Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959, Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist and photographer. Working primarily in rock and pop-rock, he became internationally prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s through a sequence of chart hits and arena tours. He is particularly associated with anthemic singles and film-related songs that achieved wide global reach.

Adams spent parts of his childhood abroad due to his father’s diplomatic career and later grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He began recording in the late 1970s and released his self-titled debut album in 1980. His early breakthrough came with Cuts Like a Knife (1983), followed by the commercially decisive album Reckless (1984), which produced enduring singles including “Run to You”, “Heaven” and “Summer of ’69”. These releases established him as a major North American rock-pop act.

Adams’ peak chart period extended into the early 1990s. The single “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, recorded for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), became one of the biggest-selling singles of its era and spent 16 consecutive weeks at number one in the UK. That success was reinforced by the album Waking Up the Neighbours (1991), and he continued to place major singles internationally with collaborations such as “All for Love” (1993). His film songs also earned multiple Academy Award nominations.

From the mid-1990s onwards, Adams maintained a consistent recording and touring schedule, releasing albums including 18 til I Die (1996), Room Service (2004) and 11 (2008). He continued to collaborate with other artists and contribute music to cinema and television, while also developing a parallel career in photography, publishing books of his work and exhibiting internationally. In the 2010s and 2020s he released further studio albums and remained an active live performer.

Adams has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and has been recognised with a range of honours for his music and wider cultural work. He has won a Grammy Award and received Ivor Novello Awards, and has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada as well as to the Order of British Columbia. His catalogue continues to be a staple of classic rock radio and live performance repertoires internationally.