Ryan Adams: Artist Profile
A Look at the Singer of 'New York, New York' and 'Wonderwall'
Ryan Adams is an American alt-country singer/songwriter from Jacksonville, Carolina, born on November 5, 1974. He is primarily known as an alt-country singer, though his musical career also includes rock and roll. In 1994 he formed Whiskeytown, and released two albums, including the critically acclaimed ‘Stranger’s Almanac’, before the band parted ways in 1999. Adams and other members of the band have publicly spoken of a possible reunion, but anything concrete has yet to materialise.
Ryan Adams as a Solo Artist
After Whiskeytown, Adams released his first solo record, ‘Heartbreaker’. Bob Dylan's influence can be heard in the first track from the album. The infectious 'To be Young' echoes Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'. The high level of praise from the press in reaction to the record was not matched by commercial sales.
Nevertheless, Adams continued to release material at an alarming rate. ‘Gold’ quickly followed in 2001, Adams first real attempt to break into the mainstream. The album earned him two Grammy award nominations.‘New York, New York’, the first single to be taken from the record became a mainstay of music channels after 9/11, where Adams emphatically sings “I still love you New York”. “When the Stars Go Blue” has been covered by Tim McGraw, Bono and the Corrs, among others.
Since Gold, Adams has released five solo albums and three with his backing band, ‘The Cardinals’. He is often known for his cover of the Oasis song ‘Wonderwall’ which was featured on the 2005 double album, ‘Love is Hell’. Noel Gallagher has called Adams’ version “amazing” and it reportedly convinced him to record his own song again, in the style of the Adams version. 2005 saw the release of three full length studio albums, all written by Adams; ‘Jacksonville City Nights’, ‘Cold Roses’ and ‘29’.
His most recent LP, ‘Easy Tiger’, often seen as the spiritual successor to ‘Heartbreaker’, was released in 2007. It has been his most commercially successful record to date, which 'Time' magazine described as "a career breakthrough". Throughout his career, the singer has worked with some remarkable artists including Emmylou Harris, Billie Joe Armstrong of Greenday, Norah Jones, and Willie Nelson. The latter for whom, Adams produced the album ‘Songbird’ in 2006.
Adams’ in Concert
The singer has garnered a reputation for being unpredictable whilst performing live. Despite whatever album he is on tour with, it is not uncommon for Adams to play lesser known songs throughout, or to ignore his major hits altogether.
There have also been tales of concerts where Adams has been so riled by crowd members that he has left the stage or argued across the room with individuals from the crowd. The singer was reportedly so infuriated by a crowd member’s request for ‘Summer of ‘69’, the Bryan Adams song, that he requested that person leave the concert. According to ‘Spin’ magazine, the incident “paralyzed” him as a performer.
In an interview with the magazine, the musician was asked, “Do you hate the kind of people that love your music?” He replied, “Yeah, they're all a bunch of ****ing cocks. They come to my shows just to provoke me. I had to go into therapy because of the whole Bryan Adams “Summer of ‘69” thing”. Despite his difficulties onstage he remains a magnificent performer, where his audience can often be so mesmerized as to be completely silent. Referring to his current tour, Variety stated that the singer is "probably giving the best performances of his career".
A Rock and Roll Icon
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why Ryan Adams has not become the musical superstar that he was predicted to be, although it has often been said that his frosty relationship with the press is behind it. Yet the American singer remains one of the hardest working artists in music. If he is not in the studio, he is usually touring relentlessly. He continues to sell out venues wherever he plays.
For some he is the greatest recording artist of his generation, which is high praise, considering his peers include the likes of Damien Rice and John Mayer. He is an anomaly in the modern music industry, from the phenomenal rate at which he records new music, to the range of musical styles he has mastered, to his unpredictable, often erratic performances on stage. Fans really don’t know what is coming next with Ryan Adams, which is a refreshingly rare thing in a musical age where artists tend to find a winning, or rather, a ‘selling’ formula, and stick to it throughout their career.
Ryan Adams
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