A few days ago, Tom finally got to speak with Canadian guitar legend Rik Emmett of Triumph. Rik was a bucket list guest for Tom, who could hardly contain himself!

There’s a very special reason why Rik was talking to us.

On Monday, May 5, 2025 Coalition for Music Education will celebrate Music Monday with a cross-country sing-along to raise awareness for music education. The annual event celebrates the unifying power of music as thousands of Canadians join in singing and performing the Music Monday anthem at their schools and other community events. Hold On the uplifting, inspirational song by classic Canadian hard rock power trio, Triumph has been chosen as the 2025 Music Monday anthem.

Rik tells us about the creation of “Hold On” 46 years ago and how it marked a change in his artistic growth as well as the fortunes of the band.

He also discusses the importance of music education, a cause that is deeply personal to him.

You can see Rik perform in person at a special “Intimate Evening with Rik Emmett” – Friday, March 21 at Black Bellows in Collingwood Ontario. It’s an interactive evening of performances and storytelling, hosted by Brent Jensen of the “No Sleep Til Sudbury” podcast.

Rik’s excellent memoir, “Lay It On The Line”, is now available.

This special bonus episode of Famous Lost Words is brought to you by Storyphora. Storyphora is a media company that offers communications solutions, recently expanding to include digital content like promotional video clips, video podcast production, social media design, and much more. Go to Storyphora dot com for details.