It is with great pleasure that this month’s article for Main Street Music Scene welcomes the Canadian great: Bryan Adams.
Bryan Adams is considered extremely prominent in the Canadian music industry, and no wonder he is the best-selling Canadian male artist of all time, holds the distinction of being the first Canadian artist to sell one million copies of his album in his homeland, not once, but twice with ‘Waking Up the Neighbours’ & ‘Reckless.’
“I always knew I'd be in music in some sort of capacity. I didn't know if I'd be successful at it, but I knew I'd be doing something in it. Maybe get a job in a record store. Maybe even play in a band. I never got into this to be a star.” Bryan said.
Adams has become more then just a ‘star’ he is a music legend. Inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998 and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards.
In January of this year he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career, and on the first of May (2010) was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.
In February 2010 Adams released "One World, One Flame" - a track which was used as a theme song by the major German TV station ARD for the Olympic TV Coverage of Olympic Games in Vancouver.
On February 12, Adams, wrote and performed "Bang The Drum" as a duet with Nelly Furtado, for the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, BC in front of 60,000 people. With Wayne Gretzky and Jaromir Jagr at the opening ceremonies, this brought all three together once again, following Gretzky's final game in 1999 at Madison Square Garden, when Gretzky then played for the New York Rangers and Jagr was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. At that time (1999) Adams sang the Canadian national anthem and altered the line to reflect Gretzky's departure, saying, "We'll miss you Wayne Gretzky."
Adams is also the owner of one the biggest hits of all time, "Everything I Do, I Do It For You". It is often known as the biggest hit of the 90's and holds the record for the longest running no. 1 in UK singles chart history (4 months). "Summer of 69" and "Run To You" have become rock radio staples. The album Reckless is considered by some to be a landmark recording of the 80's and for melodic rock.
Most of Adams's philanthropic activity is dedicated to his foundation "The Bryan Adams Foundation", which aims to advance education and learning opportunities for children and young people worldwide, believing that an education is the best gift that a child can be given.
The Foundation’s area of support is broad and far-reaching, enabling grants to be given for projects supporting the elderly, victims of war and natural disasters, and those suffering from mental or physical illness. The foundation is completely funded by his photographic activities.
"Thoughts are things; they have tremendous power. Thoughts of doubt and fear are pathways to failure. When you conquer negative attitudes of doubt and fear you conquer failure. Thoughts crystallize into habit and habit solidifies into circumstances." Quoted Bryan.
As is the case with most creative people, there is a cross over from one artistic out let to another. In Bryan’s case it is Photography, coincidently a passion close to my own heart. Bryan however is internationally renowned; his photographs have been published in British Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Interview magazine and I-D, among others.
In June of 2005 Bryan and Calvin Klein published a book of photos called American Women; the proceeds went to breast cancer research for programs at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
As a photographer, Adams has worked with many of his musical peers, a sample listing includes: Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Joss Stone, Placido Domingo, Celine Dion, Billy Idol, Moby, Amy Winehouse, t.A.T.u., Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Lenny Kravitz and Morrissey.
In 2002, Adams was invited, along with other photographers from the Commonwealth, to photograph Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee; one of the photographs from this session was used as a Canadian postage stamp in 2004 and again in 2005.
Singer, song writer, philanthropist or photographer? Perhaps just a man with a great passion, a great vision and amazing talent!
~Cheers Bryan~ It is an honour to have you as part of MSM!
*Source of Information, Bryan Adams & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Adams
~Tilly Rivers~
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the June Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
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In June of 2005 Bryan 