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All-4-One
All-4-One performing at a concert.
Background information
Origin	Glendale, California, USA
Genres	R&B, pop
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Atlantic Records Discretion Records AMC EMI America Records Peak Records
Members
Jamie Jones Delious Kennedy Alfred Nevarez Tony Borowiak

All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles area. The group has sold 22 million records worldwide.

History[link]

Dubbed the "Dukes of R&B" by several internet sources,^[1] All-4-One's hit "I Swear" won a Grammy Award in 1995 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and enjoyed an eleven-week run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and a seven-week run at #2 in the UK. It has been named by ASCAP as one of the greatest love songs of the 20th Century. It was also nominated for Song Of The Year, as was the single Top 5 smash hit "I Can Love You Like That." The group was popular before the #1 success of "I Swear," as their previous single "So Much in Love" (originally a #1 US hit for The Tymes in 1963) had reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier in the year. Other hits include "She's Got Skillz", "These Arms", "Beautiful as U", "I Will Be Right Here" and "Someday" (the title single from the Disney animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

A rift between their independent label, Blitzz Records, and their major label, Atlantic Records, led to the group leaving Atlantic Records as well as Blitzz Records after the release of the album On and On in 1999. The shift in labels left the group in limbo for a few years as they contemplated their next move. In 2001, the follow-up album, A41, was released on AMC Records yielding, "Beautiful As U," a Top 20 hit on the Radio & Records Adult Contemporary chart. The group's 2004 album, Split Personality, was given an Asia-only release, and subsequently gave them Asian hits with "Someone Who Lives in Your Heart & "I Just Wanna Be Your Everything." For much of the 2000s All-4-One has spent their time touring South East Asia, in cities such as Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, Shanghai, Sydney and Perth Australia.

In 2009 All-4-One released "No Regrets" on the Peak Records/Concord Music Group label. Reviews on the record have garnered an overwhelming response with some reviewers claiming No Regrets is a "career album for All-4-One" and could be the most consistently listenable CD so far this year brought to you by what could be argued as "the most talented vocal group to emerge in the 1990s."^[2] The album was largely created in-house, with the group doing the writing for the album, and Jamie Jones production company, The Heavyweights, doing a lot of the production work.^[3] The CD produced an Urban Adult Contemporary hit entitled "My Child".

Solo Singles[link]

In 2012, Delious Kennedy released a single he co-wrote entitled "My Rose" which peaked at #44 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club charts. The song was done as a favor to Michael Lohan, father of Lindsay Lohan, and was supposed to mark her return to the spotlight. After being released from rehab, Lindsay Lohan was involved in a shoplifting incident involving a necklace. Due to the negative press, Delious decided to postpone the release of the single in 2011 and released it in 2012 without the Lohan's involvement.

Notables[link]

Delious Kennedy is the co-founder of the Catalina Film Festival, known as the west coast's version of Cannes Film Festival (www.catalinaff.org). The Catalina Film Festival is a destination festival located just off the coast of California on the west coast's only resort island.

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

American Music Awards[link]

Other awards[link]

• 1994 - Nominated for a Billboard Award for Song of the Year for "I Swear"
• 1994 - Coca-Cola Australian Music Awards - Most Popular
• 1994 - Golden Europa - Favorite New International Act
• 1994 - Biggest-Selling Single in the Guinness Book of World Records for "I Swear"
• 1994 - International Song for "I Swear"
• 1995 - Nominated for the Tina Turner Music Prize
• 1995 - Singapore Perfect 10 Music Awards - Favorite New Act
• 1996 - Sang National Anthem, Game 3 of the 1996 World Series at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• All-4-One (1994)
• And the Music Speaks (1995)
• On and On (1999)
• A41 (2002)
• Split Personality (2004)
• No Regrets (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• All-4-One Interview
• Official site
• Official Jamie Jones site
• Delious Kennedy online Celebrity Magazine
• Delious' Photography page
• SoulTracks profile of All-4-One

Bryan Adams
Background information
Birth name	Bryan Guy Adams
Born	(1959-11-05) 5 November 1959 (age 52) Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, photographer, actor, record producer, social activist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, bass, harmonica
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Polydor
Website	bryanadams.com

Bryan Adams, OC OBC (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. For his contributions to music, Adams has many awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations, 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.

Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.^[1][2]

Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998,^[3] and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards.^[4] In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career,^[5] and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.^[6]

Early life[link]

Adams was born in Kingston, Ontario, to parents Conrad and Jane, who had emigrated from England in the 1950s.^[7] From his grandmother, he also inherited Maltese ancestry. Originally a soldier in England, Adams' father became a Canadian diplomat, latterly attached to the United Nations.^[7] Adams grew up traveling around the world with his parents, with his father's diplomatic postings in Europe and the Middle East. He traveled through the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, and spent more than four years in Lisbon, Portugal and a year in Vienna, Austria. After his parents divorce,^[7] in 1973 Adams and his mother returned to settle in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Around the age of 14-15, Adams worked as a dishwasher to save money for a proper guitar. He quit the job after a year and started auditioning as a guitarist while rehearsing his own band in his mother's rented basement in North Vancouver. Adams elected to sing until they found a singer, but they never found one, and his auditioning landed him a few jobs, with bands like Shock and Sweeney Todd, who in 1976 released If Wishes Were Horses with the 15-year-old Adams as the singer.^[8] He quit school to play nightclubs and go on the road and upon his return he settled into the Vancouver studio scene, working as a background vocalist for the CBC and working with keyboardist Robbie King, whom Adams attributes as having given him his first paying session.

In 1978, at the age of 18, Adams met Jim Vallance introduced by a mutual friend in a Vancouver music store. Vallance was the former drummer and principal songwriter for Vancouver based rock band Prism and had recently quit that band to focus on a career as a studio musician and songwriter. They agreed to meet at Vallance's home studio a few days later, which proved to be the beginning of a partnership which still exists today. Later in 1978, Adams signed to A&M records for the paltry sum of one dollar.^[9] Some of the first demos written in 1978 have surfaced over the years, most notably "I'm Ready" (recorded for both the album Cuts Like a Knife and later his release for MTV Unplugged) and "Remember," which was recorded on his first album. Both songs were covered by other artists even before his first album was released. Also recorded during this time was Adams' first single, "Let Me Take You Dancing," which made the Canadian RPM chart in March 1979 and it's B-Side Don't Turn Me Away, which has never appeared outside of the original 7" and 12" singles. An early version of "Straight From The Heart" was written during this period. The song was later recorded for Adams' third album "Cuts Like A Knife" in 1983 and released as a single, becoming Adams's first top ten record in the US in 1983.

1980s[link]

Adams' self-titled debut album was released in February 1980, and marked the beginning of what was to become a long songwriting partnership between Adams and co-writer Jim Vallance. With the exception of "Remember" and "Wastin' Time", most of the album was recorded from 29 October up until 29 November 1979 at Manta Studios in Toronto and co-produced by Adams and Vallance. The album was certified gold in Canada in 1986.^[10]

Adams' second album, You Want It You Got It, was recorded in New York City in two weeks and it marked Adams' first album co-produced by Bob Clearmountain.^{[citation needed]} It was released in 1981 and contained the FM radio hit "Lonely Nights," but it was not until his third album that he achieved international recognition, popularity and sales.

Adams also co-wrote many songs for other bands during this time including "War Machine" and "Rock and Roll Hell" for Kiss, and "No Way to Treat a Lady" for Bonnie Raitt.^{[citation needed]}

Cuts Like a Knife, which was released in January 1983, was Adams' breakout album due mainly to the lead singles. "Straight from the Heart" was the most successful song, reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.^[11] Another single, "Cuts Like a Knife" charted at number 15. "This Time" also placed on the Hot 100. Music videos were released for four of the singles from the album. "Cuts Like a Knife" arguably became Adams' most recognizable and popular song from the album. Its music video received heavy airplay on music television channels. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved three times platinum status in Canada, platinum in the United States and gold in Australia.^[10][11][12]

Adams' best-selling album, Reckless, co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was released in November 1984 and featured the singles, "Run to You", "Summer of '69", "Heaven", "One Night Love Affair", "Somebody", and "It's Only Love", a duet with Tina Turner. All the singles had accompanying music videos and all charted on the Billboard Hot 100 but only "Run to You", "Summer of '69", and "Heaven" peaked in the top ten. "Heaven" became the most successful single from Reckless at the time of its release on the pop charts, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the mainstream rock chart.^[11] "It's Only Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In 1986, the song won an MTV award for Best Stage Performance.^[13] After the release of the album, Adams was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance.^[13] The album is Adams' best-selling album in the United States and was certified five times platinum.^[14]

In December 1984, Adams and his touring band, which consisted of Keith Scott, Dave Taylor, keyboarder Johnny 'Blitz' Hannah and new drummer Pat Steward, played concerts in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia.^[15] In early 1985, Adams started a tour throughout the United States, then later Japan, Australia, Europe and at last Canada.^[15] After winning four Juno Awards, Adams started a Canadian tour through major cities across that country. Later he headed south towards the American West Coast, culminating with 2 dates at the studded Paladium in Los Angeles.^[15]

After the tour in the United States, Adams took part of a grand ensemble of Canadian artists named Northern Lights, who recorded the song "Tears Are Not Enough" for the African famine relief effort. Adams later headed back to Europe for a fifty city concert tour with rock singer Tina Turner culminating in April with his return to London to headline three sold-out shows at the Hammersmith Odeon.^[15] Adams began the first leg of his tour entitled "World Wide in '85" which started in Oklahoma and ended in October 1985.^[15] Adams later visited Vancouver, Canada, and afterward returned to the American East Coast to play 2 sold-out concerts in New York.^[15]

The follow-up album to Reckless was Into the Fire which was released in 1987. The album was recorded at Cliffhanger Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and mixed at AIR Studios in London and Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. This album contained the hit songs "Heat of the Night" and "Hearts on Fire" and hit the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.^{[citation needed]}

In 1989 Adams did backup singing on Mötley Crüe's album Dr. Feelgood and also on Belinda Carlisle's song "Whatever It Takes" which appeared on her Album Runaway Horses.^{[citation needed]}

1990s[link]

Adams' next album, Waking Up the Neighbours, co-produced by Adams and Mutt Lange, peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.^[11] It was even more successful on the other side of the Atlantic, reaching number 1 on both big European markets, the UK and Germany. The album was released in September 1991 and featured "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", his second 1 hit single in Billboard Hot 100. This song was featured on the album and a movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman. The single topped the charts in numerous countries around the world including big markets such as the US, the UK, France, Australia and Germany. "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" spent a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved record-breaking sales in the US.^[14][16][17] Canadian content regulations were revised in 1991 to allow radio stations to credit airplay of this album towards their legal requirements to play Canadian music.^[17] Adams won a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.^[18][19]

Adams further supported the album with his tour, Waking Up the World which started on 4 October 1991, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. On 18 December 1991, Adams played two first-ever shows in Reykjavík, Iceland and then performed in the U.S. with a concert at the Ritz Theatre in New York City on 10 January.^[15] It was a sell-out in less than twenty minutes.^[15] In attendance were music legends Ben E. King and Nona Hendryx.^[15] The Canadian leg of the Waking Up The World Tour kicked off in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 13 January 1992, and wrapped up with a standing room only concert in Vancouver, Canada, on 31 January. In February 1992, he started touring in New Zealand and Australia for seven dates—kicking off with a press conference in Sydney. On 21 February, the tour headed to Japan for approximately a dozen shows in six cities. The tour continued through several European countries in June 1992, including Italy, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, and in July 1992, Bryan performed for the first time in Hungary and Turkey (where he filmed his video for "Do I Have To Say The Words?"). During the long tour, further singles from the Waking Up the Neighbors album were released: In the US, the rocky "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" peaked at number 2, and "Do I Have to Say the Words?" reached number 11. In the UK, "Thought I Died and Gone to Heaven" was the most successful single behind "(Everything I Do) I Do it for You" by reaching the Top 10. In September through December 1993, the tour took place in the US. The Asian tour headed to Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong in February 1993, before returning to the US during March through May.^[15][19]

In November 1993 Adams released a compilation album entitled So Far So Good, that again topped the Charts in numerous countries such as the UK, Germany and Australia. It included a brand new song called "Please Forgive Me", that became another number 1 single in Australia as well as reaching the Top 3 in the US, the UK and Germany. In 1994 he collaborated with Rod Stewart and Sting for the single "All for Love" written for the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie Three Musketeers. The single topped the charts worldwide. It was followed in 1995 by, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (song released with the Motion Picture Soundtrack of the movie Don Juan DeMarco). It became another number 1 in the US and Australia as well as a Top 5 hit in the UK and Germany. Released in June 1996, the album 18 til I Die contained the UK Top 10 singles "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me" and "Lets Make a Night to Remember". The album peaked at number thirty-one on the Billboard 200 in the United States and held that position for three weeks.^[11] It was more successful in Europe and Australia and reached the top spot on the UK charts for Adams' third number 1 in a row.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]} The album has been certified platinum in the United States and is Adams last studio effort which has been certified by the RIAA.^[14] 18 til I Die was certified three times platinum in Canada and Australia and two times platinum in the UK. On 27 July Adams performed at the Wembley Stadium in London in front of a crowd of about 70,000. It was his second sold-out concert there and it is often considered as his biggest concert ever as it went out live to 25 countries and fans from all over the world came up to watch the performance.It also received rave reviews from critics and fans alike.^[10][12][30] In December 1997, Adams released MTV Unplugged with three new tracks: "Back to You", "A Little Love" and "When You Love Someone". "Back to You" was the first single, followed by "I'm Ready", an acoustic version of the Cut's Like A Knife track. The album was a top 10 success in Germany while both singles reached the top 20 in the UK.

On a Day Like Today was released in 1998 and was the first studio album since 1981's You Want It You Got It which wasn't certified by the RIAA.^[14] This release coincided with his contract being sold to Interscope Records. Despite Interscope's involvement or lack of, On a Day Like Today enjoyed tremendous success internationally, entering the Top 5 in Germany and was certified platinum in the UK. It generated two British Top 10 singles: "Cloud Number Nine" and "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C of The Spice Girls.

To commemorate the millennium, Adams released The Best of Me, his most comprehensive collection of songs at that time, which also included two new songs, the title track "The Best of Me" and the UK number 1 track "Don't Give Up". The album reached the Top 10 in Germany and was certified three times platinum in Canada and Platinum in the UK. The single from the album, "The Best of Me" was a very successful hit with the exception of the US, where neither the single or the album were released by Interscope Records.

2000–present[link]

Bryan Adams playing in Hamburg, Germany.

In 2000, Adams wrote and sang on a song for Chicane's album Behind the Sun^[31] called "Don't Give Up". Even though his voice is somewhat altered electronically, it is still recognisable. An official music video was made of the song, in which Adams also appears.^[32]

In 2002, Adams wrote and performed the songs for the DreamWorks animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The songs were included on the film's soundtrack. The most successful single from the soundtrack was "Here I Am", a British Top 5 and German Top 20 hit. The song also gave him his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Song from a Motion Picture.

In 2004, ARC Weekly released its chart of top pop artists since the last 25 years and Adams came up at number 13 in the chart with four number-one singles, ten top five hits and 17 top ten hits. Six years after the release of On a Day Like Today, Room Service was released in September 2004. It topped the charts in Germany and Switzerland and peaked at number four in the UK, selling 440,000 copies in its first week in Europe and thus debuted at number one on Billboard's European album chart. The single, "Open Road", was the most successful single from the album and peaked at number one in Canada and number twenty-one in the UK. In May 2008, the album was also released in the US but charted only at number 134 on the Billboard 200.

In 2005, Anthology, the first 2-disc compilation was released, containing two new tracks. The US release features a new version of "When You're Gone", a duet with Melanie C. Also in 2005, Adams re-recorded the theme song for the second season of Pamela's Fox sitcom Stacked.

In 2006, Adams wrote and performed the theme song "Never Let Go" which was featured in the closing credits of the film The Guardian starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Adams also co-wrote the song "Never Gonna Break My Faith" for the film Bobby. The song was performed by the R&B singers Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige and earned him a Golden Globe Nomination in 2007.^[33]

Adams released his eleventh album internationally on 17 March 2008. It was appropriately called 11. The album was released in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club retail stores on 13 May 2008.^[34] The first single released from the album was "I Thought I'd Seen Everything". Adams did an 11-day, 11-country European acoustic promotional tour to kick off the release of the album.^[35] The album debuted at number one in Canada (making it his first album to reach that position since Waking Up the Neighbours in 1991) as well as reaching number two in Germany. In the United States, the album charted at number 80.^[11] In May 2009, Bryan Adams announced on his Twitter account that he has started writing and recording a new album in Paris. Bare Bones is certified Gold in India.^[36]

Adams was one of the four musicians who were pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series to be issued by Canada Post stamps on 2 July 2009.^[37] The total estimated number of Bryan Adams stamps that were printed is one and one-half million.^[38] In December 2009, Adams wrote, produced and performed the song "You've Been a Friend to Me" for the Disney film Old Dogs.^[39]

In February 2010 he released "One World, One Flame" – a track used as a theme song by the German TV Station ARD for their Olympic coverage of Olympic Games in Vancouver.^{[citation needed]}

On 12 February 2010, Adams performed a duet with Nelly Furtado. The song was called "Bang the Drum" and was co-written with Jim Vallance for the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, in front of 60,000 spectators at BC Place Stadium.^{[citation needed]}

Adams performed at a party that Wayne Gretzky and Jaromír Jágr attended during Olympics, 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. Adams then sang the Canadian national anthem and ad-libbed a line to acknowledge Gretzky's departure, singing, "We're gonna miss you Wayne Gretzky."

Adams was one of several well known Canadian musicians to visit Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at his official residence. Originally the visit was meant to be Adams's plea to the Prime Minister to change the archaic copyright laws (http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/04/03/straight-from-the-heart/), instead Harper turned it into a photo op for himself and an informal "jam session".^[40] His latest album, Bare Bones, has been certified gold in India, and he thanked all his Indians fans for giving him such support.^[36]

Bryan Adams & Keith Scott during their tour in Bangalore, India in 2011

On 19 February 2011 Bryan Adams and his band played in Kathmandu, Nepal making him the first ever international artist to rock Nepal which was organized by ODC Network (P) LTD.^[41] Bryan Adams performed at the opening ceremony of ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 on 17 February in Dhaka, Bangladesh^[42] and also performed in a solo concert in the next day.^[43]

On 14 March 2011, Adams announced that he and co-founder of his foundation and girlfriend, Alicia Grimaldi, were expecting a baby and on 22 April 2011, Grimaldi gave birth to a daughter, Mirabella Bunny.^[44]

On 10 September 2011, Taylor Swift covered Bryan Adams' song Summer of 69 at her concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. On 19 November 2011, Bryan recorded the music video for "Tonight In Babylon" in Southwark, London. On 20 November 2011, he performed on the UK X Factor with the remaining acts in the competition.

On 31 January 2012, Adams announced a 20-date concert tour across Canada between April and June, to be followed by a new studio album expected to be released late in the year.^[45]

Social activism[link]

Bryan Adams during the visit to Nepal in 2011

Most of Adams' 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 is mostly funded by his photographic activities.

Since the 1980s, Adams has participated in concerts and other activities to help raise money and awareness for a variety of causes. His first high profile charity appearance came in 1985 when he opened the US transmission of Live Aid from Philadelphia.^[46] In June of the next year, Adams participated in the two-week Amnesty International "A Conspiracy of Hope" tour alongside Sting, U2 and Peter Gabriel.^[46] In 1986 Adams performed at The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert in Wembley Arena to celebrate first 10 years of the Trust and again in June 1987 at the 5th Annual Prince's Trust Rock Gala along with Elton John, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and others. The following year Adams performed at the Nelson Mandela birthday party concert at Wembley Stadium.

Adams helped commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall when, in 1990, he joined many other guests (including his songwriting partner Michael Kamen) for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin, Germany.^[47] He performed the Pink Floyd songs What Shall We Do Now? and Young Lust during the performance of The Wall, and then joined Waters, Joni Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison, Paul Carrack and others to perform Waters' "The Tide Is Turning" to close the concert.^{[citation needed]} His version of Young Lust, peaked at number 7 at Mainstream Rock Tracks.^{[citation needed]}

During his tours of 1992-1994, Adams successfully campaigned for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with Greenpeace Chairman David McTaggart.^{[citation needed]} The two of them distributed over 500,000 postcards at concerts around the world encouraging people to write to politicians of countries blocking the vote, encouraging them to vote yes for the creation of the sanctuary at the meetings of the International Whaling Commission. IWC officially created the sanctuary on 26 May 1994.^[48]

On 24 April 1993, Adams joined Farm Aid VI alongside Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr.^{[citation needed]}

On 29 January 2005, Adams joined the CBC benefit concert in Toronto for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Twenty years after performing at Live Aid in the USA, Adams played at Canada's Live 8 show in Barrie, Ontario.^[49] Later that year, he performed in Qatar and raised £1.5M ($2,617,000) from the concert. He also auctioned a white Fender Stocaster guitar signed by many of the world's prominent guitarists. The guitar raised a total of 3.7 million US dollars for charity and thus set a record as the world's costliest guitar.^[49] The money went to Qatar's "Reach Out to Asia" campaign to help the underprivileged across the continent.^[49][50] Money raised also went to some of his own projects like rebuilding a school in Thailand and building a new sports center in Sri Lanka, both of which had been devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami.^[49]

Adams in Karachi, Pakistan

On 29 January 2006, Adams became the first Western artist to perform in Karachi, Pakistan after 11 September attacks, in conjunction with a benefit concert by Shehzad Roy to raise money for underprivileged children to go to school.^[51] Some of the proceeds of that concert also went to victims of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.^[51]

On 18 October 2007, Adams was billed to perform in Tel Aviv and Jericho as part of the OneVoice Movement concerts, hoping to aid in solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.^[52] The peace concert for supporters of a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel was called off because of security concerns.^[52]

Adams supports the animal rights group PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals) by shooting photos for them and writing letters. He's written to the CEO of KFC restaurants in Canada in November 2007, asking them to become leaders in using more modern and more humane methods of killing chickens.^[53] Adams has been a vegan since 1989 and was also a nominee for PETA's "Sexiest Vegetarians of the Year".

On 25 May 2005, Adams raised £1.3M with cousin Johnny Armitage, from a concert and auction entitled Rock by the River for the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.^[54] On 15 May 2006, Adams returned to London to attend the Hope Foundation's event (hosted by designer Bella Freud), helping to raise a portion of the £250,000 to support the Palestinian refugee children.^[55] The following June, he offered individuals from the public the chance to bid to sing with him live in concert at three different charity auctions in London. Over £50,000 was raised with money going to the NSPCC, Children in Need, and the University College Hospital.^[56] On 28 February 2008 he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program.^[56]

To support the peace in Georgia, Adams played a special outdoor concert in Tbilisi, on 19 September 2008.^{[citation needed]}

He played at The Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Born Free Foundation at "Wild and Live" on 14 November 2009.^{[citation needed]} His foundation raised £170,000 for Kids Company, a UK based charity that helps underprivileged and abused children in London, England.^{[citation needed]}

As a photographer[link]

Adams accepting a LeadAward for photography in 2006

Adams has had his photographs published in British Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Interview magazine and i-D, among others.^[57] His other photographic efforts include founding Zoo Magazine, the fashion/art magazine based in Berlin, Germany which he shoots for regularly. On 1 June 2005, Calvin Klein published a book of his photos in the United States entitled American Women; proceeds from this book go to breast cancer research for programs at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.^[57] Flare Magazine in Canada released a similar book of photos called Made In Canada in December 1999. Both these books were dedicated to his friend Donna, who died of the disease.^[57]

As a photographer, Adams has worked with many of his musical peers, including Sting, Shania Twain, Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Take That, Joss Stone, Plácido Domingo, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Billy Idol, Moby, Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, t.A.T.u., Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Lenny Kravitz, Die Antwoord, and Morrissey to name a few.^[58] On 27 November 2000 Adams played onstage with The Who at the Royal Albert Hall. A DVD of the concert was issued. Adams photographed the band and his photos appear in the DVD booklet.

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 (see Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamp (Canada)), another portrait of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.^[59]

Adams supports the Hear the World initiative as a photographer in its aim to raise global awareness for the topic of hearing and hearing loss.^[60]

He photographed Michael J. Fox and Tatjana Patitz in the 2011 Carl Zeiss AG company calendar in New York City in the summer of 2010. The focus was about the size difference of the subjects in a comedic presentation.^[61]

His photographic exhibitions include:

• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 1999
• McCord Museum, Montreal 2000
• Saatchi Gallery, London 2000
• Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany 2001
• ICA, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 2004
• Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto 2004
• Calvin Klein, NYC, Dallas, Paris 2005
• Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London 2005-06
• Il Tempio Di Adriano, Rome, Italy, July 2006
• Photokina, Köln (Cologne), Germany, September 2006
• Leica Gallery, Vienna, Austria, November 2006
• Galerija Fotografija, Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 2006
• H.Stern exhibition, São Paulo, Brazil, March 2007
• PhotoEspana, Madrid, Spain, Fotografos Insospechados (Unsuspected Photographers) Mickey Rourke photographs, May–July 2007
• Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire, England, May–June 2007
• 401 Projects, New York City, September–November 2007
• The Hospital, Covent Garden, London, England, November 2007 (Modern Muses)
• The National Portrait Gallery, London, England, February–May 2008 (Modern Muses)
• Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany, May 2008 (Photos of the German National Football Team)
• 14th Street Gallery, New York City, May 2008 (Hear The World) (plus other exhibitions in Berlin and Zurich with the same show)
• Saatchi Gallery, London, July 2009 (Hear The World)
• Calvin Klein American Women 2010, New York City, September 2010

Personal life[link]

Adams never comments on his personal life:^[7]

A vegan, he has homes in: Canada; Chelsea, London;^[7] and Paris, France.^[62]

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

Bryan Adams' star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

In addition to his success at the Junos and Grammys and other music awards, Adams was also nominated for his fifth Golden Globe in 2007 for songwriting on the film Bobby which was sung by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and has been nominated three times for Academy Awards for writing music in film.^[33][63]

File sharing lawsuit[link]

"Somebody" was one of 24 songs in the first file-sharing copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major record labels in the United States to be tried by a jury.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bryan Adams

	Book: Bryan Adams
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Bryan Adams portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bryan Adams

• Official website
• Bryan Adams at the Internet Movie Database
• Bryan Adams on Facebook

Rod Stewart
Stewart performing in Zaragoza, Spain, 5 November 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Roderick David Stewart
Also known as	"Rod the Mod"
Born	(1945-01-10) 10 January 1945 (age 67) Highgate, North London, England[1]
Genres	Rock, pop, blues rock, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1964–present
Labels	Mercury, Warner Bros., RCA,[2] J
Associated acts	Shotgun Express, The Steampacket, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces
Website	RodStewart.com

Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE (born 10 January 1945)^[3] is a British singer-songwriter, born and raised in North London, England, and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English^[4] ancestry.

With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with The Jeff Beck Group and then Faces. He launched his solo career in 1969 with his debut album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (US: The Rod Stewart Album). His work with The Jeff Beck Group and Faces influenced heavy metal genres.^[5][6]

With his career in its fifth decade, Stewart has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling artists of all time.^[7] In the UK, he has had six consecutive number one albums, and his tally of 62 hit singles include 31 that reached the top 10, six of which gained the number one position.^[8] He has had 16 top ten singles in the U.S, with four of these reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists".^[9] He was voted at #33 in Q Magazine's list of the top 100 Greatest Singers of all time,^[10] and #59 on Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Singers of all time.^[11] As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and was inducted a second time, as a member of Faces, in April 2012.^[12][13]

Early life[link]

Roderick David Stewart was born at 507 Archway Road, Highgate, North London, the youngest of the five children of Robert Stewart and Elsie Gilbart.^[14] His father was Scottish and had been a master builder in Leith, Edinburgh, while Elsie was English and had grown up in Upper Holloway in North London.^[15] Married in 1928,^[15] the couple had two sons and two daughters while living in Scotland, then they moved to Highgate.^[14] Stewart came after an eight-year gap following his youngest sibling; he was born at home during World War II, half an hour after a German V-2 missile warhead fell on the local Highgate police station.^[14][15]

The family was neither affluent nor poor, and by all accounts Stewart was a spoiled child as the youngest;^[14][15] Stewart has called his childhood "fantastically happy".^[15] He had an undistinguished record at Highgate Primary School and failed the eleven plus exam.^[16] He then attended the William Grimshaw Secondary Modern School in Hornsey.^[17] His father retired from the building trade at age 65, then opened a newsagent's shop on the Archway Road when Stewart was in his early teens; the family lived over the shop.^[14][15] Stewart's main hobby was railway modelling.^[18]

The Stewart family was mostly focused on football;^[19] Robert had played on a local amateur side and managed some as well, and one of Stewart's earliest memories were the pictures of Scottish players such as George Young and Gordon Smith that his brothers had on the wall.^[20][21] Rod was the most talented footballer in the Stewart family and was a strong supporter of Arsenal F.C..^[20][22] Combining natural athleticism with near-reckless aggression, he became captain of the school football team and played for Middlesex Schoolboys as centre-half.^[20]

The family were also great fans of the singer Al Jolson and would sing and play his hits.^[19][23] Stewart collected his records and saw his films, read books about him, and was influenced by his performing style and attitude towards his audience.^[19][21][24] His introduction to rock and roll was hearing Little Richard's 1956 hit "The Girl Can't Help It" and seeing Bill Haley & His Comets in concert.^[23] His father bought him a guitar in January 1959; the first song he learned was the folk tune "It Takes a Worried Man to Sing a Worried Song" and the first record he bought was Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody".^[18] In 1960, he joined a skiffle group with schoolfriends called the Kool Kats, playing Lonnie Donegan and Chas McDevitt hits.^[18][25]

Stewart left school at age 15^[26] and worked briefly as a silk screen printer.^[27] Spurred on by his father, his ambition was to become a professional footballer.^[22][26] In 1961 he joined on as an apprentice with Brentford F.C.,^[26][28][29] a Third Division club at the time.^[30] However, he disliked the early morning travel to West London and the daily assignment to clean the first team's boots.^[26] His playing effectiveness at centre-half was hindered by his slight build — 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) but only 9 stone (130 lb; 57 kg) — and he pushed himself so much that he sometimes vomited at the side of the pitch.^[26] After up to two months of play in pre-season fixtures,^{[nb 1]} Stewart left the team, to the great disappointment of his father.^[26] Stewart later reflected that: "I had the skill but not the enthusiasm."^[26] Regarding possible career options, Stewart concluded, "Well, a musician's life is a lot easier and I can also get drunk and make music, and I can't do that and play football. I plumped for music ... They're the only two things I can do actually: play football and sing."^[19][26]

Music career[link]

1961–63: Early efforts[link]

Stewart worked in the family shop and as a newspaper delivery boy,^[31] then as a grave digger at Highgate Cemetery,^[32] partly to face a childhood fear of death.^[31] He worked in a North Finchley funeral parlour^[31] and as a fence erector and sign writer.^[27] In 1961 he went to Denmark Street with The Raiders and got a singing audition with well-known record producer Joe Meek, but Meek stopped the session with a rude sound.^[33] Stewart began listening to British and American topical folk artists such as Ewan MacColl, Alex Campbell, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and especially Derroll Adams and the debut album of Bob Dylan.^[33][34] He became attracted to beatnik attitudes and left-wing politics, living for a while in a beatnik houseboat at Shoreham-by-Sea.^[33] Stewart was an active supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at this time, joining the annual Aldermaston Marches from 1961 to 1963 and being arrested on three occasions when he took part in sit-ins at Trafalgar Square and Whitehall for the cause.^[27][33] He also used the marches as a way to meet and bed girls.^[33][35] In 1962 he had his first serious relationship, with London art student Suzannah Boffey (and a friend of future model and actress Chrissie Shrimpton); he moved to a bed-sit in Muswell Hill to be near her.^[36] She became pregnant, but neither Rod nor his family wanted him to enter marriage; the baby girl was given for adoption and Rod's and Suzannah's relationship ended.^[36]

In 1962, Stewart began hanging around folk singer Wizz Jones, busking at Leicester Square and other London spots.^[37] Stewart took up playing the then-fashionable harmonica.^[38] On several trips over the next 18 months Jones and Stewart took their act to Brighton and then to Paris, sleeping under bridges over the River Seine, and then finally to Barcelona.^[37] Finally this resulted in Stewart being rounded up and deported from Spain for vagrancy during 1963.^[29][37][39]

In early 1962, Stewart joined The Ray Davies Quartet, later known as the successful British band The Kinks, as their lead singer. He had known three of their members at William Grimshaw School^[16][34] and at the time, Ray Davies was uncomfortable with the lead vocalist role.^[40] He performed with the group on at least one occasion, but was soon dropped due to complaints about his voice from then-drummer John Start's mother as well as musical differences with the band and (as Pete Quaife later recalled) Davies' fear that Stewart would take over.^[40][41]

In 1963, Stewart adopted the Mod lifestyle and look, and began fashioning the spiky rooster hairstyle that would become his trademark.^[42] (It originated from large amounts of his sisters' hair lacquer, backcombing, and his hands holding it in place to protect it from the winds of the Highgate Underground station.^[42][43]) Disillusioned by rock and roll, he saw Otis Redding perform in concert and began listening to Sam Cooke records; he became fascinated by rhythm and blues and soul music.^[42]

After returning to London, Stewart joined a rhythm and blues group, the Dimensions, in October 1963 as a harmonica player and part-time vocalist.^[28][44] It was his first professional job as a musician, although Stewart was still living at home and working in his brother's painting and picture frame shop.^[45][46] A somewhat more established singer from Birmingham, Jimmy Powell, then hired the group a few weeks later, and it became known as Jimmy Powell & the Five Dimensions, with Stewart being relegated to harmonica player.^[28][44] The group performed weekly at the famed Studio 51 club on Great Newport Street in London, where The Rolling Stones often headlined;^[44] this was Stewart's entrée into the thriving London R & B scene,^[47] and his harmonica playing improved in part from watching Mick Jagger on stage.^[38] Relations soon broke down between Powell and Stewart over roles within the group^[45] and Stewart departed.^{[nb 2]}

1964–67: Long John Baldry, Steampacket, and "Rod the Mod"[link]

On or around 5 January 1964,^{[nb 3]} Stewart was drunk and waiting on the Twickenham railway station platform, playing "Smokestack Lightnin'" on his harmonica after having seen a rhythm and blues show by Cyril Davies and the All Stars at Eel Pie Island.^[28][48][49] All Stars singer Long John Baldry discovered him and invited him to sit in with the group (which passed into his hands and was renamed the Hoochie Coochie Men when Davies died of leukaemia on 7 January); when Baldry discovered Stewart was a singer as well, he offered him a job for £35 a week, after securing the approval of Stewart's mother.^[48] Quitting his day job at age nineteen, Stewart gradually overcame his shyness and nerves and became a visible enough part of the act that he was sometimes added to the billing as "Rod the Mod" Stewart,^[38][48][50] the nickname coming from his dandyish style of grooming and dress.^[34] Baldry touted Stewart's abilities to Melody Maker magazine and the group enjoyed a weekly residence at London's fabled Marquee Club.^[50] In June 1964, Stewart made his recording début (without label credit) on "Up Above My Head", the B-side to a Baldry and Hoochie Coochie Men single.^[51]

While still with Baldry, Stewart embarked on a simultaneous solo career.^[52] He made some demo recordings,^{[nb 4]} was scouted by Decca Records at the Marquee Club and signed to a solo contract in August 1964.^[53] He appeared on several regional television shows around the country and recorded his first single in September 1964.^[52][53] Turning down Decca's recommended material as too commercial, Stewart insisted that the experienced session musicians he was given, including John Paul Jones, learn a couple of Sonny Boy Williamson songs he had just heard.^[54] The resulting single, "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", was recorded released in October 1964; despite Stewart performing it on the popular television show Ready Steady Go!, it failed to enter the charts.^[53] Also in October Stewart left the Hoochie Coochie Men after having a row with Baldry.^[53]

Stewart played some dates on his own in late 1964 and early 1965, sometimes backed by the Southampton R & B outfit The Soul Agents.^[55] The Hoochie Coochie Men broke up, Baldry and Stewart patched up their differences (and indeed became lifelong friends),^[56] and legendary impresario Giorgio Gomelsky put together Steampacket, which featured Baldry, Stewart, Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, Micky Waller, Vic Briggs, and Rick Brown; their first appearance was in support of The Rolling Stones in July 1965.^[57] The group was conceived as a white soul revue, analogous to The Ike & Tina Turner Revue, with multiple vocalists and styles ranging from jazz to R & B to blues.^[58] Steampacket toured with the Stones and The Walker Brothers that summer, ending in the London Palladium;^[58] seeing the audience react to the Stones gave Stewart his first exposure to crowd hysteria.^[59] Stewart, who had been included in the group upon Baldry's insistence, ended up with most of the male vocal parts.^[58] Steampacket was unable to enter the studio to record any material due to its members all belonging to different labels and managers,^[58][60] although Gomelsky did record one of their Marquee Club rehearsals.^{[nb 5]}

Stewart's "Rod the Mod" image gained wider visibility in November 1965, when he was the subject of a 30-minute Rediffusion, London television documentary titled "An Easter with Rod" that portrayed the Mod scene.^[29][61] His parallel solo career attempts continued on EMI's Columbia label with the November 1965 release of "The Day Will Come", a more heavily arranged pop attempt, and the April 1966 release of his take on Sam Cooke's "Shake", with the Brian Auger Trinity.^[61] Both failed commercially and neither gained positive notices.^[62] Stewart had spent the better part of two years listening mostly to Cooke; he later said, "I didn't sound like anybody at all ... but I knew I sounded a bit like Sam Cooke, so I listened to Sam Cooke."^[46] This recording solidified that singer's position as Stewart's idol and most enduring influence; he called it a "crossing of the water."^[34][46][58]

Stewart departed from Steampacket in March 1966,^[61] with Stewart saying he had been sacked and Auger saying he had quit.^[58] Stewart then joined a somewhat similar outfit, Shotgun Express, in May 1966 as co-lead vocalist with Beryl Marsden.^[58][61] Amongst the other members were Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green (who would go on to form Fleetwood Mac), and Peter Bardens.^[61] Shotgun Express released one unsuccessful single in October 1966, the orchestra-heavy "I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round", before disbanding.^[58][61] Stewart later disparaged Shotgun Express as a poor imitation of Steampacket, and said "I was still getting this terrible feeling of doing other people's music. I think you can only start finding yourself when you write your own material."^[61] By now, Stewart had bounced around without achieving much success, with little to distinguish himself among other aspiring London singers other than the emerging rasp in his voice.^[47]

1967–69: Jeff Beck Group[link]

Guitarist Jeff Beck recruited Stewart for his new post-Yardbirds venture,^[63] and in February 1967, Stewart joined the Jeff Beck Group as vocalist and sometime songwriter.^[64] This would become the big break of his early career.^[34] There he first played with Ronnie Wood^[58] whom he had first met in a London pub in 1964;^[53] the two soon became fast friends.^[63] During its first year, the group experienced frequent changes of drummers and conflicts involving manager Mickie Most wanting to reduce Stewart's role; they toured the UK, and released a couple of singles that featured Stewart on their B-sides.^[64][65] Stewart's sputtering solo career also continued, with the March 1968 release of non-hit "Little Miss Understood" on Immediate Records.^[64] The Jeff Beck Group toured Western Europe in spring 1968, recorded, and were nearly destitute; then assistant manager Peter Grant booked them on a six-week tour of the United States starting in June 1968 with the Fillmore East in New York.^[64][66][67] The first-time-in-America Stewart suffered terrible stage fright during the opening show and hid behind the amplifier banks while singing; only a quick shot of brandy brought him out front.^[64] Nevertheless, the show and the tour were a big success,^[34][67] with Robert Shelton of The New York Times calling the group exciting and praising "the interaction of Mr. Beck's wild and visionary guitar against the hoarse and insistent shouting of Rod Stewart,"^[66] and New Musical Express reporting that the group was receiving standing ovations and pulling receipts equal to those of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.^[64]

In August 1968, their first album Truth was released; by October it had risen to number 15 on the US albums chart but failed to chart in the UK.^[64] The radical, groundbreaking, landmark album featured Beck's masterly guitar technique and manipulated sounds as Stewart's dramatic vocalising tackled the group's varied repertoire of blues, folk, rock, and proto-heavy metal.^[47][65][68] Stewart also co-wrote three of the songs,^[68] and credited the record for helping to develop his vocal abilities and the sandpaper quality in his voice.^[46] The group toured America again at the end of the year to a very strong reception, then suffered from more personnel upheaval^[64][69] (something that would continue throughout Beck's career). In July 1969, Stewart left, following his friend Wood's departure.^[46][70] Stewart later recalled: "It was a great band to sing with but I couldn't take all the aggravation and unfriendliness that developed.... In the two and a half years I was with Beck I never once looked him in the eye – I always looked at his shirt or something like that."^[64] The group's second album, Beck-Ola, was released in June 1969 in the US and September 1969 in the UK, bracketing the time the group was dissolving; it also made number 15 in the US albums chart and placed to number 39 in the UK albums chart.^[34][70][71] During his time with the group, Stewart initially felt overmatched by Beck's presence, and his style was still developing; but later Stewart felt the two developed a strong musical, if not personal, rapport.^[64][72] Much of Stewart's sense of phrasing was developed during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.^[46] Beck sought to form a new supergroup with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert (of the similarly just-breaking-up Vanilla Fudge) joining him and Stewart, but Stewart had other plans.^[73]

1969–71: Solo Career establishment[link]

Stewart performing in Oslo, Norway, 5 November 1976.

Mercury Records A&R man Lou Reizner had seen Stewart perform with Beck, and in October 1968 signed him to a solo contract;^[64] but contractual complexities delayed Stewart's recording for him until July 1969.^[70][74] Meanwhile, in May 1969, guitarist and singer Steve Marriott left English band The Small Faces.^[70] Ron Wood was announced as the replacement guitarist in June and in October 1969 Stewart followed his friend and was announced as their new singer.^[70] The two joined existing members Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones, who soon decided to call the new line-up Faces.

An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down became Stewart's first solo album in 1969 (it was known as The Rod Stewart Album in the US). It established the template for his solo sound: a heartfelt mixture of folk, rock, and country blues, inclusive of a British working-class sensibility, with both original material ("Cindy's Lament" and the title song) and cover versions (Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" and Mike d'Abo's "Handbags and Gladrags").

Faces released their debut album First Step in early 1970 with a rock and roll style similar to the Rolling Stones. While the album did better in the UK than in the US, the Faces quickly earned a strong live following. Stewart released his second album, Gasoline Alley that autumn (Elkie Brooks later achieved a hit with a version of the title track in 1983). Rod's approach was similar to his first album, as exemplified by the title track; and mandolin was introduced into the sound. He then launched a solo tour. Stewart sang guest vocals for the Australian group Python Lee Jackson on "In a Broken Dream", recorded in April 1969 but not released until 1970. His payment was a set of seat covers for his car. It was re-released in 1972 to become a worldwide hit.

[edit] 1971–74: Every Picture Tells a Story

Stewart's 1971 solo album Every Picture Tells a Story made him a household name when the B-side of his minor hit "Reason to Believe", "Maggie May", (co-written with Martin Quittenton) started receiving radio play. The album and the single hit number one in both the US and the UK simultaneously, a chart first, in September. A loss of innocence tale set off by a striking mandolin part (by Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne), "Maggie May" was also named in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, which is one of three songs by him to appear on that list. The rest of the album was equally strong, with "Mandolin Wind" again showcasing that instrument; "(I Know) I'm Losing You" adding hard-edged soul to the mix; and "Tomorrow Is a Long Time", a cover of a Bob Dylan song. But the ultimate manifestation of the early Stewart solo style was the Stewart-Wood-penned "Every Picture Tells a Story" itself: powered by Mick Waller's drumming, Pete Sears's piano, and Wood's guitar work in a largely acoustic arrangement; it is a fast, rocking, headlong romp relating the picaresque adventures of the singer.

The second Faces album, Long Player, was released in early 1971 and enjoyed greater chart success than First Step. The Faces also got their only US Top 40 hit with "Stay With Me" from their third album A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse released in late 1971.^[75] This album reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic on the back of the success of Every Picture Tells A Story.^[75][76] Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols regarded The Faces very highly and named them as a main influence on the British punk rock movement.^[77]

The Faces toured extensively in 1972 with growing tension in the band over Stewart's solo career enjoying more success than the band's. Stewart released Never a Dull Moment in the same year. Repeating the Every Picture formula for the most part, it reached number two on the US album charts and number one in the UK,^[78] and enjoyed further good notices from reviewers. "You Wear It Well" was a hit single that reached number 13 in the US and went to number one in the UK, while "Twisting the Night Away" made explicit Stewart's debt to Sam Cooke. For the body of his early solo work Stewart earned tremendous critical praise. Rolling Stone's 1980 Illustrated History of Rock & Roll includes this in its Stewart entry:^[47]

Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely. Once the most compassionate presence in music, he has become a bilious self-parody — and sells more records than ever [...] a writer who offered profound lyricism and fabulous self-deprecating humour, teller of tall tales and honest heartbreaker, he had an unmatched eye for the tiny details around which lives turn, shatter, and reform [...] and a voice to make those details indelible. [... His solo albums] were defined by two special qualities: warmth, which was redemptive, and modesty, which was liberating. If ever any rocker chose the role of everyman and lived up to it, it was Rod Stewart.

The Faces released their final album Ooh La La, which reached number one in the UK and number 21 in the US in 1973.^[75][76] The band toured Australasia, Japan, Europe and the UK in 1974^[79] to support the album and the single "Pool Hall Richard".

Stewart (right) whilst in Faces, with Ronnie Wood (left)

[edit] 1974–75: Smiler and Faces tour

In late 1974 Stewart released his Smiler album. In Britain, it reached number one, and the single "Farewell" number seven, but only number 13 on the Billboard pop album charts and the single "Mine for Me" only number 91 on the Billboard pop singles charts. It was his last original album for Mercury Records. After the release of the double album compilation The Best of Rod Stewart he switched to Warner Bros. Records and remained with them throughout the vast majority of his career (Faces were signed to Warners, and Stewart's solo releases in the UK appeared on the Riva label until 1981).

In 1975 the Faces toured the US twice (with Ronnie Wood joining The Rolling Stones' US tour in between)^[79] before Stewart announced the Faces' break-up at the end of the year.^[80]

[edit] 1975–77: Atlantic Crossing and further releases

In 1975, Rod Stewart moved to Los Angeles, due in part to his love affair with Britt Ekland, and as a protest against the UK tax authorities who were taking approximately 83% of his income. He released the Atlantic Crossing album for his new record company, using producer Tom Dowd and a different sound based on the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Atlantic Crossing marked both a return to form and a return to the Top 10 of the Billboard album charts. The first single, a cover of the Sutherland Brothers song "Sailing", was a number one hit in the UK, but it only reached the Top 60 of the US charts. The single returned to the UK Top 10 a year later when used as the theme music for a BBC documentary series about HMS Ark Royal, and having been a hit twice over became, and remains, Stewart's biggest-selling single in the UK. His Holland-Dozier-Holland cover "This Old Heart Of Mine" was also a Top 100 hit in 1976.^[75] Additionally in 1976 Stewart covered The Beatles' song "Get Back" for the ephemeral musical documentary All This and World War II.^[81]

Later in 1976, Stewart topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and the Australian ARIA chart with the ballad "Tonight's the Night", with an accompanying music video featuring Ekland.^[75] It came from the A Night on the Town album, which went to number two on the Billboard album charts and was Stewart's first album to go platinum. By explicitly marking the album as having a "fast side" and a "slow side", Stewart continued the trend started by Atlantic Crossing. "The First Cut Is the Deepest", a cover of a Cat Stevens song, went number one in the UK in 1977, and top 30 in the US.^[78][75] "The Killing of Georgie (Part 1 and 2)", about the murder of a gay man, was also a Top 40 hit for Stewart during 1977.^[75]

[edit] 1977–81: Blondes Have More Fun

Foot Loose & Fancy Free featured Rod's own band, the original Rod Stewart Group that featured Carmine Appice, Phil Chen, Jim Cregan, Billy Peek, Gary Grainger and John Jarvis, from 1977 continued Stewart's run of chart success, again reaching number two. "You're In My Heart" was the hit single, reaching number four in the US.^[75] The rocker "Hot Legs" achieved a lot of radio airplay as did the confessional "I Was Only Joking". In appearance, Stewart's look had evolved to include a glam element, including make-up and spandex clothes. Stewart scored another UK number one and US number one single with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was a crossover hit reaching number five on the Billboard black charts due to its disco sound.^[75] This was the lead single from 1978's Blondes Have More Fun...or do they?, which went to number one on the Billboard album charts and sold 4 million albums. It was to be Stewart's last number one album for 25 years.

A focal point of criticisms about this period was his biggest-selling 1978 disco hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", which was atypical of his earlier output, and disparaged by critics.^[82] In interviews, Stewart, while admitting his accompanying look had become "tarty", has defended the lyrics by pointing out that the song is a third-person narrative slice-of-life portrayal, not unlike those in his earlier work, and that it is not about him. However, the song's refrain was identical to Brazilian Jorge Ben Jor's earlier "Taj Mahal" and a lawsuit ensued. Stewart donated his royalties from the song to UNICEF, and he performed it with his band at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in 1979.

Rod moved a bit to a more New Wave direction in 1980 by releasing the album Foolish Behaviour. The album produced one hit single, "Passion", which proved particularly popular in South Africa (reaching no. 1 on the Springbok Top 20 Charts and Radio 5 Charts in early 1981). It also reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Charts. Later in 1981, Stewart added further elements of New Wave and synth pop to his sound for the Tonight I'm Yours album. The title song reached #20 in the U.S., while "Young Turks" reached the Top 5 with the album going platinum.^[75] In August 1981, MTV was launched in the US with several of Stewart's videos in heavy rotation. On 18 December 1981, Stewart played the Los Angeles Forum, along with Kim Carnes and Tina Turner. This show was broadcast around the world to a television audience of 35 million.

[edit] 1982–2001: Body Wishes, and continued success

Stewart performing in Dublin Ireland, in 1981

Stewart's career then went into a relative slump, and his albums between Tonight I'm Yours (1981) and Out of Order (1988) received harsh criticism from many critics. He was also criticised for breaking the widely observed cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa by performing at the Sun City resort complex in the bantustan of Bophuthatswana as part of his Body Wishes (1983) and Camouflage (1984) tours. He only had four Top 10 singles between 1982 and 1988, "Young Turks" (#5,1982), "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (#10, 1984), "Infatuation" (#6, 1984) and "Love Touch" (#6, 1986), although "Baby Jane" became his sixth and final UK number one in 1983. It reached #14 in the US.^[75] The corresponding Camouflage album went gold in the UK, and the single "Infatuation" (which featured his old friend Jeff Beck on the guitar) received considerable play on MTV. The second single "Some Guys Have All The Luck" reached #15 in the UK and #10 in the US.^[75] A reunion with Jeff Beck produced a successful take on Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready", but an attempt to tour together fell apart after a few dates. He reached UK number two in 1986 with "Every Beat Of My Heart".^[76]

In January 1985, he performed at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro before an estimated audience of over 100,000. In 1988, he returned with Out Of Order, produced by Duran Duran's Andy Taylor and by Bernard Edwards of Chic. "Lost in You", "Forever Young", "Crazy About Her", and "My Heart Can't Tell You No" from that album were all top 15 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and mainstream rock charts, with the latter even reaching the Top Five. "Forever Young" was an unconscious revision of Bob Dylan's song of the same name; the artists reached an agreement about sharing royalties. The song reached #12 in the U.S.^[75] In September 1988, Stewart performed "Forever Young" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.^[83]

In January 1989, Stewart set out on the South American leg of the Out of Order Tour playing to sell-out audiences throughout Americas. There were 80,000 people at his show at Corregidora Stadium, Querétaro, México (9 April), and 50,000 at Jalisco Stadium, Guadalajara, Jalisco (12 April). In Buenos Aires, the audience at the River Plate Stadium, which seats 70,000+, was at over 90,000, with several thousand outside the stadium. Firehoses were sprayed on the crowd to avoid heat prostration.

Stewart's version of the Tom Waits song "Downtown Train" went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.^[75] This song was taken from a four-CD compilation set called Storyteller - The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990. The Vagabond Heart album continued his comeback with "Rhythm of My Heart" reaching #5 on Billboard, and "The Motown Song" reaching the top 10.^[75] Also in 1990 he recorded "It Takes Two" with Tina Turner, which reached number five on the UK charts. In 1991 Stewart contributed guest lead vocals to the song "My Town" by the Canadian band Glass Tiger.

At the 1993 Brit Awards in London, Stewart picked up the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music.^[84] Stewart brought back The Faces on stage for an impromptu reunion.^[84] In 1993 Stewart recorded "All For Love" with Sting and Bryan Adams for the soundtrack to the movie The Three Musketeers; the single reached number one in the US and number two in the UK.^[76] Also in 1993, Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood to record an MTV Unplugged special that included "Handbags and Gladrags", "Cut Across Shorty", and four selections from Every Picture Tells A Story. The show also featured an acoustic version of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately", which topped the Billboard adult contemporary chart and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[75] A rendition of "Reason to Believe" also garnered considerable airplay. The resulting Unplugged...and Seated album reached number two on the Billboard 200 album charts.^[75]

Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, presented by Jeff Beck.^[78] On 31 December 1994, Stewart played in front on 4.2 million people on Copacabana beach in Rio, and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for staging the largest free rock concert attendance in history.^[85]

By the early 1990s, Stewart had mostly abandoned creating his own material, saying that he was not a natural songwriter and that the tepid response to his recent efforts was not rewarding.^[86] In 1995, Stewart released A Spanner in the Works containing a single written by Tom Petty "Leave Virginia Alone," which reached the Top 10 of the adult contemporary charts. The latter half of the 1990s was not so commercially successful, though the 1996 album If We Fall in Love Tonight managed to ship gold and hit #19 on the Billboard album chart, thanks in large part to an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.

When We Were the New Boys, his final album on the Warner Bros. label released in 1998, contained versions of songs by Britpop acts such as Oasis and Primal Scream, and reached number two on the UK album charts. In 2000, Stewart decided to leave Warner Bros. and moved to Atlantic Records, another division of Warner Music Group. In 2001, he released Human, his only album for Atlantic. Human only just reached the Top 50 in 2001 with the single "I Can't Deny It" going Top 40 in the UK and Top 20 in the adult contemporary.

Stewart then signed to Clive Davis' new J Records label. The Story So Far: The Very Best Of Rod Stewart, a greatest hits album compiled from his time at Warner Bros., went to the Top 10 in the UK and reached number one in places like Belgium and France in 2001.

[edit] 2002–09: The Great American Songbook releases

By 2002, Stewart had sold over 100 million records during his career.^[87] Stewart then concentrated on singing 1930s and 1940s pop standards from the "Great American Songbook", written by songwriters such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and George and Ira Gershwin, with great popular success. These albums have been released on Clive Davis's J Records label and have seen Stewart enjoy album sales equal to the 1970s.

The first album from the songbook series, It Had to Be You: the Great American Songbook, reached number four on the US album chart, number eight in the UK and number ten in Canada when released in late 2002. The track "These Foolish Things" (which is actually a British, not American, song) reached number 13 on the Billboard adult contemporary charts and number two in Taiwan. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" went Top 20 on the world Internet charts and Top 30 on the adult contemporary charts.

The second series album, As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2, reached number two in the US, number four in the UK and number one in Canada. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", a duet with Cher, went Top 20 on the US adult contemporary charts and Top 5 in Taiwan. "Time After Time" was another Top 30 track on the US adult contemporary charts. A musical called Tonight's The Night, featuring many of Stewart's songs opened, 7 November 2003 at London's Victoria Palace Theatre. It is written and directed by Ben Elton, who previously created a similar production; We Will Rock You, with music by Queen.

In 2004, Stewart reunited with Ronnie Wood for concerts of Faces material. A Rod Stewart and the Faces best of Changing Faces reached the Top 20 of the UK album charts. Five Guys Walk into a Bar..., a Faces box set compilation, went into the shops. Stewart has also mentioned working with Wood on an album to be entitled You Strum, I'll Sing. In late 2004, Stardust: the Great American Songbook 3, the third album in Stewart's songbook series, was released. It was his first US number one album in 25 years, selling over 200,000 albums in its first week. It also debuted at number one in Canada, number three in the UK and Top 10 in Australia. His version of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", featuring Stevie Wonder, made the Top 20 of the world adult charts. He also recorded a duet with Dolly Parton for the album - "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Stewart won his first ever Grammy Award for this album.

The year 2005 saw the release of the fourth songbook album, Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook 4; it included duets with Diana Ross and Elton John. Within weeks of its release, the CD made it to number two on the Top 200 list. In late 2006, Stewart made his return to rock music and his new approach to country music with the release of Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time, a new album featuring rock and southern rock milestones from the last four decades, including a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", which was released as the first single. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts with 184,000 copies in its first week. The number one debut was helped by a concert in New York City that was on MSN Music and an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. He performed tracks from his new album Live from the Nokia Theater on 9 October. Control Room broadcast the event Live on MSN and in 117 movie theatres across the country via National CineMedia. In November 2006, Stewart was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.^[88]

On 12 December, he performed for the first time at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Coliseum in front of HRH Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, singing another Cat Stevens number, "Father and Son", and Glasgow singer/songwriter Frankie Miller's song It's a Heartache, made famous by Bonnie Tyler. On 22 December 2006 Stewart hosted the 8th Annual A Home for the Holidays special on CBS at 8:00 pm (PST). In 2007, Rod's son Sean starred in the A&E television show Sons of Hollywood, in which Rod's role as a parent is a major theme. On 1 July 2007, Rod Stewart performed "Sailing", "Baby Jane" and "Maggie May" at the memorial concert for Princess Diana at Wembley Stadium in London.^[89] On 11 June 2008, Stewart announced that the Faces had discussed a reunion for at least one or two concerts.^[90]

[edit] 2009–present: Songbook

On 20 May 2009, Stewart performed "Maggie May" on the grand finale of American Idol season 8. On 2 July 2009 Stewart performed his only UK date this year at Home Park, Plymouth. On 29 September 2009 a 4-CD, 65-track compilation entitled Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998 was released; it is composed of previously-unreleased tracks and outtakes from the bulk of his career. Stewart has also mentioned plans for a compilation of covers of soul classics, the possible release of another edition of the Great American Songbook album and a country covers album.^[91]

On 14 November 2009, Stewart recorded a TV program in the UK for ITV that was screened on 5 December 2009. The music in the programme featured tracks from his new album and some old favourites. On 14 Jan 2010, Rhino records released Stewart's "Once in a Blue Moon" a "lost album" originally recorded in 1992, featuring ten cover songs including the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", Dylan's "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar" and Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back", as well as Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues." On 19 October 2010, Stewart released another edition of his Great American Songbook series titled "Fly Me to the Moon...The Great American Songbook Volume V" on J Records.

Stewart performed with Stevie Nicks on The Heart & Soul Tour. Starting 20 March 2011 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour visits arena concerts in North America – with performances in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa and Montreal confirmed.^[92]

Stewart headlined the Sunday show at the 2011 Hard Rock Calling Festival on 26 June at London's Hyde Park.^[93] Stewart signed on to a two year residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, commencing on 24 August.^[94][95] Performing his greatest hits, the residency also sees him perform selected tracks from his upcoming, untitled blues album.^[95]

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Stewart (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.^[96]

Personal life[link]

In May 2000, Stewart was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, for which he underwent surgery in the same month. It had been previously reported he suffered from a benign vocal cord nodule.^[97] Besides being a major health scare, the resulting surgery also threatened his famous voice, and he had to re-learn how to sing.^[98] Since then he has been active in raising funds for The City of Hope Foundation charity to find cures for all forms of cancer, especially those affecting children.^[97]

Stewart plays for his LA Exiles team made up of mostly English expatriates plus a few celebrities, including Billy Duffy of The Cult, in a senior soccer league in Palos Verdes, California,^[99] He still kicks footballs into the audience during concerts. He is a well-known supporter of Celtic F.C., which he mentions in his hit "You're in My Heart", and the Scotland national team. Stewart also follows Manchester United as his English side, and he explains his love affair with both Celtic and Man United in Frank Worrall's book Celtic United.^[100]

Stewart is a keen model railway enthusiast. His 23 x 124-foot HO scale layout in his Los Angeles home is modelled after the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroads during the 1940s. Called the Three Rivers City, the layout was featured in the cover story of the December 2007 and December 2010 issues of Model Railroader Magazine. In the 2007 article Stewart said that he would rather be in a model railroad magazine than a music magazine.^[101] He has a second layout at his UK home. That layout is based on Britain's East Coast Main Line. Stewart's home is located in Epping, Essex, on part of the Copped Hall estate ^[102]

A keen car enthusiast, Stewart owns one of the 400 Ferrari Enzos. In 1982, Stewart was car-jacked on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard, while he was parking his $50,000 Porsche.^[103] The car was subsequently recovered.

On 11 October 2005, Stewart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard (star number 2093). On 18 April and 19 April 2006 Stewart was the guest artist and celebrity vocal coach on American Idol, leading the remaining seven finalists in singing entries from the Great American Songbook.

In July 2007, Stewart collected his CBE for "services to music" at Buckingham Palace, commenting; "It's a marvellous occasion. We're the only country in the world to honour the common man."^[104] Stewart was estimated to have a fortune of £115 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2011, making him one of the 20 richest people in the British music industry.^[105]

Relationships and family[link]