TORONTO — He’s got the hottest song of the summer, he’s half-Canadian — and he’s coming to Global’s The Morning Show on Aug. 13.
Robin Thicke will be in Toronto promoting his new album Blurred Lines, which debuted at the top of the charts thanks to the infectious title track.
(Thicke returns to the city on Aug. 31 to headline the KISS 92.5 Wham Bam at Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre.)
His famous father, who earlier this year co-hosted The Morning Show, couldn’t be more proud of the singer.
“He’s so deserving not only as an artist but as a human being. His work ethic is exemplary. I don’t know anybody that works harder than Robin or takes his art more seriously than he does,” Alan Thicke told The Canadian Press. “We talk every day. He’s a wonderful son and a great artist and I couldn’t be happier.”
In anticipation of Robin Thicke’s visit to his dad’s native land, here are 21 fun facts about him:
1. Blurred Lines is Robin’s sixth album since 2003 and the first to hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. The single of the same name just celebrated its ninth week atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart — the longest run in that position by a solo male artist since Flo Rida’s “Low” in 2008.
2. The unrated video for “Blurred Lines” (banned by YouTube due to its female nudity) has had more than 8 million views on Vevo. The “clean” version of the video has had more than 127 million views on YouTube.
3. Robin, 36, began dating actress Paula Patton 20 years ago. They were married in 2005 and have a son, three-year-old Julian Fuego Thicke. On the day Robin’s new album debuted at No. 1, Patton’s movie 2 Guns was No. 1 at the box office.
4. Robin’s mother is actress-singer Gloria Loring and his father is Canadian actor, singer and TV personality Alan Thicke. His parents split up when he was just seven years old. Both of Robin’s parents are 66 years old.
5. Robin’s surname comes from his father’s stepfather Brian Thicke. Alan Thicke’s biological father (and Robin’s biological grandfather) was William Jeffrey. Brian Thicke has been a family doctor in Brampton, Ont. for more than five decades.
6. Robin’s uncle is Todd Thicke, a longtime writer on America’s Funniest Home Videos (and currently an executive producer of the show) who left Toronto in the early ’80s. Robin is an uncle to five-year-old Tyler Thicke, the son of his brother Brennan.
7. Robin’s parents co-wrote the theme songs for such TV series as Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. His father also wrote a number of game show themes, including the original Wheel of Fortune.
8. Robin’s mother Gloria Loring is best known for playing Liz Chandler on Days of Our Lives. Her song “Friends and Lovers” (a duet with Carl Anderson) was released in 1986 and went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart .
9. Robin’s older brother Brennan provided the title character’s voice on the Dennis the Menace cartoon series, which ran from 1986 to 1988. (Canadian comedian Phil Hartman voiced several characters on the show.) Brennan also did the voice of Scott Trakker on the 1985-86 TV series M.A.S.K.
10. Robin’s stepmother is Tanya Callau, who married Alan Thicke in 2005. His previous stepmother was Gina Tolleson, a former Miss World. He has a 16-year-old half-brother named Carter (from Alan Thicke’s marriage to Tolleson).
11. Robin’s step-grandmother Ruth Callau was charged in April with allegedly masterminding the murder of her husband Petrus Dekker in Bolivia. She has denied any involvement.
12. The night that Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the L.A. Kings, the hockey star was babysitting Robin, then 11 years old, in Los Angeles. Alan Thicke recalled: “I was in Norway. I called home and I learned Wayne left early in the morning. So we had to find a substitute nanny instantly.”
13. By the time he was 21, Robin had written and produced songs on more than 20 albums by acts like Pink, Marc Anthony and Michael Jackson. Among his creations: “Sexual Capacity” by Color Me Badd, “Giving Myself” by Jennifer Hudson, “When You Put Your Hands on Me” by Christina Aguilera, “Love Is on My Side” by Brandy and “No Tears on My Pillow” by Mya. Robin wrote and produced the track “Tie My Hands” on Lil Wayne’s 2008 Grammy-winning album Tha Carter III.
14. Robin co-wrote nine songs on Jordan Knight’s 1999 self-titled solo album. One track, “Separate Ways,” was co-written by Robin’s brother Brennan and their father Alan.
15. Robin plays piano on Usher’s song “Love in This Club.” (Robin’s wife sings on Usher’s “Can U Handle It?” which he co-wrote.) He also appears on the 50 Cent song “Follow My Lead” and R. Kelly’s “Pregnant.” Robin has also performed as the opening act for such artists as Beyonce, Alicia Keys, John Legend and India.Arie.
16. Robin was nominated for a Juno Award in 2012 in the R&B/Soul Recording of the Year category for the song “Pretty Lil’ Heart” featuring Lil Wayne. He lost to Melanie Fiona, who was Robin’s co-opener on the North American leg of Alicia Keys’ Freedom Tour in 2010.
17. Robin is nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards this year (Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Collaboration) and three Teen Choice Awards (Male Artist, Single Male Artist, Summer Song).
18. Robin’s first hit was “When I Get You Alone,” which sampled Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven” (a disco version of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony). The song was included on the 2003 album A Beautiful World, on which Robin performed as simply Thicke. The song was covered by Darren Criss on Season 2 of Glee.
19. Robin appeared on two episodes of The Wonder Years in 1989 and two episodes of The New Lassie in 1990. He recently made his big screen acting debut in the forthcoming Abby in the Summer co-starring Jaime Pressley and Joey Lauren Adams.
20. Robin isn’t the first famous singer named Robin. He follows Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees (who died last year) and, arguably, pop singer Robyn. Other famous Robins include actors Robin Williams, Robin Tunney, Robin Wright Penn, Robin Givens and TV personality Robin Leach. The most famous fictional Robins are Robin Hood and Batman’s sidekick Robin.
21. The American Robin is a migratory songbird found throughout North America. According to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, robins sing frequently thought the day.
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