Back To Your Roots: The Bryan Adams Interview

Back To Your Roots is a content series where we look at the early careers of some of this year’s Piece Hall artists – the days they spent developing their talent in the smaller, independent venues that remain so essential to our music scene.

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The name ‘Bryan Adams’ was already well known before his 1991 smash Everything I Do I Do It For You.

He released a succession of albums through the 80s, each steadily growing in popularity. His fourth, Reckless, boasting hit single Summer of 69, topped album charts around the world. But afterwards – after that track from the Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves film topped the UK singles charts for a record 16 weeks (at a time when such things meant the world)… Well, the name ‘Bryan Adams’ went stratospheric. Household. Ubiquitous.

His releases since have continued to sell in good numbers too. The latest, 2022’s So Happy It Hurts, is an ashamedly upbeat burst of energy, wrapped in nostalgic riffs and warm acoustic touches. Bryan extended his multi-instrumentalist capabilities for the album, having spent much of lockdown up-skilling on the drums and piano. (And perfecting his lesser-known skill – photography).

Bryan will be playing songs from the new album, as well as old classics, on his latest tour. He is taking in a number of high-profile open-air shows, with the Piece Hall the culmination of a packed UK schedule. Before then, he will be appearing in Cork, Margate, Plymouth, Northwich, Llangollen, Thetford and Dalby Forest. Bryan is then set for an extensive run of European dates – see his website for more details.

Ahead of his busy itinerary, we spoke to Bryan about his early career, taking him back to his roots.

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Where was the first gig you played?

Bryan: “At the Zodiac Cabaret, New Westminster, Canada. I was only 15, playing in a nightclub with a band called Shock. I had to be escorted to the stage by the club bouncers. When the set ended, I had to be escorted back to a room behind the stage. That happened once, then the bouncers got bored and didn’t do it again.”

When did you first realise you had something special going on – musically, creatively?

Bryan: “My dream was always to be the guitarist in a band. Every audition I went for as a guitarist, I failed. But every audition I went for as a singer, I got. So I stuck to the singer concept.”

What was the best thing about those early days?

Bryan: “The best thing, by far, was meeting [songwriting partner] Jim Vallance in a music store. It was a completely serendipitous meeting that changed both of our lives, because the music we wrote paid our rent.”

Did you have any early crisis points early on, when you nearly packed it all in?

Bryan: “Only leaving a different band when I was 16. They hadn’t paid me so I quit. The manager chased me around the hotel room threatening me that I’d never sing again.”

What was the weirdest venue you played?

Bryan: “It has to be one we did in Denmark. It had an alternating strip show between the band’s set. The band would play, then the strippers would come on, then the band would do another set. It alternated like that until the crowd didn’t want to hear the band anymore.”

What was the smallest crowd you played to?

Bryan: “My first concert in London. It was at the Dominion Theatre. There were maybe 10 people there. I’ll not forget it because Maureen Starkey, Ringo’s ex wife, was one of the people that came. To my knowledge she never came back.”

If you had your time again, would you do anything differently?

Bryan: “Of course, but you can’t go back and change anything. There are certain people I would definitely have avoided.”

Could you offer one piece of advice to aspiring young artists?

Bryan: “Don’t sign it!”