... and you can still call me Larry.....

.....okay, this record got a few years on it's back now, like all the others of this brilliant musician. But who actually is  Lawrence Gowan, who's name might have been heard by many of us before, but a few people still don't know where to put it. Yes, of course, for die hard fans of the melodic rock side, this man is truly not an unknown chap. Lawrence, or Larry Gowan or just Gowan  can look back  to a longlasting carrier as a professional musician, including more than half a dozen albums and many credits on other people's records. The scottish born found his home very soon in Toronto, Canada. And not many people know, where his original roots have come from.

  Larry: „my parents left Great Britain, when I was very young. And we moved to Canada. But I can still speak the scotts accent a little". 
Most of us over here in Europe have seen the entertainer live on stage for the first time, when he was here with Styx five years ago. On this occassion the skinny boy  already convinced us with his talent from one second to the other that he belongs certainly to the best showmen in the Rock'n'Roll world. In 1998 two years before,  he replaced  Dennis DeYoung in Styx  . First signing a contract for 53 concert dates, but as you can see, he is still in the band and most probably he will be for a long time to come. He became a true member of Styx. Five years after this first european trip, they came back again last June 2005 to play  German and other stages round the old continent. And both times I've checked them out here in Munich, and  I asked myself afterwards whether this was a Styx show or a Lawrence Gowan show featuring Styx. The best description is: Styx is the dynamite and Gowan is the nuclear bomb. 
The guys in the group share the vocal parts, but Larry draws at least 99% of the attention  to his person, caused by his individual torture methods he practices with his keyboard, his acrobatic jumps and most of all because of his 
aura and the vibe you can honestly feel.

 Lawrence Gowan was most impressed after the first stint in Europe . And he left a very personal note on his website to his fans in which he said, that he thought it couldn't get any better than in the states. And that he was pretty much surprised about Germany, the fans and everything else . So he got a bit worried about the return to the states. He visited Betthovens birthplace, went with a boat on the river Rhein, saw his cousin Andrew etc. etc. And most of all he recognised some well known faces from the US over here in Europe in the audiance. His German got better and that his experience  increased.

So, this next time has just happened. And another time we've been promised by the band. Once again Styx  celebrate  success over here. And Lawrence said: "I've put my solo carrier on ice for now. I mean, I could have put 50% of my energy in my stuff and 50% into Styx, but I rather prefer giving a 100% into one project. And in this case it's Styx. But it doesn't mean, I will never do anything again on my own. In fact, I'll do some dates  with a symphony orchestra in 2006. But apart from that, Styx has got absolute priority." 


 It is very difficult to pull a retrospective about a man, who has done as much in his musical life as Lawrence Gowan did so far. But I try at least to put down here the most important stations of his life. Music business keeps you young, that's for sure, most of all on Gowan, who still looks  20 something but has surely a few years more on his back. But having the right attitude makes you feel much better, don't ya'?!
Having an education as a classical concert piano player, he played a lot around the Toronto scene in the early seventies and was quickly known for his love for progressive rock music. In 1976 Larry formed  his first band "Rhinegold". This group 
took their style from acts like Genesis, Supertramp and Queen or the Beatles, who's songs had been taken into the liveset from time to time. The threesome soon belonged to the most wellknown rockbands in Canada next to Triumph and Rush. But the end of the Seventies brought the Discomusic and Rhinegold died. 

Gowan  played with various artists made his first solo record  'till he got a record deal with CBS Canada in 1982. He recorded several demotapes but wasn't very successful with them. In 1984 Gowan met Jerry Marotta, who opened  some doors and wider options. In Ringo Starr's house at the French rivera the roots for his album "Strange Animals" were laid. It came out in 1985 including the singles „Criminal Mind“, „Guerilla Soldier“ and „Cosmetics“.

 The third album  „Lost Brotherhood“ was released in 1990 in cooperation with Jerry Marotta. And it was produced by none other than Eddie Schwartz, who is a legend as well on the Canadian rock heaven. On this record you could find a ballad for the very first time. And a rather saucy video clip was shot to improve Larry's image as the everlasting bachelor. 
And again, he pulled out of the scenery to find a new orientation. He took an acoustic guitar instead of his keyboard to write the next songs in Jerry Marrotta's house in Woodstock. The result was spectacular and came out in 1992 named
  „But You Can Call Me Larry...“ The reason for the album title was the fact that this artist had changed his name several times in the past - from Lawrence Gowan to just Gowan and back again.The first single „When There’s Time For Love“ got him back into the charts and he went on tour only with a piano and an acoustic guitar. First with the second single „Dancing On My Own Ground“ Gowan put a full band together  to promote this long player.                        

 The Track „Healing Water“ was a dedication to  Princess Diana and was released in order by the BBC at the same time as he toured in England shortly after the princess  died. He won a lot of popularity and another Best of... entitled „Homefield“ was released in 1998.
Another studio album was planned in early 1999. Eleven songs were already written and produced and were waiting to get released. But they didn't. The fault was a phone call in May, which made him stop every solo activity, to jump in for Dennis DeYoung in Styx. Gowan first signed this contract for the  53 gigs (mentioned above). But 'till the very day, he doesn't even know by  himself  how many he's done with the band. And there's no end in sight. He took another conclusion and put it on his website.Larry mentioned the great time he had with Styx so far and hopefully will still  have. The fun in his life he's always receiving through the fans . He confessed to be a Hippie and speaks like one. 

"God bless you or Buddha or Muhammed, Bob Geldorf or whoever you admire or not. It's your right in this pluralistic world, where the gravity keeps you on the ground, or not when you once will watch the whole scenery from a space station. Another year had passed and may the next 12 months be your personal Rock'n'Roll odysee."
More of Larry Gowan's personal notes you can read at                http://www.gowan.org/message.htm 

mit Styx  Munich June 2005

Please click on the image above to watch the video 
clip of Styx version of the Beatles song "I Am The Walruss"

für Styx - activities please go to the   
Official Styx Website 

Lawrence Gowan 2005
If you want to listen to the entire interview, 
please click on image (Streaming Audio)

For the concert review of the Styx gig in Munich
  please click here