Sunday night’s JUNO Awards in Ottawa are being co-hosted by Bryan Adams, the 57-year-old singer-songwriter behind such hits as “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” and “Summer of ’69.”
Adams stepped in after Michael Bublé — with whom he shares a manager — backed out of the gig to focus on caring for his son Noah, who was diagnosed with cancer last year.
Adams will co-host the show on CTV with Canadian comedian Russell Peters.
How well do you know Bryan Adams? Here’s some stuff about him you can use to impress your friends and loved ones on JUNOs night:
• Adams has won 18 JUNO Awards during his career (from 56 nominations). His first win was as Male Vocalist of the Year in 1983. Along the way he has also won an American Music Award, a Grammy, and an MTV Video Music Award. Adams also earned five Golden Globe nominations and three Oscar nominations.
MORE: JUNOs bring stars to Ottawa this weekend
• Adams was born in Kingston, Ont. but moved around a lot as a child — Portugal, Austria, Israel — thanks to his father Conrad’s roles in the Canadian Armed Forces and as a diplomat. Hosting the JUNOs in Ottawa this year is somewhat of a homecoming, though. Adams lived in the nation’s capital for several years as a youth.
• Adams currently lives in London, England.
• In the 1980s, Ottawa’s Colonel By Secondary School recognized Adams, a former student, with a mural outside the school’s art department.
• In his late teens, Adams sang in Vancouver bar bands and worked as a background vocalist for studio sessions.
• Adams’ self-titled debut album was released in 1980. He has since released a dozen more studio albums — the most recent was 2015’s Get Up — as well as five live albums and five compilations.
• Adams’ biggest success came with the 1984 release of Reckless, which spawned massive hits like “Run To You,” “Somebody,” “Heaven,” “Summer of ’69” and “One Night Love Affair.” The album, which was recorded in Vancouver and co-written with Jim Vallance, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.
• Ironically, Adams’ song “Reckless” was not included on the album Reckless. Instead, it was recorded in 1985 by Canadian rock band Loverboy, who changed the title to “Dangerous.”
• Adams holds the record for having a song at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the longest consecutive number of weeks. His 1991 hit “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” topped the charts for a whopping 16 weeks. The record was almost beaten by Adams' fellow Canadian, Drake, whose “One Dance” fell from No. 1 after 15 weeks.
• This JUNO weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the release Into The Fire, the follow-up to Adams’ phenomenally successful album Reckless. At the 1987 JUNO Awards, held in November and hosted by Howie Mandel, Adams was named Male Vocalist of the Year.
• Adams has recorded duets with Tina Turner (“It’s Only Love”), Rod Stewart and Sting (“All for Love”), Barbra Streisand (“I Finally Found Someone”), Bonnie Raitt (“Rock Steady”), and Melanie C (“When You’re Gone”). He has also contributed his voice to tracks by Chicane (“Don’t Give Up”) and fellow Canadian Michael Bublé (“After All”).
• In 2005, Adams recorded a new version of his 1998 hit “When You’re Gone” with Pamela Anderson doing the Melanie C parts. It was released on his Anthology collection.
• Adams’ voice is heard on “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone),” the 1986 debut hit from Canadian band Glass Tiger.
• Adams has co-written songs recorded by acts like Blue Öyster Cult, Kiss, Joe Cocker, April Wine, Mötley Crüe, Ted Nugent, and Neil Diamond. He also co-wrote Celine Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love,” the title track of her 1987 album.
• Adams, who was only 9 years old in the summer of 1969, has said that his 1995 hit “Summer of ’69” was intended to be about nostalgia — and sex. The song, which ends with Adams ad-libbing “me and my baby in a 69,” was originally titled “Best Days of my Life.”
• Adams is very private about his personal life but we know he has two daughters — ages 4 and almost 6 — with Alicia Grimaldi, co-founder of his foundation.
• Adams is an acclaimed and accomplished photographer whose work has been exhibited all over the world and published in some of the biggest publications. He has also published four books of his photography. Adams has shot images for ad campaigns by major brands like Hugo Boss, Montblanc and Converse, and his 2002 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was used on stamps issued by Canada Post.
• Pee-Wee Herman appears in the video for Adams’ 1985 release “Reggae Christmas.” The song contains the lyrics: “Christmas is nice in Germany / if you like being up to your knees in snow / It’s just as cold up in Canada / We gotta find another place to go.” Ouch.
• He may not love Canadian winters, but Canada loves Bryan Adams! He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and was inducted onto Canada’s Walk of Fame and Music Hall of Fame. He also has a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
• Jimmy Vallance, the son of Adams’ longtime songwriting partner Jim Vallance, is one-half of Bob Moses, whose Days Gone By has a JUNO nomination this year in the Electronic Album of the Year category.
• After his self-titled album failed to get much attention, Adams wanted to name his 1981 follow-up Bryan Adams Hasn't Heard Of You Either. The record company decided to go with You Want It, You Got It instead.
• At 1985’s Live Aid in Philadelphia, Adams was introduced by actor Jack Nicholson and performed in front of 100,000 people and a worldwide TV audience. "If it wasn't for the clips that are now out there, I'd have virtually no recollection of it,” Adams told Rolling Stone in 2015.
• Adams founded The Bryan Adams Foundation in 2006, which is registered in the UK, “to improve the quality of people’s lives around the world by providing financial grants to support specific projects that are committed to bettering the lives of other people.”
• An outspoken animal rights advocate, Adams has been a vegan since the late-‘80s. At the 2006 JUNO Awards, hosted by his fellow PETA supporter Pamela Anderson, presenter Jann Arden joked: ”My bra is entirely made of seal eyelids.”
• In 1985, Adams released the song “Diana,” which he wrote about Lady Diana’s decision to marry Prince Charles. “The day that he married you I nearly lost my mind / Diana, whatcha you doing with a guy like him?” he sings. “He might have lots of dough but I know he ain't right for you / ‘Cause I've watched you smile and shakin' hands when you do your social scene / You wouldn't have to do that if you came and lived with me.” He stopped performed the song following Diana’s death in 1997.
• Bryan Adams shares a birthday (Nov. 5) with singer Ryan Adams. The latter claims that he emails birthday greetings to Bryan every year on their birthday. Ryan has even covered Bryan on stage:
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