Who is Ian Thomas (Canadian Musician)? Salary, Parents, Net Worth



Known for movies



Ian Thomas (born Ian Andrew Robert Thomas on October 3, 1958) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his 1974 hit “Painted Ladies” and his work as an actor on the television series Street Legal.

Thomas was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of Hazel (née Reid) and Robert Thomas. He has two older sisters, Beverly and Jane. His father was an insurance broker and his mother was a homemaker. He was educated at St. Michael’s College School, a Catholic boys’ school in Toronto.

Thomas began his musical career in the early 1970s, playing in various Toronto-area bands. His first band was a cover band called Flashback, which played at high school dances and other local venues. He later joined a band called Tranquility Base, which had some success playing in clubs in Toronto.

In 1973, Thomas met David Foster, who was then working as a producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Foster asked Thomas to record a demo of one of his songs, “Painted Ladies”. The demo was sent to various record labels, but no one was interested in signing Thomas. Foster then decided to produce Thomas’ debut album, Ian Thomas, which was released in 1974 on the GRT label. The album’s first single, “Painted Ladies”, was a huge hit in Canada, reaching #1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart.

The album Ian Thomas was a success, selling over 100,000 copies in Canada. Thomas toured extensively throughout Canada and the United States to support the album. He also made several television appearances, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Midnight Special.

In 1975, Thomas released his second album, Long Way Home. The album’s first single, “Hold On”, was another hit for Thomas, reaching #5 on the RPM 100. The album was another success, selling over 200,000 copies in Canada.

In 1976, Thomas released his third album, Rider. The album’s first single, “Rider”, was a minor hit, reaching #45 on the RPM 100. The album was not as successful as his first two albums, selling only 50,000 copies in Canada.

In 1977, Thomas released his fourth album, Sudden Stop. The album’s first single, “Sudden Stop”, was a minor hit, reaching #58 on the RPM 100. The album was not as successful as his first three albums, selling only 30,000 copies in Canada.

In 1978, Thomas released his fifth and final album for GRT Records, Another Round. The album’s first single, “No Lookin’ Back”, was a minor hit, reaching #66 on the RPM 100. The album was not as successful as his first four albums, selling only 20,000 copies in Canada.

Thomas left GRT Records in 1979 and signed with Capitol Records. His first album for Capitol, Ian Thomas (1979), was not successful and he was dropped from the label. He then signed with A&M Records and released two albums for the label: One Night Stand (1980) and Somebody Else’s Business (1981). Neither album was successful and Thomas left the label in 1982.

Thomas’ career stalled in the early 1980s and he did not release any new albums until 1987 when he signed with Attic Records and released the album Doin’ Fine Now. The album’s first single, “Doin’ Fine Now”, was a minor hit in Canada, reaching #73 on the RPM 100. The album was not successful and Thomas left Attic Records in 1988.

In 1989, Thomas signed with EMI Records and released the album Can’t Wait All Night. The album’s first single, “Can’t Wait All Night”, was a minor hit in Canada, reaching #84 on the RPM 100. The album was not successful and Thomas left EMI Records in 1990.

Thomas’ career continued to decline in the early 1990s and he did not release any new albums until 1995 when he signed with BMG Records and released the album Some People Have All the Fun. The album’s first single, “Some People Have All the Fun”, was a minor hit in Canada, reaching #97 on the RPM 100. The album was not successful and Thomas left BMG Records in 1996.

Thomas’ career continued to decline in the late 1990s and he did not release any new albums until 2002 when he signed with Universal Music Canada and released the album Another Day Comes Tomorrow. The album’s first single, “Another Day Comes Tomorrow”, was a minor hit in Canada, reaching #100 on the RPM 100. The album was not successful and Thomas left Universal Music Canada in 2003.

Thomas’ career continued to decline in the early 2000s and he did not release any new albums until 2010 when he signed with Linus Entertainment and released the album Ian Thomas Live at Massey Hall 2010. The album’s first single, “Hold On”, was a minor hit in Canada, reaching #107 on the RPM 100. The album was not successful and Thomas left Linus Entertainment in 2011.

Thomas’ career continued to decline in the late 2000s and early 2010s and he did not release any new albums until 2016 when he signed with Warner Music Canada and released the album Acoustic Sunrise. The album’s first single, “Hold On”, was a minor hit in Canada, reaching #114 on the RPM 100. The album was not successful and Thomas left Warner Music Canada in 2017.

As of 2020, Thomas is still active as a musician and occasional actor. He has released a total of 21 studio albums (not including compilations and live albums) over the course of his career. He has sold over 1 million records worldwide.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia