Ian Tanner
Encyclopedia
Ian Tanner is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
who has performed in rock bands since the mid-1980s. He was a founding member of Christian Rock
group The Awakening (1985–89), and later went on to form the band One Hundred Days with his fellow Awakening member, Andrew Horrocks. One Hundred Days performed from 1990 until 2000 when Tanner left the band and the group disbanded. He currently works as a producer, composer and studio musician and tours with various recording artists, mostly from Canada
.
lessons at the age of six, and by ten years of age he could play proficiently by ear. He notes that he decided music was his main passion, so he quit playing hockey
to focus more on his lessons and education.
In high school, Ian was involved in many facets of music, from playing String Bass in the orchestra
, playing piano at concerts, playing drums in a show choir, and playing electric bass
in a jazz
ensemble.
He began writing his own music by the age of eight and while a teenager at Huron Park Secondary School (in Woodstock, Ontario
) he formed a band called "The Guards Of Zeus", with fellow classmates Jon Bartley and Mike McGinnis. In addition to this, he also played professionally with a local area "wedding band".
In his final year of high school, Ian began meeting Andrew Horrocks about starting a band together. This band would eventually become known as "The Awakening," and would sign a contract with Reunion Records
(Nashville) in 1986. They released two albums on that label before being dropped and before the eventual break-up of the band.
His recording experiences with The Awakening led Tanner to get employment at a Kitchener, Ontario
recording studio called "Cedartree Recording Studio" under the leadership of J. Richard Hutt where he assisted in arranging, producing and computer training.
The independently recorded "Two Worlds" album helped get The Awakening a record contract with Nashville Gospel label Reunion Records, which led to two releases in the mid to late 1980's.
Due to less than enthusiastic album sales and the band's inability to finance their own American touring, Reunion dropped them from their roster. This eventually led to the break-up of the band in late 1989.
, Ian formed the band One Hundred Days with former Awakening guitarist Andrew Horrocks.
The band originally consisted of Tanner, Horrocks and Gordon Stevenson on drums. On each subsequent One Hundred Days album, the band membership changed. 1996's Feels Like Love featured Glen Teeple on guitar and Steve Marsh on drums. Steve March passed away from cancer just before the album was released, and thus the band members changed once again.
The final roster for the band consisted of Tanner and Horrocks, with Tony Lind on guitars and Darryl McWaters on drums.
Their final album was done independent of a US label - 1998's "The Super Terrific Happy Hour."
In 2000, Tanner quit the band, citing an obvious lack of success in the marketplace coupled with personal and marital issues of his own.
Horrocks went on to continue his work as an award winning producer and engineer.
Lind and McWaters would eventually re-join Tanner as members of Jim Witter's multi-media tribute show "The Piano Men - A Trip Through The 1970's with Billy Joel and Elton John."
which produced and created projects for children, specifically in the Gospel
industry. He worked on the Christian
related DVD
, "GodRocks!", and has won three songwriting and producing awards for his work.
He began touring as a side-musician, playing for artists such as George Fox, Jason McCoy
, Deric Ruttan
and Jim Witter
. He has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Dubai with Jim Witter.
Tanner was asked to do an orchestral score
for performances with The Phoenix Symphony
Orchestra. His orchestrations and arrangements have been performed throughout the United States and Canada.
Tanner has released two solo albums, 2009's "Things Never To Say Out Loud" (released as a digital download on iTunes), and 2011's "Italian Waffles & Scotch," his first physical CD release in over ten years.
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
who has performed in rock bands since the mid-1980s. He was a founding member of Christian Rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
group The Awakening (1985–89), and later went on to form the band One Hundred Days with his fellow Awakening member, Andrew Horrocks. One Hundred Days performed from 1990 until 2000 when Tanner left the band and the group disbanded. He currently works as a producer, composer and studio musician and tours with various recording artists, mostly from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Formative Years
Ian began pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons at the age of six, and by ten years of age he could play proficiently by ear. He notes that he decided music was his main passion, so he quit playing hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
to focus more on his lessons and education.
In high school, Ian was involved in many facets of music, from playing String Bass in the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, playing piano at concerts, playing drums in a show choir, and playing electric bass
Electric Bass
Electric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish...
in a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
ensemble.
He began writing his own music by the age of eight and while a teenager at Huron Park Secondary School (in Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
) he formed a band called "The Guards Of Zeus", with fellow classmates Jon Bartley and Mike McGinnis. In addition to this, he also played professionally with a local area "wedding band".
In his final year of high school, Ian began meeting Andrew Horrocks about starting a band together. This band would eventually become known as "The Awakening," and would sign a contract with Reunion Records
Reunion Records
Reunion Records is a Christian music record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee and operating under the Provident Label Group. The label was founded in 1982 by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton.-History:...
(Nashville) in 1986. They released two albums on that label before being dropped and before the eventual break-up of the band.
His recording experiences with The Awakening led Tanner to get employment at a Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
recording studio called "Cedartree Recording Studio" under the leadership of J. Richard Hutt where he assisted in arranging, producing and computer training.
With 'The Awakening'
In the mid 1980's, Andrew Horrocks formed the band The Awakening. Before Tanner joined, the band consisted of bass player Allan Powell and eventually his brother Michael Powell joined the band on drums. Tanner was brought in by Horrocks to be the keyboardist and lead singer of the band.The independently recorded "Two Worlds" album helped get The Awakening a record contract with Nashville Gospel label Reunion Records, which led to two releases in the mid to late 1980's.
Due to less than enthusiastic album sales and the band's inability to finance their own American touring, Reunion dropped them from their roster. This eventually led to the break-up of the band in late 1989.
With 'One Hundred Days'
In the early 1990s1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, Ian formed the band One Hundred Days with former Awakening guitarist Andrew Horrocks.
The band originally consisted of Tanner, Horrocks and Gordon Stevenson on drums. On each subsequent One Hundred Days album, the band membership changed. 1996's Feels Like Love featured Glen Teeple on guitar and Steve Marsh on drums. Steve March passed away from cancer just before the album was released, and thus the band members changed once again.
The final roster for the band consisted of Tanner and Horrocks, with Tony Lind on guitars and Darryl McWaters on drums.
Their final album was done independent of a US label - 1998's "The Super Terrific Happy Hour."
In 2000, Tanner quit the band, citing an obvious lack of success in the marketplace coupled with personal and marital issues of his own.
Horrocks went on to continue his work as an award winning producer and engineer.
Lind and McWaters would eventually re-join Tanner as members of Jim Witter's multi-media tribute show "The Piano Men - A Trip Through The 1970's with Billy Joel and Elton John."
After 'One Hundred Days'
In 2000 Tanner began focusing his career on studio work. He began working for a company in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which produced and created projects for children, specifically in the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
industry. He worked on the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
related DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, "GodRocks!", and has won three songwriting and producing awards for his work.
He began touring as a side-musician, playing for artists such as George Fox, Jason McCoy
Jason McCoy
Jason McCoy is a Canadian singer/songwriter who performs country music.He was born in Barrie, Ontario and was raised for a time in Camrose, Alberta before his family settled in Anten Mills, Ontario.He has won many awards including the 2001 Male Vocalist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music...
, Deric Ruttan
Deric Ruttan
Deric J. Ruttan is a Canadian country music artist from Bracebridge, Ontario. Signed to Lyric Street Records in 2003, he made his chart debut on the U.S. and Canadian country music charts that year with the release of his single "When You Come Around"...
and Jim Witter
Jim Witter
Jim Witter, born November 2, 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is an award winning country music and Christian music singer/songwriter. Ten of Witter's songs reached the top 10 on Canadian country radio.-Biography:...
. He has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Dubai with Jim Witter.
Tanner was asked to do an orchestral score
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
for performances with The Phoenix Symphony
Phoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony is a major United States symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona.Founded in 1947 when Phoenix had a population of less than 100,000, the orchestra began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year...
Orchestra. His orchestrations and arrangements have been performed throughout the United States and Canada.
Tanner has released two solo albums, 2009's "Things Never To Say Out Loud" (released as a digital download on iTunes), and 2011's "Italian Waffles & Scotch," his first physical CD release in over ten years.
With 'The Awakening'
Albums- Two Worlds (LP) (1986)
- Sanctified (Reunion Records) (1987)
- Into Thy Hands (Reunion Records) (1988)
With 'One Hundred Days'
Albums- The Obvious (1995)
- Counting By Heads (1996)
- Feels Like Love (1996)
- The Super Terrific Happy Hour (1998)
Solo Recordings
Albums- Things Never To Say Out Loud (2009)
- Italian Waffles & Scotch (2011)
External links
- Ian Tanner's Official Website
- Ian Tanner on MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Ian Tanner On GarageBand