Ian Campbell Thomas (born 23 July 1950) is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, actor and author. Best known for his 1973 hit "Painted Ladies" and his role on The Red Green Show as Dougie Franklin, he is the younger brother of comedian and actor Dave Thomas.
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Early life
Thomas was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to Moreen Duff Muir (1928–2022), a church organist for thirty years originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and composer of church music, and John E. Thomas (1926–1996), a medical ethicist from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, who was head of the Philosophy Department at McMaster University, and the author of several books.
The family moved temporarily to Durham, North Carolina, where Thomas's father attended Duke University and earned a PhD in philosophy. The family moved back to Dundas, Ontario, in 1961.
Career
Thomas began his music career with the folk group Tranquillity Base before joining the CBC as a producer. He launched a solo career that peaked in the 1970s with most notably the 1973 hit "Painted Ladies". While he achieved acclaim in Canada, maintaining a long-term presence in the U.S. remained a challenge; "Painted Ladies" remains his only U.S. Top 40 hit. Thomas has also composed scores for around a dozen films and television shows.
In 1974, Thomas won the Juno Award for "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year" and toured Eastern Canada with April Wine. He later signed with Chrysalis Records in 1976.
In 1981, Thomas made a cameo appearance on SCTV with alongside his older brother, Dave Thomas, during a "The Great White North" sketch. Appearing as himself, he performed the songs "Pilot" and "Hold On". He also wrote and recorded the theme song for his brother's 1983 comedy film, Strange Brew. Additionally, Thomas appeared as a musical guest on the 1979 CTV children's show Whatever Turns You On, a short-lived spinoff of You Can't Do That on Television.
Many of his songs have been covered by popular artists, including "Hold On" (Santana, 1982), "Chains" (Chicago, 1982), "The Runner" (Manfred Mann's Earth Band, 1984), and "Right Before Your Eyes" (America, 1983). In 1988, Daryl Braithwaite had hits in Australia with two Thomas compositions: "As the Days Go By" (which peaked at No. 10), and "All I Do" (a No. 12 chart hit). Bette Midler also covered his song "To Comfort You" on her Bette of Roses album.
He is also known for the portrayal of the character "Dougie Franklin" on the Canadian comedy series The Red Green Show.
Thomas was music producer on films including Care Bears: Journey to Joke-A-Lot (2004) and The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie (2005).
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), A Canadian bestseller, and The Lost Chord (2008), both through Manor House Publishing.
Personal life
His son Jake Thomas, a director of adventure sports documentaries, was injured in a snowmobiling accident in 2017.
Discography
Solo albums
1973 - Ian Thomas; #30 CAN (10 weeks in Top 100)
1974 - Long Long Way
1975 - Delights
1976 - Calabash (aka Goodnight Mrs. Calabash) (as Ian Thomas Band); #62 CAN (20 weeks in Top 100)
1978 - Still Here (as Ian Thomas Band); #60 CAN (10 weeks in Top 100)
1979 - Glider (as Ian Thomas Band); #77 CAN (8 weeks in Top 100)
1980 - The Best of Ian Thomas
1981 - The Runner
1984 - Riders on Dark Horses; #91 CAN (6 weeks in Top 100)
1985 - Add Water
1988 - Levity; #74 CAN (6 weeks in Top 100)
1993 - Looking Back
2012 - Little Dreams
2016 - A Life in Song
2024 - How We Roll
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
2012 - Zuzu's Petals
2017 - If It Feels Right
Comedy Album with the Air Pirates
1990 - Volume Two
