Third in a collection of 5 Music Life Journal interviews with 2025 Inductees into the Canadian Songwriters Corridor of Fame. The Legends Induction Ceremony takes place Friday, Oct. 17, on the Lyric Theatre within the Meridian Arts Centre in downtown Toronto.
By Jim Barber
When the topic of an interview is the son of a philosophy professor and a church organist, whose brother is taken into account to be amongst the pantheon of Canadian comedic expertise, you understand a considerate, witty and erudite expertise is within the offing.
And Ian Thomas didn’t disappoint. Certainly one of 5 new inductees into the Canadian Songwriters Corridor of Fame, the brother of SCTV alum Dave Thomas, whose Wales-born father John was head of the Philosophy Division at Hamilton’s McMaster College and whose mother Merthyr was behind the keys on the native church for 3 a long time, talked expansively and lovingly concerning the craft of songwriting, but in addition concerning the generally harsh actuality of navigating by means of the music business, and every part in between.
A Juno Award winner, prolific songwriter, film composer and voice actor, and former Crimson Inexperienced co-star Thomas has joyfully embraced his inventive life, his multifaceted profession and the chance to speak about one of many topics most close to and pricey to his coronary heart – music.
Thomas mentioned he was genuinely touched to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Corridor of Fame and talked about what it meant to him as nicely how cool it was to be represented in such a various induction class for 2025.
“It’s form of a beautiful, heat embrace, I assume. There’s one thing about it that form of looks like an epitaph of a Viking if the phrase ‘legend’ retains popping up. I really feel that’s a bit a lot. Nevertheless it’s beautiful to be acknowledged by your friends. I definitely love numerous their work, in order that has form of a particular that means. There’s the crapshoot of radio and whether or not going with a file firm goes to purchase you larger numbers of not. All of these issues, although it’s an addendum to the love of craft, most individuals I work with who’re my age and nonetheless writing are in it for the love and the enjoyment of songwriting. So to be welcomed right into a corridor of fame with numerous writers whose work I’ve vastly admired is a treasure to me,” he mentioned from his residence in Dundas, Ontario, simply outdoors of Hamilton.
“I like being inducted with such a various group of writers, partly as a result of that’s what I grew up with popping out of 1 speaker in mono from AM radio that was enjoying every part from Dave Brubeck to the Rolling Stone, from The Beatles to Sinatra, to the 1910 Fruitgum Firm. Truthfully, the range that I grew up with on radio was form of like a author’s encyclopedia. It was incredible. And I do lengthy for that selection once more. Sadly, capitalism simply marches ahead, and it’s simply turn out to be such a one-person programming now for all the nation situation. Every part’s filtered, largely by means of Billboard Journal. Nevertheless it’s beautiful to be there within the corridor of fame with kindred spirits. It’s a very distinctive and various group of individuals writing songs. I don’t know that you just wouldn’t discover them on the airways these days.”
After making a joke about how and the the author of this piece are beginning to sound like Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Present speaking concerning the ‘good previous days’, Thomas received actual about how the business and enterprise facet of constructing music has at all times had it’s mercurial, mercenary, money-focused nature, so there’s actually not a lot level in fussing and combating about it.
“That’s how Murray McLauchlan and I met. Murray was grousing about not getting some rattling respect on this enterprise. I mentioned, ‘respect from who? Weasels which might be simply fascinated about what number of widgets they bought in the present day’ After which we each began to chuckle and so started an amazing friendship. Now, one might argue that there’s an unimaginable cross-section of stuff on the market on the web, however there’s no information to it. All people and their uncle can now do a recording of their basement as a result of the software program is there. You used to have to try this in a million-dollar studio earlier than. And there have been the front-line filters of A&R individuals and file corporations and the filters of program administrators at unbiased radio stations. I actually do miss numerous that, but it surely’s at all times been an unsightly enterprise. I imply, it was based on The Mob for God’s sakes – payola. And based on exploitation of all these early Black artists too, to the purpose the place Morris Levy was placing his title down as co-writer on all these nice tracks on Roulette Information. Everytime you speak concerning the ‘good previous days’ you don’t must look too far to appreciate how rotten it was in some ways. So, partly, you’re at all times pining for one thing that by no means was,” he mentioned.
“However we definitely had selection and that’s undisputable. Sure, it’s unlucky that radio stations solely need to play songs that have been hits, and that’s just about how Canada packages. It just about follows the Billboard charts, because it at all times has in some methods. Nevertheless it’s attention-grabbing, as a result of I bear in mind when CanCon [Canadian Content regulations that ensured radio stations played a certain percentage of Canadian artists], numerous programmers hated being informed what to play, and I couldn’t blame them. Nevertheless it was actually one of many solely instruments that our authorities needed to attempt to be sure that perhaps artists might have sufficient meals to eat in Canada. I’ve been fortunate to have met so many program administrators who performed my music as a result of they wished to. And I’m so grateful for that. You understand, I’d put an album out and the following day my single can be on the air. It was similar to, wow. So I assume I’m one thing of a spoiled brat in that respect.
“I bear in mind speaking to Gord Lightfoot. I spoke to him each few years and he would ask, ‘are you enjoying with a full band, Ian? I’m nonetheless enjoying with a full band, you understand.’ He so cherished the truth that he was paying with a full band at his age. And it was form of a problem, so I truly put a full band collectively in 2023 and began enjoying once more. However after I requested Gord, I feel it was about 20 years in the past, when was he going to do a brand new album, he mentioned, ‘why? No person will play it.’ And I noticed what an exquisite period we had come up in the place Gord wrote actually good high quality songs, and radio was prepared for good high quality songs. So that they’d play them. However to listen to such an incredible and actually legendary songwriter like Gord saying, what’s the purpose? I used to be a bit of disenchanted in that as a result of the enjoyment of writing songs is simply that. And you shouldn’t enable the horses of business to pull you to the purpose of despair. And I feel I used to be acutely aware of that at an early age. My normal outlook was some persons are going to like every part, and a few persons are going to hate every part. And the overwhelming majority might lean in some way, and that’s simply the fact of a human beings as a species with such range and with the infinite variety of choices by way of music exploration. So I have a look at that and at 75 I feel I’m a fortunate bugger. I nonetheless take pleasure in it. I nonetheless love writing. I like getting misplaced in songs. And since I’m additionally a gear pig, a studio gear pig, as I assemble the preparations of songs, I can reside inside these soundscapes. They take me someplace. I feel it was the German thinker Schopenhauer who mentioned that music was maybe the simplest of all the humanities as a result of it may enter the soul with out permission. What an interesting assertion that its. And it actually does converse to how music is so transportive to us as being. I bear in mind when my father died, Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’ was on the radio and I bless him for that track. It’s attention-grabbing how all of us have these songs that simply transfer us. They usually blindside us generally – you’re not anticipating it. In order that pleasure stays for me. And if something, that’s what I hope to be celebrating with my fellow inductees. I hope the enjoyment remains to be inside them for all of it.”
As talked about simply above, Thomas is now 75, with a profession going again greater than 50 years to his self-titled debut album in 1973. Alongside the best way he’s composed a catalog of songs that have been hits for him, but in addition later turned hits for different artists. These embody ‘Painted Women,’ ‘Coming Dwelling,’ ‘The Runner,’ ‘Maintain On,’ ‘Pilot’ and ‘I Really feel A Change Coming.’ His profession has additionally seen him rating for movies and collaborate with different songwriters on fulfilling and commercially resonant initiatives such because the band The Boomers, and the continued Lunch At Allen’s songwriter’s live performance collection, which sees him joined onstage with fellow Canadian songwriting luminaries Cindy Church, Marc Jordan and his longtime confrere Murray McLauchlan.
However the story needed to begin someplace. There needed to have been a defining second or expertise that compelled the younger Grasp Thomas, within the bucolic little city of Dundas, Ontario surrounded by books and concepts, to need music to be not simply his ardour, however his vocation.
“I used to be a fan of folks music initially. And what attracted me to it was the Pete Seeger story and the way he was blacklisted in the course of the McCarthy period in america and simply went round to varsities and performed his songs in colleges to remain alive. The songs have been additionally about one thing. There was a social function to numerous the people music, the early Bob Dylan songs like ‘Blowin’ Within the Wind.’ There was one thing philosophical happening there on the similar time which at all times fascinated me. I’m the son of a Philosophy professor. So it was at all times kicking round the home. As I realized to finger choose off an Ian and Sylvia cowl of ‘Early Morning Rain’ I used to be motivated to attempt to write a track. And as I used to be scripting this track, to begin with, I used to be misplaced in it for hours. I wasn’t conscious how a lot time had passed by. I noticed although that my unconscious was spitting stuff into my consciousness. So, I used to be ‘some place else’ within the doing of it. And that is still. It’s what attracts me nonetheless,” he defined.
“After I was doing my most up-to-date album [2024’s How We Roll] it drove my spouse loopy as a result of I used to be going over sure stretches again and again, and generally I used to be simply caught in a loop of a mantra there as I used to be not solely looking, I used to be additionally feeling what was popping out of the audio system into my ears. That’s the way it all started. Now, I’m positively a benefactor of the Beatles bloom. There was such a bloom within the music enterprise there that perhaps numerous guys like me have been capable of make a dwelling due to it. There have been umpteen file corporations on the market and there appeared to be room for everyone on the radio in these days. So, yeah, I benefitted from that Beatles bloom. And, truthfully, what an ethnic soup The Beatles have been. They have been enjoying Gretsch guitars designed for Chet Atkins, for God’s sake, popping out of Vox British amplifiers and recording in a system have been the entire skilled studios within the U.Okay., that they had actually very technical individuals. They have been singing with American accents, however they have been from Britain. There was an actual critical form of hybrid of cultures. And, granted, initially their songs have been fundamental stuff; ‘I need to maintain your hand,’ ‘she loves you yeah, yeah, yeah.’ I imply, it was constructed on all of the hormones of adolescence the place individuals within the viewers screamed till you couldn’t hear the music. So it was great in that window of time that the enterprise was nice. It was additionally great to see how these guys responded to the microscope, and the way [producer] George Martin helped lead them ahead into extra advanced music. And, boy, you can not underestimate the import of that man. He would hand out their concord components so that they realized numerous concord on the run. They have been riddled with concord, however what George Martin imparted was magnificent. So to look at the evolution from It’s the Beatles! to Abbey Street – and that complete second facet of Abbey Street is a masterwork – it’s extra of an orchestra assemble {that a} track construction. There are some track constructions on that facet too, but it surely’s so great in its broad sweep. It was unprecedented. They have been simply breaking the boundaries down sonically, so while you heard their latest file, it was like, ‘what’s that sound?’ They have been experimenting so splendidly with all of it.
“Truly, The Kinks have been as large a factor to me as a child. When ‘You Actually Acquired Me’ got here on and I heard that guitar solo, oh man! I used to be an adolescent and that was an adolescent screech of ‘f*** you!’ And I cherished it for that. It simply summed up every part I used to be feeling, which was roughly confused by the world and what I used to be going to do, how I used to be going to suit into it. And was I in love or was it only a, you understand, hormonal fantasy? And all of these large questions that hit you all of sudden in your adolescence while you’re pondering, nicely, the place do I am going from right here. That track simply allowed me to scream and let unfastened. In order that’s when my head began transferring off of form of the puritanism of the Hootenanny and the people songs. And it impacted me pretty closely.”
Thomas received concerned in music fairly closely within the late Nineteen Sixties and into the early Nineteen Seventies and had a inventive course of pretty nicely entrenched. However then the universe spoke, and due to household commitments, (that complete ‘rising up and being accountable factor) Thomas has to get a day job, because it have been. Fortuitously, it nonetheless concerned music, and in a way added dimensions to his inventive course of, in addition to technical, compositional and association chops that he won’t in any other case has accrued. This made him a more adept, extra productive, extra prodigious, and in the end a extra profitable and fulfilled songwriter.
“I had mouths to feed. I had a band on wage. So, I fairly nicely needed to put out an album a minimum of a yr. Earlier than that, after I wrote my first album, I used to be a producer at CBC. I needed to get a straight job and left my band as a result of my spouse was pregnant. I went and have become a radio producer at CBC producing reside exhibits. The primary one was Ivan Romanoff on a Continental Vacation together with his refrain and orchestra. It was a 24-piece orchestra and 14-voice male choir reside off the ground in Studio H, with an previous rickety Ward-Beck console and a bunch of Positive pre-amps and to a mono combine that I’d hear on the air two days later. It was such ear coaching. It was unbelievable. And whereas I used to be studying the basics of manufacturing and engineering there, I began writing songs at night time as a result of I used to be additionally producing artists for the Transcription Information Collection there. Typically I’d see the place a few of their songs have been going fallacious and it was like a lightbulb went off. So I wrote my complete first album from 9 o’clock at night time till two within the morning after Catherine and the youngsters have been asleep. And someway, they managed to sleep by means of all of it. And my course of has remained comparatively related. It takes me about two weeks for my pumps to get primed, and that’s like being in place with instrument, pencil, paper in hand and form of drifting within the cosmos,” he defined.
“I’d write into the wee hours and also you’d get these songs that have been handed to you in a way. That’s been, you understand, referred to as the unmerited grace of inspiration. It could land onto what you may contemplate probably the most unworthy particular person. The unmerited grace has no favourites. It lands on all people in some unspecified time in the future in time if you happen to’re creatively looking for. Which is fairly humbling on one hand, since you understand you might be plugging into infinity, and there’s a pleasure to that that has remained in my writing. I feel most likely it was an actual bugger for file corporations although. I used to be a tough promote as a result of I wasn’t a very targeted author. I wasn’t charging down a sure persona like Springsteen or the would-be Springsteens, that complete slew of people that went for that aw shucks, denims and t-shirt man from subsequent door factor, that very, very particular form of Bryan Adams model of rock and roll. I used to be following wherever my writing took me, which was everywhere in the map, just like the music I’d grown up with. It’s an interesting factor for me that I’ve many individuals coming as much as me saying they cherished a sure track however didn’t understand it was me. By way of every part, songwriting has at all times remained a pleasure for me.
“I rediscovered that pleasure in recent times. I put out an album referred to as Levity on Warner Brothers in 1988 and it tanked. I assumed it was among the greatest work I’d ever performed. I labored with Chris Neil, an exquisite British producer. There was a ballad on that album referred to as ‘Again to Sq. One,’ which I assumed was the perfect ballad I’d ever written. However the file mainly stiffed and I figured I used to be performed. No person’s going to need me now, so I began doing film scores. However, within the midst of that, I began writing quirky little songs that got here out of this ’64 Gretsch Tennessean that I purchased from a good friend. And this guitar simply had some songs in it, they usually needed to be written. And that turned the primary Boomers album [What We Do, which came out in 1991, the first of four Boomers albums] which took off in Germany. What was attention-grabbing about that album was that on the similar time, the Canadian evaluation got here out saying, ‘it’s simply Ian Thomas with a bunch of sidemen.’ Then the German evaluation got here out and it mentioned, ‘what an apparently completely different group of musicians have been assembled to create this fascinating sound.’ And that’s what The Boomers was to me. The gamers have been additionally distinctive, and I had employed them as a result of I admired all their work. The sport was to attempt to beat the demo, to do higher than the demo. However with all of these demos, the writing of them, it was simply an absolute pleasure sitting within the environment of the sound that was popping out of this Gretsch Tennessean and wow. So, it hasn’t modified a lot. The enjoyment of discovery stays the identical.”
It’s one factor, one very large factor, to jot down a track, one which invokes your thoughts, physique and spirit, then imbue it together with your musical experience, your literal voice, by means of the recording course of and launch it out into the world. There’s a complexity at work in an artist’s soul that’s urgent and quick, and sometimes fairly self-judgemental to the purpose of existential. Beginning with ‘Painted Women’ in 1973, by means of, ‘Coming Dwelling’ (1977), ‘Pilot’ in 1979, and ‘Maintain On’ the next yr, there was not often a interval on Canadian radio the place Ian Thomas wasn’t being heard.
So how does it really feel when one other artist takes that work of ardour, put’s their interpretation on the association, sings it their approach, and releases it out into the world … and it turns into a giant hit beneath THEIR banner (though you do have your title in small print within the credit, in addition to on the royalty assertion).
Santana recorded ‘Maintain On’ in 1982 (rising to #15 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 chart), whereas Chicago did likewise with ‘Chains’ that very same yr. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s rendition of ‘The Runner’ was successful in 1984, whereas America’s model of ‘Proper Earlier than Your Eyes’ was likewise the yr earlier than.
“It’s attention-grabbing territory and the territory is twofold. One is that of an artist, and the opposite is as a author. As a author, you’re completely flattered that one other artist is putting their profession within the arms of your track. That’s a giant dedication. However generally I really feel badly about it. On the album Shango, Santana’s model of ‘Maintain On’ was pressured on them by the file firm as a result of they didn’t have a single. And file corporations didn’t know the best way to market something except they may have the advertising performed for them with a bit of payola and a few radio publicity, proper? File corporations have been by no means absolutely invested in advertising. It was a really previous system they usually have been used to it. So I felt badly that Carlos’ album couldn’t come out the best way it was and the best way he wished it. I feel that should have been artistically irritating to them that that they had this track handed to them that the label thought would work for them. It was the identical factor with Manfred Mann’s cowl of ‘The Runner’ [which was released just before the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, rising to #22 on the Billboard Hot 100],” Thomas mentioned.
“My album. The Runner, was down at Arista Information for consideration for launch within the U.S. After which I get a cellphone name from the man who owned Arista, Clive Davis and he mentioned, ‘you understand, I feel ‘The Runner’ is maybe an important track of the last decade.’ And I noticed, okay this can be a grease job. Okay, what’s coming? And it was, ‘however I’ve received far too many artists already on Arista to care for. I really need this track for Manfred Mann.’ I spoke to the supervisor of Manfred Mann who, after I met him, I mentioned, ‘I’m delighted to satisfy you.’ And he mentioned, ‘I guess you might be. We’ve made you some huge cash.’ So, you understand, there’s a candy disappointment there. After which for me as an artist, it was irritating. Santana mainly regurgitated my association. And so it was an attention-grabbing expertise. I by no means actually knew what it was. Possibly it was my voice. A superb likelihood it was my voice. Clearly, the gravitas of an internationally-renown band placing one thing out, persons are going to sit down up and have a look at it far more than they might coming from some bloke from Canada with a Gaelic-sounding title. All of these issues have been items within the puzzle, however now, as I’ve crossed Canada and I’ve the nice pleasure of enjoying for individuals who grew up on my music and the situation of someway turning into a part of the soundtrack of their lives, boy what a lofty place that’s at 75. So, although I used to be a bit of artistically upset that you just couldn’t give me away in america generally, and even in Canada, that comes with the territory. I realized at a really early age, as I’ve mentioned, some persons are going to like every part you do. Some persons are going to hate every part you, and the overwhelming majority might care much less in some way. And that’s a really sobering realization, as a result of while you’re a younger author, you suppose every part you write is sacred. Then it takes you a very long time to appreciate now, wait a sec, 99 per cent of writing is rewriting. So all of that in my evolution, the enjoyment of making music has at all times been there. What occurs to it after the actual fact – that’s what it’s. All I do know is that if you happen to strap your wheels of creativity to the horses of business, it’s going to be a tough trip for certain. And it’s triggered numerous writers to stop and get bitter when the business is now not fascinated about them, as a result of they’re not the hula hoop – not the cool new factor. And I’ve met numerous writers who gave up, stop working, and might’t be bothered anymore. They usually received, very, very bitter. However I select to have a look at the trip I’ve had and I’ve received nothing however gratitude. Jesus, what an exquisite time I received to come back alongside within the post-Beatles bubble. It was only a magnificent interval in time.
“And likewise, alongside the best way, I used to be capable of do movie scores as nicely to assist feed my household and different issues that have been enjoyable, like foolish character voiceovers for commercials, every part from Snap the Rice Crispy to Ned the Newt. It simply appeared like there have been at all times joyous little sidebars, like doing that silly fool Dougie Franklin on The Crimson Inexperienced Present. I imply, Steve Smith simply referred to as me up and mentioned, ‘hey, do you need to come out and play?’ After a few seasons I noticed that an precise actor ought to actually have that job as a result of it was like watching paint dry for me. Seven or eight hours of hanging round for 60 seconds of dialogue. Nevertheless it was numerous enjoyable, plus I received to be on there with my brother Dave [Thomas of SCTV, Bob and Doug Mackenzie fame].”
Lunch At Allen’s is wrapping up it’s run after greater than 20 years of standard exhibits, together with 5 albums (If It Feels Proper was the final one, popping out in 2017). As he mentioned above, Thomas has gone again to his unique rock band roots, touring with a full-on band yearly for the previous couple of years, which he mentioned now might be his main focus.
“We’re doing the Lunch at Allen’s Farewell Tour. I feel it comes all the way down to vitality. I’m going to return out with full band and do solo dates. It’s a lot enjoyable listening to the preparations of my songs absolutely rendered for a band. The Lunch at Allen’s format is loads completely different. It’s a really folk-driving factor the place we’re all backing one another up and we get to be sidemen and background vocalists. And all of that’s nice enjoyable. However I do miss full band and a few components of rock and roll. I like electrical guitar. It’s simply an interesting instrument. There are such a lot of issues that tone clever might be performed with it. So how a lot vitality have I received at 75 turns into the query, proper? And my spouse wants me greater than ever at residence. So I’m lowering my touring now to my solo band a few occasions a yr.”
The dialog wrapped up with a narrative about John Sweet, who’s now the topic of a heartwarming, tear-inducing Prime documentary I Like Me, and one which Thomas has regaled audiences with from the stage many occasions earlier than – however which now has added poignancy due to the feelings being stirred by the cinematic presentation of the beloved comedian actor’s life.
“I received to know residence in the course of the Firehall Theatre days in Toronto, the times of Second Metropolis with my brother, after which clearly bumping into him a good quantity over time. One time he referred to as me to underscore his directorial debut. It was a Showtime pay-per-view film referred to as Hostage for a Day with George Wendt from Cheers. However I additionally bear in mind getting a cellphone name from John as soon as, and it’s like 1:30 within the morning. I choose up the cellphone, and I hear, ‘Ian?’ I mentioned, ‘sure, who is that this?’ He says, ‘oh thank God. It’s John Sweet. I’m in Calgary and I went out for one thing to do and I noticed this promoting factor that mentioned, Ian Thomas showing. And I went to this place and it was like a very shady lodge. And there was this beat-up trying man on the stage singing unhealthy folks songs. And I requested the bartender, is that Ian Thomas? And he mentioned, nicely, it’s AN Ian Thomas.’ I assume John wished to double examine that I hadn’t turn out to be some tragic Ray Milland determine from a B-movie. So he referred to as me And when he received me on the road he mentioned, ‘I’m so glad you’re right here and never right here.’ So humorous.”
For extra info on the Canadian Songwriters Corridor of Fame, please go to:
For extra info on Ian Thomas, together with upcoming touring plans, go to:
Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and creator primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. In addition to his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at bigjim1428@hotmail.com.
