Our Mission
Our mission is to create authentic original works – including exciting, brand new uplifting music – to provide inspiration, comfort and even hope to ordinary people who seek improvement in the conditions of their personal lives so they can accomplish extraordinary things.
Larry Thompson - founder
I spent the better part of 2021 and 2022 on a renovation project at the Downtown Mission in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The building had been purchased by a non-profit to convert into a community based media arts centre. During those months, I was exposed to a part of society that I had regrettably paid little attention to – the homeless and other souls that were broken through the challenges of life they had just not been able to manage.
Coupled with the not too distant loss of my brother in law who died by suicide, and my own personal challenges with depression, I was becoming keenly aware of the plight of so many struggling with what we have come to identify as mental health.
A long time student of motivational content, I became aware that the impact of even the best material I was exposed to would dim over time. Recognizing the power of music to impact the deeper parts of our souls and the “earworm” that a good lyric can create, this seemed to be a far better delivery system for impactful, empowering wishes of hope and success.
The principals in this effort – Phil Sykes, Rick Beneteau and I have shared and enjoyed a mixed musical history with some interesting intersections that have brought us to this moment in time. Over those years I became increasingly unimpressed with the traditional music industry but simultaneously developed a deep love of creating music that had a meaningful message, intended to uplift the listener with some kind of positive message. I secured the URL musicthatmatters.com on November 11, 1999 knowing that I wanted to produce and promote this kind of material.
This will be one of the sources of content in our joint effort at Wishing You Hope and it’s my desire and intention to spend that balance of my life creating content that will hopefully reach an individual at a time when they need a little encouragement.
To all who might visit, I truly am,
Wishing you hope…
LT
Phil Sykes - co-founder
Phil Sykes was number four of six children born to a Mother who loved to sing and a Father who couldn’t. Dad’s love was clever words and the latest gadgets.
I learned to sing listening first to my mother. My older brothers introduced me to singing harmonies, a natural talent for them, and that allowed them to perform in public as teens. I wanted to be in the group but I was too young. Through high school I was singing with various garage cover bands and gigging where we could. I was hooked. I managed to get a cheap ukelele and taught myself to play simple songs that I could sing. The extended family (my younger sister and brother) began to perform as a family together at church and local events. In preparation for one such event, we met a talented musician named Larry Thompson. Before he was 20, he could do it all: Play, arrange, record and produce. He took us up a notch and Larry and I began collaborating.
I had started writing songs and Larry helped assemble a group to go into a Toronto recording studio to do a demo. The demo lead to an invitation for me to join a Toronto session vocal group doing jingles, station IDs and a Canadian Talent Library Album with the Laurie Bower Singers. One of my demo songs, ‘Woman’, made it onto the album. After my demo and the studio experience with Laurie Bower, the Canadian Talent Library invited me to record my own album, Phil Sykes “Smile with Your Eyes” which included 7 of my own songs. One of the singles, ‘Leavin’ Again’, charted at #17 in the adult contemporary category. The studio where the first demo was done, seeing his abundant skills and talent, hired Larry as a recording technician where he quickly grew into the main chair. We collaborated on various Corporate Theme Songs, Jingles, Movie Tracks and projects which continues to this day.
I continued to develop my song-writing, play where and when I could, and married a wonderful woman and happily started a family. I turned my attention to working in a corporate environment and eventually found my way to the position of ‘Managing Director’ of Training, Events and Recognition in a US-based, Multinational Nutritional Supplement business. I travelled to more than 30 countries as a corporate executive. I turned my creativity to training events as a presenter, content developer and master of ceremonies. Larry and I once again collaborated on corporate jingles and event theme songs, which I sometimes performed ‘live’ during the events. I have sung at events in New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, The Grand Old Opry stage, Universal Studios in California, Disney Properties in Florida and DOM Musici in Moscow, Russia and before audiences as large as 7000 people.
On one of many writing session with Larry, he introduced me to a talented songwriter he was working with by the name of Rick Beneteau. Rick and Larry have created a substantial body of original work together. I love the chance to add my creativity and desire to serve with the efforts of “Wishing You Hope”. We share the same desires to serve anyone who needs a safe place to recharge, get inspired and move forward. We look forward to discovering other creatives who will find themselves aligning and sharing their talents. Most of all, we are “Wishing You Hope”.
Phil
Rick Beneteau - co-founder
The concept of giving was infused in me at a very early age by my father, Percy Beneteau, who was awarded the rare Benemerenti Medal by Pope John Paul II in 1994 two years before he passed. The highest civilian award given by the Vatican now hangs in my home because my dad lived a life of higher service – a life of giving. Much of that service because he was a talented and versatile musician playing not only pipe organ at every Sunday mass without fail but also being a leader in his church and in his community in such organizations as The Lion’s Club.
I was blessed to also inherit my father’s love, and gift, of music, starting with the classical music that always filled our family home. He so wanted me to become a classical pianist but the piano lessons I reluctantly took didn’t stick. Instead, and much to the chagrin of my cloistered piano teachers, I chose to compose instrumental pieces that eventually evolved into (less than stellar) pop songs starting in the mid-late 1960’s. My father, in the end, understood and totally supported me in my pop music pursuits the rest of his life.
When I met Toronto transplant Larry Thompson in 1982, I immediately knew we’d create a lot of music together BUT I also knew we’d do some good in the world with our gifts. Alongside our many pop demos, which I began shopping in the U.S., we donated a jingle for a national Easter Seals campaign and wrote an anthemic song for an AIDS charity event in Windsor as well as a regional Christmas toy drive.
Unfortunately, in the mid 1990’s, I left the music business due to divorce usurping my studio and writing gear, to pursue making a living on the-then brand new Internet. In 2000, and because I was blessed with enjoying initial success online, I started The Internet Toy Drive as a corporate affiliate of The U.S. Marines Toys for Tots program. The ITD was sponsored by NFL superstar Drew Bledsoe and became a decade-long online tradition. The only reason it ended was the heavily-endorsed humanitarian non-profit I co-founded in 2006, 10 Million Clicks For Peace, which supported war refugees, quickly consumed almost all my time for the next 16 years.
Now having come full circle back to music – and Larry Thompson – along with his long-time music friend Phil Sykes – we are merging our talents and desire to do more good in the world.
One of my personal quotes has it, “Use your gift to gift others”, and that for me, is why I am contributing to the vision of Wishing You Hope.
Rick
What is Vitamin H and why do you need it?
Our WYH friends look forward to our Vitamin H Hope Capsules. These easy-on-your-time Capsules start with thought-provoking AHA Quotes on Monday each week; Meaningful Memes every Wednesday; Friday’s heartwarming Story, and on Sunday, we’ll send a carefully selected resource, or. our latest life-affirming, in-house created song!
Leave us your first name and best email address and we’ll see you on the inside!
