Lawrence Gowan

The Gowan Rock Adventure Story:

From my perspective back in 1956, the event of the year took place in Glasgow Scotland on the 22nd day of November.

I was born on that day.

Soon thereafter, around the morning of the 23rd (if the stories are true), I was happily rocking in my cradle. That cradle is a long-gone relic of the ages, but my rocking has continued to this day. More or less around the clock.

During my early years, the attraction of bitter hard winters, hockey-skates, and trees overflowing with maple syrup proved too much for my parents to resist. They wrapped me in an itchy woolen sweater and brought me with them across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada. We settled in the east end of Toronto in a large suburb named Scarborough. My dad gave me an acoustic guitar when I was 8. My mom guided me toward the piano when I was 10.

The level of interest and standard of performance I put into my school work seemed to indicate that a future vocation as a rock musician would be my best chance of salvation. In fact, words to that effect were stated emphatically on numerous report cards.

In 1974 at age 17, I passed the rigid security check at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and by 1976 had achieved an ARCT in classical piano performance. Playing piano and learning as many different musical styles for that instrument saturated my life. I developed a strong interest for playing ragtime and experimented with numerous influences for my earliest rock compositions. I spent my days practicing and writing and spent almost every night playing piano in clubs for anyone who'd listen. My first band, Rhinegold, a progressive-theatrical-rock group, played the bars in Canada from 1976 to 1980. Those years were a total party (right up until the day the party ended with the parting of all parties involved). 

In the aftermath I once again went back down into my parent's basement, but this time with my focus on a solo project. Several months later, I emerged pale and hungry, but more importantly, with a set of tunes that attracted the interest of some music-industry-big-shots at CBS records. We signed a deal and released my first solo effort: “Gowan.” I was grateful to finally be an official “recording artist.”

In 1984 my second album “Strange Animal” was recorded at Tittenhurst Park in Ascot England. Tittenhurst was Ringo Starr's home at that time and in the late 1960s and early '70s, it was John Lennon's home (historically significant because this is where he wrote and recorded the “Imagine” album.)

“Strange Animal” was well promoted and received extensive air-play which resulted in triple-platinum success in 1985. The music-videos for “A Criminal Mind” and “You're A Strange Animal” were nominated (and won) a Juno Award-( the Canadian equivalent of the Nobel Prize… except that they celebrate rock music videos.) Our tours were very successful and abundantly attended by 80's-clad-rainbow-haired-enthusiasts-galore.

In 1987 the album “Great Dirty World” was released and the first single “Moonlight Desires” reached the Number 1 music-video spot. That video was filmed at the Mayan pyramids in Teotihuacan Mexico and featured a guest vocal performance from Jon Anderson of “Yes.” The gloriously mullet-headed 1980s brought 4 Platinum album awards, 1 gold single for “A Criminal Mind,” and a Gold album for “Lost Brotherhood.” Released in 1990, the "Lost Brotherhood" album featured Alex Lifeson of ‘Rush’ on guitar.

Although I'm a piano player by trade, the 1990s brought a rediscovery of my affection for acoustic guitar which lead to a string of hits and also the reintroduction of my first name on the “Lawrence Gowan…But You Can Call Me Larry” album.

That record reached Gold and featured three top-ten songs: “When There's Time For Love,” “Dancing On My Own Ground” and “Souls' Road.” “The Good Catches Up” album followed in 1995. Also in '95, I played a live concert along with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Healey and The Band to celebrate Ronnie Hawkins 60th birthday. The recording of that show went Gold. During the 90's decade there were releases of a "Gowan Best Of…" compilation, a Live solo piano recording "No Kilt Tonight" and a second Live album “Au Quebec” which featured two songs en français. 

I toured with the UN in Egypt, Israel, and war-torn Bosnia in 1996. In 1998, accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra I gave a performance of an original piece called “Healing Waters” at the opening of Princess Diana's memorial at her home in Althorp England. I opened for The Stranglers throughout the UK and played a series of solo/orchestral shows across Canada for the remainder of that year.

In 1999 I received the National Achievement Award in Canada from the performing rights society SOCAN. Also in that same year, an unexpected phone call changed the course of my solo career: The legendary band of Americans: Styx invited me to join their unending mission of ‘Global Rock Mega-tainment’ and with a thirst for new adventures, I climbed aboard.

Now into my 21st year with Styx, we have savagely toured throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Japan and Europe playing well over 2000 shows. As a member of Styx, we've recorded five studio albums and three live DVDs. Since 2001 we've been among the highest-grossing acts in the USA, played twice at the Superbowl and toured alongside the greatest acts of the Classic Rock era. Our latest Styx recording is titled “The Mission” and was released in 2017. It has become the most critically acclaimed record by Styx and remained on the Billboard Classic Rock chart after a year of its release. Styx performed the album in its entirety for the first time at The Palms in Las Vegas on January 2019 and other full performances of The Mission will follow later this year.

On two recordings (cd and DVD) Styx has released live versions of “A Criminal Mind.”

In 2010, to mark the 25th anniversary of “Strange Animal,” I returned briefly to my solo incarnation and played a few Gowan shows. The success of that venture prompted me to play five more solo shows in 2011. Between tours with Styx, more Gowan dates are in place for 2019. This year we released a full comic book that contains a center-fold of the piano sheet music “A Criminal Mind.”

By the Toronto Borough of Scarborough, Ontario Canada, on May 12th, 2011, I was awarded a star on their Walk Of Fame. I'm hopeful that this honour remains in place for some time to come and that by the grace of the Great Gods of Rock this tale will be continued…

Yours,

Gowan