david william thomas was born may 20, 1949, in st. catharines, ontario. he is the eldest son of moreen duff (muir), a scottish-born church organist for thirty years, and composer of church music, and john e. thomas (1926–1996), a welsh-born medical ethicist, head of the philosophy department at mcmaster university, and the author of several books. his younger brother ian is a canadian singer-songwriter. the family moved to durham, north carolina, where his father attended duke university and earned a phd in philosophy. thomas attended george watts and moorehead elementary schools. the family moved back to dundas, ontario in 1961 where thomas attended dundas district high school, and later graduated with an honours bachelor of arts degree in english literature from mcmaster university in hamilton, ontario.