Thomas Cunningham Wilson (born 1959) is a Canadian rock musician from

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of ...

. A veteran of the Canadian music scene, Wilson has been a writer and performer for many years. Wilson's eclectic musical style has ranged from the psychobilly / R&B sounds of the Florida Razors, to the western/roots style of

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a Canadian folk rock–alternative country band with blues and country influences. The band was formed in 1996, in Hamilton, Ontario, by Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden. Career Early Period: 19 ...

and the funk/blues-inspired rock of Junkhouse.

Early life

Wilson grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, secretly adopted and raised by his great-aunt and uncle. Later in life Tom discovered his birth parents, Louis Beauvais and Jane Lazare, both Mohawk from Kahnawake. Tom did not confirm his Mohawk identity until he was an adult."‘I am a living breathing lie’: Tom Wilson on learning the truth of his birth"
''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian pers ...

'', November 14, 2017. Wilson discovered the truth about his adoption, by chance, a speaking tour handler who had been an old friend of his great-aunt mentioned she had been there the day he was adopted.

Career

Tom Wilson's first performing band was The Florida Razors, formed in 1981 with bassist Carl Keesee, guitarist Jason Avery and drummer Greg Cannon. They released one full length album, ''Beat Music'', in 1986 but dissolved in 1987. In the 1990s Wilson fronted the band Junkhouse. Junkhouse released three studio albums and a number of singles. In 1996 he joined with Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing to form the roots rock trio Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. In 1999 Wilson performed solo as part of The White Ribbon Concert at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. In 2001 Wilson released a solo album, ''Planet Love'', which featured the hit "Dig It". In 2006 he released his second solo album, ''Dog Years''. In between the release of both solo albums, he partnered up with Daniel Lanois's older brother, Bob Lanois, to record ''The Shack Recordings Volume 1'', a collection of quieter acoustic songs with Bob Lanois recording and accompanying him on blues harp on some songs. It was around this time Wilson and comedian

Cathy Jones Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Jones left the show in 2021. CODCO Jones w ...

met and became engaged. They split their time between Hamilton and Nova Scotia, though they never got married. In 2011 he toured with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings in support of their album ''Kings and Queens''. That year he performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. In 2015 Wilson was commissioned by the city of Hamilton to paint a mural depicting the history of music in the city. Wilson's most recent project is Lee Harvey Osmond, which is a collaborative effort with members of

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses ...

and

Skydiggers Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

. His songs have been performed by

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Duri ...

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...

Stephen Fearing Stephen Fearing (born 1963) is a Canadian roots/ folk singer-songwriter.

Adam Gregory Adam Gregory (born July 12, 1985) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 2000, he has recorded four studio albums to date, including '' The Way I'm Made'' (2000) and ''Workin' on It'' (2002), both on Epic Records, ...

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

, Craig Northey, David Ricketts and

Edwin The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (die ...

. Numerous Wilson songs have been used in television, commercials and motion pictures. In 2017 Wilson published a memoir of his life to date, titled ''Beautiful Scars''. The memoir addressed his discovery of his Mohawk heritage, which he also addressed musically for the first time on Lee Harvey Osmond's 2019 album ''Mohawk''. In 2022 he released ''Mother Love'', a collaborative album with

iskwē iskwē (Cree syllabics: , formerly transliterated IsKwé) (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning "blue sky woman" in English) (born Meghan Meisters, 1981) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist. Personal life Originally from Winnipeg, M ...

. He was the subject of Shane Belcourt's 2022 documentary film '' Beautiful Scars'', which premiered at the 2022

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

Personal life

In 2006, Wilson was engaged to comedian

. However, they were never married. Wilson has a daughter, Madeline and a son Thompson from a previous marriage. His son, Thompson Wilson Shaw, is also a musician, formerly part of the folk-rock group Harlan Pepper. They would occasionally tour together, and Harlan Pepper opened for Blackie and the Rodeo Kings on some of their concerts. Since 2015, Wilson has been in a relationship with Margot Burnell.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Tom Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian rock singers Canadian country singer-songwriters Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Canadian alternative country singers Canadian folk rock musicians 1959 births Juno Award for Recording Package of the Year winners First Nations musicians Canadian Mohawk people Canadian adoptees