It is entirely possible that the first real six string Bryan Adams bought was indeed purchased at the five-and-dime; that would fit perfectly with the rocker’s life long love affair with music. From good time tunes to romantic ballads, this Canadian’s repertoire started early and continued strong.

Adams lived in many countries but primarily settled in British Columbia, Canada, where he dropped out of school at the tender age of 15 to pursue his music career. The Force was strong with that one, even in the throes of adolescence. Adams played with the band Sweeny Todd, which released the album If Wishes Were Horses with the teenaged Bryan as lead vocalist. In 1977 he teamed up with Jim Vallence and the pair developed a prolific songwriting partnership penning tunes for KISS, Loverboy, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and others. Meanwhile, they performed their own songs trying to get signed, something which finally happened in 1980 when A&M Records released Bryan Adams and in 1981, You Want It You Got It.

The two albums produced a few radio hit singles but didn’t bring instant fame. That would come with Cuts Like a Knife in 1983, which rose to #8 in the Billboard charts. The hook-heavy songs and Adams’s husky voice reeled in fans by the bushel; girls wanted him and boys wanted to be him, a killer combination. Short in duration but packing a heck of a punch, Reckless was released in 1985, reached the #1 spot and gave us half a dozen smash hits like “Run To You”, “Heaven”, “Somebody” and the official anthem of nostalgia, “Summer of ’69.” This is regarded as his best album and Adams frequently performs these songs in concert much to the delight of underwear-flinging crowds everywhere. Into the Fire--the next and final collaboration with Vallence—also went platinum as did Waking Up the Neighbors in 1991.

Much of the latest album’s success had to do with a little ditty called “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” that appeared in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Both album and song topped the charts in many countries; the single was a runaway hit, remaining #1 in the UK charts for a record 16 weeks and snagging a songwriting Grammy for Adams. Another #1 hit was the brand new “Please Forgive Me” from 1993’s So Far So Good, a greatest hits compilation. Adams had found a niche in the movie industry, writing “All For One” and "Have You Ever Really loved a Woman?" for The Three Musketeers and Don Juan DeMarco respectively. In true Musketeer togetherness, Sting and Rod Stewart joined Adams in performing “All For One.”  The 90s saw two more albums 18 ‘til I Die and On a Day Like Today; the former went platinum but the latter received a lukewarm reception in 1998. It would appear that the Summer of ’69 was giving way to a dull autumn but Adams continued touring and playing sold-out venues, as well as forming duets with Bonnie Raitt, Barbra Streisand and Melanie C.

Not just a musician, Adams is a tireless activist, campaigning for causes like Amnesty International, Greenpeace and UNICEF. He has taken part in numerous benefit concerts, including Live Aid, a birthday celebration for Nelson Mandela and Earthquake Relief. He is also a successful and award-winning photographer, his work widely published in magazines and books. All his accomplishments earned him the Order of Canada in 2003; we can only hope that the group in attendance held up their lighters while Bryan belted out “Heaven.”