Bryan Guy Adams OC OBC FRPS (born November 5, 1959) is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million^[2] and more than 100 million records and singles worldwide.^[3][4][5] Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s^[6] and has had 25 top-15 singles in Canada and a dozen or more in each of the US, UK, and Australia.^[5]

Adams joined his first band at age 15, and at age 20 his eponymous debut album was released. He rose to fame in North America with the 1983 top ten album Cuts Like a Knife, featuring its title track and the ballad “Straight From the Heart“, his first US top ten hit. His 1984 Canadian and US number one album, Reckless (which became the first album by a Canadian to be certified diamond in Canada), made him a global star with six charting singles including “Run to You” and “Summer of ’69“, both top ten hits in the US and Canada, and the power ballad “Heaven“, a US number one hit.^[7] His 1987 album Into the Fire, with its US and Canadian top ten song, “Heat of the Night“, rose to number two in Canada and the top ten in the US and several other countries. In 1989, he ended the decade by co writing with fellow Canadian songwriter Jim Vallance and American songwriter Diane Warren “When the Night Comes”, played at the end credits of that year’s Tom Selleck starred crime drama, An Innocent Man.

In 1991, Adams released “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You“, which went to number one in at least 19 countries, including for 16 straight weeks in the UK.^[8] It is one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.^[9] The song was included on Adams’ Waking Up the Neighbours (1991), a worldwide number one album that sold 16 million copies, including being certified diamond in Canada.^[10] Another major hit off the album was the Canadian number one and US number two hit “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started“, which also went top ten in several other countries. Beginning in 1993, Adams’ hits were mostly ballads, including the worldwide number one or two hits “Please Forgive Me” (1993); “All for Love” (1993); and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” (1995), the latter two topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.^[11] Adam’s 1993 greatest hits compilation album, So Far So Good, topped the charts in numerous countries selling 13 million copies worldwide, including being certified 6× platinum in Canada, 5× platinum in the US, and 14× platinum in Australia.

In 1996, Adams’ 18 til I Die was a top five album in many countries, but only reached number 31 in the US. He did duets with Barbra Streisand (“I Finally Found Someone” (1996), his last US top ten hit) and Melanie C (“When You’re Gone” (1998), an international top five hit). In the 1990s, Adams had six European Radio Airplay number one songs for 32 weeks, the fourth and third most, respectively; and three number one songs on the European Sales Chart for 29 weeks total, the most weeks of any artist. Since 1999, Adams released eight albums, three reaching number one in Canada, and the last three reaching the top three in the UK, Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

In 2008, Adams was ranked 38th on the list of all-time top artists on the Billboard Hot 100.^[12] Adams has won 20 Juno Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television amongst 16 Grammy nominations, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and three Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.^[13] Adams has been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame,^[14][15] the Canadian Music Hall of Fame^[16] and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[4] On 1 May 2010, Adams received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.^[17]

Commodores, often called the Commodores, is an American funk and soul group. The group’s most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer.

The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for the Jackson 5 while on tour.

The band’s biggest hit singles are ballads such as “Easy“, “Three Times a Lady“, and “Nightshift“; and funk-influenced dance songs, including “Brick House“, “Fancy Dancer”, “Lady (You Bring Me Up)“, and “Too Hot ta Trot“.

Commodores were inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame.^[1][2] The band has also won one Grammy Award out of nine nominations. The Commodores have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.^[3][4]

History[edit]

Commodores were formed from two former student groups, the Mystics and the Jays. Richie described some members of the Mystics as “jazz buffs”.^[5] The new six-man band featured Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics, and Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams from the Jays. To choose their name, William King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. “We lucked in,” he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People magazine. “We almost became ‘The Commodes.'”^[6]

The bandmembers attended Tuskegee University in Alabama.^[7] After winning the university’s annual freshman talent contest, they played at fraternity parties as well as a weekend gig at the Black Forest Inn, one of a few clubs in Tuskegee that catered to college students. They performed cover tunes and some original songs with their first singer, James Ingram (not the famous solo artist).^[7] Ingram, older than the rest of the band, left to serve in Vietnam, and was later replaced by drummer Walter “Clyde” Orange, who wrote or co-wrote many of their hits.^[7] Lionel Richie and Orange alternated as lead singers. Orange was the lead singer on the Top 10 hits “Brick House” (1977) and “Nightshift” (1985).

The early band was managed by Benny Ashburn,^[7] who brought them to his family’s vacation lodge on Martha’s Vineyard in 1971 and 1972. There, Ashburn test-marketed the group by having them play in parking lots and summer festivals.

“Machine Gun” (1974), the instrumental title track from the band’s debut album,^[7] became a staple at American sporting events,^[8] and is also heard in many films, including Boogie Nights and Looking for Mr. Goodbar.^[9] It reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Another 1974 song “I Feel Sanctified” has been called a “prototype” of Wild Cherry’s 1976 big hit “Play That Funky Music”.^[10] Three albums released in 1975 and 1976, Caught in the Act was funk album, but Movin’ On and Hot on the Tracks were pop albums. After those recordings the group developed the mellower sound hinted at in their 1976 top-ten hits, “Sweet Love” and “Just to Be Close to You“.^[7] In 1977, the Commodores released “Easy“, which became the group’s biggest hit yet, reaching No. 4 in the US, followed by funky single “Brick House”, also top 5, both from their album Commodores, as was “Zoom”.^[7] The group reached No. 1 in 1978 with “Three Times a Lady“.^[7] In 1979, the Commodores scored another top-five ballad, “Sail On”, before reaching the top of the charts once again with another ballad, “Still“.^[7] In 1981 they released two top-ten hits with “Oh No” (No. 4) and their first upbeat single in almost five years, “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” (No. 8).^[7]

Commodores made a brief appearance in the 1978 film, Thank God It’s Friday. They performed the song “Too Hot ta Trot” during the dance contest; the songs “Brick House” and “Easy” were also played in the movie

In 1982, Lionel Richie left to pursue a solo career,^[7] and Skyler Jett replaced him as co-lead singer. Also in 1982, their manager Benjamin Ashburn died of a heart attack at the age of 54.^[11]

Band performance in Florida during the 1990s

Founding member McClary left in 1984 (shortly after Richie) to pursue a solo career,^[7] and to develop a gospel music company. McClary was replaced by guitarist-vocalist Sheldon Reynolds. Then LaPread left in 1986 and moved to Auckland, New Zealand. Reynolds departed for Earth, Wind & Fire in 1987, which prompted trumpeter William “WAK” King to take over primary guitar duties for live performances. Keyboardist Milan Williams exited the band in 1989 after allegedly refusing to tour South Africa.^[12][13]

The group gradually abandoned its funk roots and moved into the more commercial pop arena.^[7] In 1984, former Heatwave singer James Dean “J.D.” Nicholas assumed co-lead vocal duties with drummer Walter Orange.^[7] That line-up was hitless until 1985 when their final Motown album Nightshift, produced by Dennis Lambert (prior albums were produced by James Anthony Carmichael), delivered the title track “Nightshift“, a loving tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, both of whom had died the previous year.^[7] “Nightshift” hit no. 3 in the US and won the Commodores their first Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals in 1985.

In 2010 a new version was recorded, dedicated to Michael Jackson.^[14] The Commodores were on a European tour performing at Wembley Arena, London, on June 25, 2009, when they walked off the stage after they were told that Michael Jackson had died. Initially the band thought it was a hoax. However, back in their dressing rooms they received confirmation and broke down in tears. The next night at Birmingham‘s NIA Arena, J.D. Nicholas added Jackson’s name to the lyrics of the song, and henceforth the Commodores have mentioned Jackson and other deceased R&B singers. Thus came the inspiration upon the one-year anniversary of Jackson’s death to re-record, with new lyrics, the hit song “Nightshift” as a tribute.

In 1990, they formed Commodores Records and re-recorded their 20 greatest hits as Commodores Hits Vol. I & II. They have recorded a live album, Commodores Live, along with a DVD of the same name, and a Christmas album titled Commodores Christmas. In 2012, the band was working on new material, with some contributions written by current and former members.

Commodores as of 2020 consist of Walter “Clyde” Orange, James Dean “J.D.” Nicholas, and William “WAK” King, along with their five-piece band The Mean Machine. They continue to perform, playing at arenas, theaters, and festivals around the world.