Rock and Roll with Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams is a Canadian musician, singer, actor, and producer. He came into this world as Bryan Guy Adams on November 5, 1959. Both of his parents were Britishand relocated from Englandto Canada. It was there that his father became a Canadian diplomat to the United Nations.

While he was still a child his parents traveled with him to different diplomatic postings in countries like Austria, Portugal, and Israel. When he was in his teens he worked as a dishwasher to save up money so he could buy a guitar. In his mother’s house in North Vancouver, he and his band practiced in the basement.

Military School Before Rock and Roll

It was soon decided that just the same as his grandfather and father Adams would attend strict British military schools. However, once rock and roll beckoned to him he was expelled. Things got easier for him after his parents divorced and he was no longer under his father’s strict eye. In fact, Adams didn’t see his father again until after he came out with his second album. He devoted himself full time to rock and roll when he was 16.

He was lucky to meet Jim Vallance, the former drummer for Vancouver band Prism and form a songwriting partnership with him in 1977. After Adams released his first album simply titled Bryan Adams he realized that it would take much more than that to achieve fame. The songs that did chart on this album were “Hidin’ From Love” and “Give Me Your Love.” Things got better with his second album You Want It, You Got It in 1982 which included the single “Lonely Nights.”

Finally, in 1983 Adams became popular releasing his third album Cuts Like a Knife which reached the number 10 spot on the Billboard charts. This album included the singles “Cuts Like a Knife” and “Straight from the Heart.” It was this same year that Adams recorded his first song for a movie, “Heaven” was included on the soundtrack for A Night in Heaven.

Two years later Adams came out with a most successful album Reckless which included the popular single “Run to You.” This album produced six Top 20 hits, sold 7 million copies and rose up to number one on the U.S. charts. The album also included other popular songs like “Summer of ‘69” and “One Night Love Affair.”

In 1985 radio stations insisted that Adams record label A&M release the song “Heaven” as a single and they finally did. This single sold over a million copies. Adams also recorded a Top 20 hit as a duet with Tina Turner “It’s Only Love.”

On July 13, 1985, Adams opened the U.S. tour of Live Aid at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Afterward, he co-wrote Canada’s Northern Lights all-star recording “Tears Are Not Enough” along with Jim Vallance and David Foster. It was all to fight famine in Ethiopia and brought in $2.5 million. Adams performed on the Amnesty International Tour “A Conspiracy of Hope” along with other popular singers like U2 and Peter Gabriel. He contributed to theRock for Amnesty album in 1987 and that same year released his next album Into the Fire. Unfortunately, this album did put him under fire because it did not achieve the success of his previous album. The album did give out six singles “Heat of the Night,” “Hearts on Fire,” Victim of Love,” “Only the Strong Survive,” “Into the Fire,” and “Another Day.”

Adams contributed the song “Run Rudolf Run” to the album A Very Special Christmas which was for the benefit of the Special Olympics in December of 1987. He performed on the Greenpeace album Rainbow Warriors, which was also released in the Soviet Union under the Melodia label. At the end of 1989, Adams severed his long-standing partnership with Vallance.

'The Guinness Book of Records'

His next partner was English producer Robert “Mutt” Lange. Adams continued his charity contributions at the Roger Water’s world-broadcast performance of “The Wall” at the Berlin Wall in Germany in 1990. All of the proceeds went to the Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief. The same year Adams received both the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia awards.

It was in 1991 that Adams made a huge impact all over the world and wound up in The Guinness Book of Records all with one song. The song was “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” and it first appeared on the soundtrack for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. In three months this single had sold 4 million copies and went on to sell 8 million copies worldwide soaring to the top of the charts in 19 different countries. The single broke the record for the most weeks in the number one slot on the U.K. charts.

Adams included this single in his next album Waking Up the Neighbors and followed the release by going on the road starting with Mannheim, Germany. He performed in 25 countries and sold 10 million copies worldwide. Once again Adams created a sensation when on January 16, 1994, he performed in Ho Chi Minh City to become the first Western musician to perform in Vietnam since 1971. Among the other singles on this album were “There Will Never Be Another Tonight” and “Do I Have to Say the Words?”

Adams recorded “All for Love” with Rod Stewart and Sting for The Three Musketeers soundtrack in 1993. Two years afterward his hit “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” was on the soundtrack for Don Juan DeMarco. Adams song “Star” was on the Jack soundtrack and “I Finally Found Someone” performed with Barbara Streisand was released on The Mirror Has Two Faces soundtrack.

Adams returned to rock and roll after five years with the release of his album 18 Til I Die in 1996. It simply made the statement that Adams had decided that he wasn’t going to grow up. This album became a commercial success rising to number one in the U.K. and number two in Canada and went on to sell 3 million copies all over the globe. The singles on this album were “The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me is You,” “Let’s Make a Night to Remember,” “I’ll Always Be There,” “Star” and “18 Til I Die.”

Brian Adams has won many different awards among them 15 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1998 and Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2011.

Brian Adams continues to perform and to sing and record. His latest album came out on September 30, 2014, titled Tracks of My Years and reached number one on the Canadian album chart. This album includes cover songs and one original song co-written with Jim Vallance. Among the cover songs on this album are “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Lay Lady Lay."

He also released his first album with all new material since 2008 titled GetUp! on October 16, 2015. Songs on this album include “You Belong to Me,” “That’s Rock and Roll” and “Yesterday Was Just a Dream.”

In 2017 he released a compilation album with all the best by Bryan Adams. These are songs he recorded from 1980 through 2017. There are two new songs “Ultimate Love” and “Please Stay.”

As long as Brian Adams keeps rockin’ we’ll keep listening and his story will be never-ending.