Bryan Adams

2010 Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Popular Music)

Singer/songwriter, photographer and social activist

As one of Canada's most successful recording artists, rock singer/songwriter Bryan Adams has through dedication, focus, and above all a deep and enduring love of his craft, established himself as a leading figure on the international popular music scene. With numerous awards and nominations and millions of album sales worldwide, he is also an accomplished photographer and is actively involved with many social and humanitarian causes.

Mr. Adams was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1959. His rise to fame began when his third album, Cuts Like a Knife, hit the Top 10 in 1983, and his 1984 release Reckless became the best-selling Canadian album of all time. His many hit songs include "Straight from the Heart," "Cuts Like a Knife," "Run to You," "Summer of '69," "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," and "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (1992 Grammy Award, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television). He released his eleventh album, 11, in 2007, and is currently touring internationally with his Bare Bones solo acoustic concert.

As a photographer, Mr. Adams has contributed to prestigious international magazines and published three books, with proceeds going to breast cancer research. His photograph of Queen Elizabeth II was used on a Canadian postage stamp issued in 2004 and 2005.

A tireless humanitarian, he supports numerous national and international causes, including cancer research, famine relief, and environmental and wildlife conservation. In 2006 he established The Bryan Adams Foundation, which finances a wide range of projects worldwide, particularly education and learning opportunities for children and young people.

Awards and honours include Officer of the Order of Canada (1998); Hollywood Walk of Fame (2010), Canadian Music Hall of Fame (2006), Canada's Walk of Fame (1998); Member of the Order of British Columbia (1990); 19 JUNO Awards, including most recently the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award; three Academy Award nominations for Best Song. In 2009 Bryan Adams was featured in a set of four postage stamps celebrating Canada's top recording artists (alongside fellow GGPAA recipients Édith Butler, Robert Charlebois, and Stompin' Tom Connors).