie Thor - The Rock Opera which he co-produced with writer and director John Cody Fasano. The movie premiered May 30, 2011 at the Shock Stock Film Festival in London, Ontario. The film was released on DVD through Vulcan Sky Releasing on June 15, 2011.

Jon Mikl Thor is set to star as himself in a biopic titled I am Thor. Directed by Ryan Wise, produced by Ryan Wise and Al Higbee, I am Thor is slated to premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival between January 23rd and 29th 2015 in Park City, Utah.

Discography

Thor And The Imps

Thor

Tritonz

Thor & The Ass Boys

References

  1. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (January 25, 2015). "Slamdance Film Review: 'I Am Thor'". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ Mackin, Bob (2008-05-02). "Back in the money". 24 Hours Vancouver. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  3. ↑ Vancouver's new millionaires Bob Mackin, 24 Hours: Vancouver 1 May 2008

External links