The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is pleased to announce two of the music industry’s most sought-after songwriters, Marc Jordan and John Capek, as the newest Inductees to join the class of 2023 on November 1st in Toronto, ON. Jordan is an acclaimed producer, jazz vocalist, and considered a “songwriter’s songwriter” by many of his peers and music icons that he has worked alongside; and Capek’s songs have regularly achieved gold, platinum and diamond sales for some of the biggest international artists throughout the decades. Although Jordan and Capek will be honoured individually as songwriters for their respective catalogues, they are also long-time collaborators most recognized for co-penning Rhythm of My Heart, which became one of Rod Stewart’s most successful global hits.
2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF), a national and non-profit organization that is dedicated to honouring and celebrating Canadian songwriters and those who’ve dedicated their lives to the legacy of music. The CSHF also works to educate the public about these achievements, and to foster the next generation of songwriters through year-round initiatives and events. In December of 2011, SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) acquired the CSHF; however, the Hall of Fame continues to be run as a separate organization and is guided by its own Board of Directors, comprised of both Anglophone and Francophone music creators and publishers, as well as representation from the record industry. The CSHF’s mandate aligns with SOCAN’s objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization. www.cshf.ca
“It’s very gratifying to be recognized with and by your peers anywhere in the world, but it makes it all the more gratifying to be recognized at home here in Canada – and at the same time as my first and most successful writing partner John Capek with whom I have worked on and off for almost 50 years,” says Marc Jordan.
“Anthems, songs that stand the test of time are what we hope to create as songwriters,” says John Capek. “To be recognized for that by my peers, and for my body of work is an honour. Thank you to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame for this recognition and to all the incredible, individual artists with whom I have had the privilege of working with along the way.”
As part of its 25th anniversary initiatives, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is also announcing the inaugural Legends Series, supported by the RBC Foundation through RBC Emerging Artists. The induction series will celebrate songwriters and song inductions in various cities across Canada with performances from emerging artists, intermingled with conversations with Inductees in intimate settings.
The first event of the Legends Series will take place in Montreal on October 11, honouring recently announced 2023 Inductees Michel Rivard, Marjo and Jean Millaire; and in Toronto at the Glenn Gould Studio on November 1st, honouring Inductees Marc Jordan and John Capek, with additional song inductions and performers to be announced in the coming weeks. On-stage interviews will be moderated by Host Sonia Benezra, who will delve into their journeys as songwriters and the stories behind some of their most beloved songs; with performances backed by a house band led by revered Musical Director, Lou Pomanti.
The legendary songwriting partnership of Marc Jordan and John Capek has resulted in multiple hits with the leading pop stars of our time. In addition to their success with Rhythm of My Heart, the duo also wrote three other songs recorded by Rod Stewart including the Canadian hit single, This. Other memorable Capek-Jordan collaborations include Bonnie Raitt’s Deep Water; Joe Cocker’s Take Me Home; Love So High and The Same Mistake by Cher; Diana Ross’s Pieces of Ice; Victorious by Chicago; and Amanda Marshall’s Promises that reached over one million sales in Canada.
Jordan and Capek’s songs have also appeared in film on the soundtracks for THE PERFECT STORM, starring George Clooney; and LOCH NESS, with Ted Danson and Ian Holm. They have garnered several nominations and a win from the AFI (equivalent Australian Oscars) for the Australian film BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS – featuring songs co-written by Jordan-Capek, with the soundtrack scored and produced by Capek (Capek’s film credits also include TWO IF BY SEA starring Sandra Bullock, and COCKTAIL starring Tom Cruise).
Over his 50-plus years in the business, Marc Jordan has recorded 15 studio albums, numerous hits, and is an award-winning producer and recording artist. Jordan has written songs with CSHF Inductees Dan Hill and Eddie Schwartz; Stephan Moccio, Damhnait Doyle, Alan Frew, Amanda Marshall, Christopher Ward (of Black Velvet fame), as well as for singer-songwriter (and spouse) Amy Sky, and Grammy-winning producer David Foster among others.
Jordan is also a JUNO-nominated contemporary vocalist; and won a JUNO Award for producing Waiting For a Miracle on his 1993 album “Reckless Valentine.” Outside of Canada, he has established himself as a leading songwriter for many chart-topping artists including Cher’s Grammy-nominated album “Believe”, Bette Midler, Olivia Newton-John, Chicago, Kansas, Joe Cocker and Bonnie Raitt.
Early in his music career, Jordan met and immediately formed an instant connection with songwriting partner John Capek. They always seemed to be on the same page lyrically and melodically. The two have penned many songs together including their most recognizable hit, Rod Stewart’s Rhythm of My Heart, which reached No. 1 in Canada and Ireland. Rhythm has become so synonymous with Stewart’s Scottish homeland that the song was chosen to open the 2014 Commonwealth Games and earned a SOCAN Classics Award and a Canadian Music Publishers Association Award.
Stewart’s recording almost didn’t get released because of the Persian Gulf War. Jordan recalls, “Both John and I felt Rhythm of My Heart was a hit song. I remember John wanted a bag pipe player on the demo which we did at the Lawerence Welk studio in Hollywood; and some months later, label rep Rob Dickins received the demo and played it for Rod who flipped over the song. But just before it was to be released, the BBC called me and said they wouldn’t play the record because it was about war and the US had just begun the Gulf War and that was a problem. The war lasted a little over a month, and once we were able to release Rhythm, it was an instant hit all over the world.”
John Capek is known as a triple threat in the music industry, starting out as a child prodigy and going on to become a sought–after producer, player and hit songwriter. John has lived and worked on three continents; born in Czechoslovakia, raised in Australia, resident in Los Angeles, Nashville and Toronto – but it is Canada that holds a special place in his heart. Undoubtedly due, in part, to some of the Canadian artists he has written with, or for, that include Dan Hill, Marc Jordan, Carole Pope, Amy Sky, Randy Bachman, Murray McLauchlan and Christopher Ward to name a few.
He has produced and contributed his playing talents to The Good Brothers, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Downchild, Ron Hynes, Gene Maclellan, Anne Murray, Fred Penner, Paul Quarrington, Ian Thomas, Ken Tobias and Sylvia Tyson amongst many others. Capek has appeared multiple times on the Top 10 Billboard Charts with Dan Hill on Carmelia, Can’t We Try, and Never Thought That I Could Love.
Internationally, Capek’s reputation as a writer of hits, thanks to his melodic hooks and meticulous arrangements, has drawn numerous artists to record his work such as Toto’s Love Has the Power, and Let’s Talk About Tomorrow for Olivia Newton-John’s album “The Rumour”.
Capek also gained ‘blues cred’ for whom he has written songs for, notably a Grammy nomination for the album “Coast to Coast” by Aretha Franklin’s guitar player, Cornell Dupree; and Capek’s song Blame It On Me, recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her current album, co-written with Canadian/British lyricist Andrew Matheson. Raitt took home three Grammy Awards for the critically acclaimed album, which British music reviewer Terry Staunton wrote: “On an album bursting with selections that confidently stand tall with almost any high-water mark in the Raitt canon, the atmospheric torch of Blame it on Me warrants special mention. The singer returning to the catalogue of reliable hitmaker, John Capek.”
Raitt, who also recorded Capek’s Deep Water, told NashvilleMusicGuide.com that Capek is “… one of the deepest, most talented and soulful writers I know.”
For more information, go to www.cshf.ca. The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Legends series is supported by the RBC Foundation through RBC Emerging Artists, and sponsored by YouTube Music, SOCAN and CMRRA.
