Lawrence Gowan brings Sleeping Giant-inspired song to Blues Fest

When Lawrence Gowan was 15, he and his family made the vacation trek north to Thunder Bay.

He was awestruck by the majestic beauty of the Sleeping Giant.

Fifteen years later, firmly entrenched as a recording star in Canada, Gowan used the natural wonder as inspiration for his song, Awake the Giant.

On Friday night he’ll perform it live with the Sleeping Giant as a backdrop.

It should be a magical moment for Gowan and the crowd on Day 1 of the Thunder Bay Blues Festival.

“That’s always the song I look forward to the most when I come (to Thunder Bay),” said Gowan, who goes by his last name when performing his own material, adding his first name when fronting Styx, the American rock band he took over lead singing duties for 18 years ago when Dennis DeYoung left to do his own thing.

“Everyone’s got that proverbial giant inside you; you’re waiting for that to somehow be brought to life. That was the idea that struck me that night, the first time I saw it.”

By the time Awake the Giant was released in 1987, Gowan was already a star, with several hits to his name.

A Criminal Mind brought him to the forefront in 1985, hitting the top five on the Canadian singles charts. (You’re A) Strange Animal, the title track from his second album, climbed to 15 and Moonlight Desires, from 1987’s Great Dirty World, landed the Scottish-born Gowan another top 10 single in his adopted homeland.

All three songs remain classic rock staples in Canada and will be featured prominently in his Blues Festival set on Friday night.
He wouldn’t have it any other way, despite the fact he’s performed them thousands of times in concert.

Gowan said while some bands have a penchant to turn their backs on the music that got them to the top, it’s not a philosophy to which he can subscribe.

“I can understand that, because you’re compelled to feel forward and that your newest thing is your greatest thing. And although I do believe that, I’m also aware that if I were to go out and play a show without some of those songs, like (You’re a) Strange Animal, Moonlight Desires or A Criminal Mind, it would be like Styx going out and not playing Renegade, Come Sail Away or Blue Collar Man. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense,” he said.

Thirty years later, he’s immensely proud of those songs.

“Back then I was awestruck at the fact those songs had connected with so many people,” the 59-year-old said, reached by phone in Kansas City.

To this day fans come up to him and talk about their impact, including ex-prisoners who saw themselves in the lyrics to A Criminal Mind.
“People still relate to the songs.”

One thing fans shouldn’t expect to see are Styx songs showing up at his solo show. He keeps the two separate, though he’s been known to cover other acts, including the Beatles, and more recently Prince.

Gowan is scheduled to perform Friday night at 6:30 p.m.