Photo by David Leyes

Three TV theme songs co-written by Alan Thicke to be inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday August 6th, 2020

The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is celebrating the induction of three TV theme songs co-written by Alan Thicke – Facts of Life, Diff’rent Strokes, and Wheel of Fortune – with a virtual presentation that will air nationally on Global’s The Morning Show from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 7, 2020.

Alan Thicke is best recognized as TV dad Jason Seaver on the hit situation comedy Growing Pains, but  his lifelong love of music has shaped a highly successful career behind the scenes, as he penning some of the most memorable television theme songs of all time. In fact, he had more than 40 television themes to his credit. Thicke wrote the Wheel of Fortune theme himself, and co-wrote the theme songs for both Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes with his first wife Gloria Loring and TV producer Al Burton.

Accepting the honour on behalf of his late father will be son Robin Thicke, the multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter best known for “Blurred Lines.” “The Thicke Family is honoured to accept this recognition on my father’s behalf,” says Robin Thicke. “My father was a proud Canadian, and although he was mostly known for his acting, hosting and philanthropic work, deep down he always wanted to be Gordon Lightfoot or Bruce Springsteen.”  He adds, “There’s no doubt that Alan would consider having his songs being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame as one of his life’s greatest achievements. We’re sure he is playing his catalog for all his friends in Heaven right now. We love and miss you, Alan Thicke.”

“These three iconic theme songs that will be inducted to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame harken to the halcyon days of ‘80s television, when sit-coms and game shows brought multi-generational families together in their living rooms,” said Vanessa Thomas, Executive Director of CSHF.  “Alan Thicke had a unique talent to create catchy, memorable songs that appeal to a mass audience, while concisely encapsulating the essence of a show. Each song became as popular as,  and synonymous with, its show, and as the characters and actors who starred in them.”

Alan Thicke recalled what it was like to compose theme songs during their heyday: “The challenge was, you have 24 seconds to do something catchy and memorable and sum up the entire premise of the show, in case somebody had never seen it before. You had to do it with an internal rhyme scheme and a perky little ditty – so it was an interesting challenge.”

Following the televised virtual presentation of Thicke’s song inductions, fans will be able to view the permanent exhibitions honouring CSHF inductees and song inductions at the National Music Centre, located at Studio Bell, in Calgary. The National Music Centre is the physical home of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and will continue to honour and preserve the legacy of new inductees through exhibitions which feature stories, exclusive artifacts, and one-of-a-kind memorabilia.

SOCAN House in Paris re-opens for business

Story by SOCAN | Monday August 10th, 2020

The SOCAN House in Paris is re-opening, and accepting new applications for travel, in compliance with applicable national and international guidelines. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we’ve adopted new terms & conditions/procedures around guest stays at the house. Please review the document here, and apply here.

Due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, SOCAN has implemented reasonable precautions for SOCAN Members visiting the SOCAN Houses including:

  • A minimum of seven days between stays (reducing the risk of the virus remaining on surfaces).
  • A full deep cleaning of the house, completed by cleaners wearing masks and gloves, with the windows open to promote circulation in between stays.
    • Cleaning disinfectant, with greater than 60% ethanolor 70% isopropanol and an antiviral product, used on all high-touch surfaces (including, but not limited to keys, floors, door and drawer knobs, light switches, faucets, doors, closets, drawers, kitchen sink and appliances, iron, headboard, washer and dryer, windows, hair dryer, toilet, shower, bathroom sink, work surfaces, garbage bins, tables, chairs, remote controls, electronics etc.)
  • House linens (bed sheets/towels/rags/bathmat) are washed at a minimum of 60 degrees Celsius, and dirty laundry is removed on the day of checkout.
  • Books have been removed.
  • Guests are welcomed by an individual wearing a mask and gloves while respecting social distancing and without contact.
  • Hand sanitizer is provided in the apartment for guest use.

The SOCAN Houses in Nashville and Los Angeles remain closed, in accordance with the Canada-U.S. border closure, and essential-only travel mandates.

CIMA launches discussion series, “Breaking Down Racial Barriers”

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday August 6th, 2020

CIMA is facilitating a series of roundtable discussions on anti-Black racism in the Canadian music industry, presented in association with supporting partner ADVANCE, Canada’s new Black music business collective, and CIMA has invited peer and partner organizations from across the national music ecosystem to support the initiative. Initiated, curated, and co-ordinated in association with entertainment community mainstays Ian Andre Espinet and David “Click” Cox, these discussions will be centred in the voices and lived experiences of working Black music professionals from the vast segments of music entertainment.

All conversations will be Black-led, with the public, peer, and partner organizations and the industry invited to  listen, and challenge ways of thinking, explore unconscious bias, and examine the collective role played in perpetuating anti-Black racism in the music industry. These discussions on systemic and systematic anti-Black racism will seek to identify the structures and behaviours which facilitate it. In so doing, together, we can begin to confront, address, and dismantle existing racist structures and practices within the industry. After listening to the experiences and the lessons contained therein, the accumulated knowledge will be used to compile a report containing actionable  suggestions for change.

“Breaking Down Racial Barriers” takes place in 10 weekly Zoom roundtable discussions, each Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. ET,  beginning Aug. 4, 2020. Nine sessions will address key areas of the entertainment industry and barriers faced by Black people — with highlighted themes and key takeaways captured. The final segment will aggregate accumulated knowledge and create actionable solutions via the Breaking Down Racial Barriers report, which will be then shared with all peer and partner organizations, and the wider community, with the understanding that it can, if embraced, inform how policies and practices can and should be reformed. For more info, click here, and to register, click here.