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Bryan Adams formed his first solo touring band in the fall of 1981 to promote his second solo album, You Want It You Got It. The initial lineup featured lead guitarist Keith Scott, bassist Dave Reimer, keyboardist John Hannah and drummer Jimmy Wesley. The band's current incarnation includes constant member Scott alongside drummer Pat Steward (who first joined in 1984), keyboardist Gary Breit (since 2002) and bassist Solomon Walker (since 2018).

History

Adams formed his first solo touring band in the fall of 1981 to promote his second album, You Want It You Got It. The initial lineup featured lead guitarist Keith Scott, bassist Dave Reimer, keyboardist John Hannah and drummer Jimmy Wesley, although Reimer was replaced early on by Dave Taylor. The band toured throughout the first half of 1982, after which Adams recorded his third album Cuts Like a Knife; Scott and Taylor were featured on the album and the subsequent tour, with Hannah returning but Wesley replaced by Frankie LaRocka. Reckless followed in 1984, with the album's touring band featuring Pat Steward in place of LaRocka. The same lineup remained through shows in 1986, including the Conspiracy of Hope benefit concerts. After the release of Into the Fire in early 1987, Adams' studio drummer Mickey Curry finally joined his live band, having recently left Hall & Oates. Partway through the tour, keyboardist Tommy Mandel — another frequent studio collaborator of Adams' — took over from Hannah in the touring lineup.

The lineup of Scott, Taylor, Mandel and Curry remained stable for several years as Adams' backing band both in the studio and at live shows. After the release of 18 til I Die in 1996, Adams expanded his touring band to a six-piece with the addition of percussionist Danny Cummings. After an acoustic tour and the release of On a Day Like Today, Adams' band was reduced to a three-piece consisting of himself, Scott and Curry. This remained the case until 2002, when Norm Fisher took over on bass and Gary Breit joined on keyboards. Fisher remained until March 2016, when he was forced to step back to take care of his father. He was replaced by Phil Thornalley for the remainder of the tour. Since the 2018 Ultimate Tour, bass has been handled by Solomon Walker.

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Keith Scott	1981–present	lead guitar backing vocals	all Bryan Adams releases from Cuts Like a Knife (1983) onwards, except Bare Bones (2010), Live at Sydney Opera House (2013), Classic and Classic Pt. II (2022)
	Pat Steward	1984–1986 2021–present	drums backing vocals	Reckless (1984) 11 (2008) Shine a Light (2019) So Happy It Hurts (2022) Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2023) Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024 (2024)
	Gary Breit	2002–present	keyboards backing vocals	all Bryan Adams releases from Room Service (2004) to Tracks of My Years (2014) Shine a Light (2019) Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2023) Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024 (2024)
	Solomon Walker	2018–present	bass backing vocals	Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2023) Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024 (2024)

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	John "Blitz" Hannah	1981–1988	keyboards backing vocals	none
	Jimmy Wesley	1981–1982	drums backing vocals	Cuts Like a Knife (1983) – backing vocals on one track only
	Dave Reimer	1981	bass backing vocals	none
	Dave Taylor	1981–1998		all Bryan Adams releases from Cuts Like a Knife (1983) to On a Day Like Today (1998) Wembley 1996 Live (2016)
	Frankie LaRocka	1983–1984 (died 2005)	drums backing vocals	none
	Tommy Mandel	1981–1998	keyboards backing vocals	all Bryan Adams releases from You Want It You Got It (1981) to Waking Up the Neighbours (1991) Unplugged (1997) Wembley 1996 Live (2016)
	Mickey Curry	1987–2021	drums backing vocals	all Bryan Adams releases from You Want It You Got It (1981) to 11 (2008) Tracks of My Years (2014) Wembley 1996 Live (2016) Shine a Light (2019)
	Danny Cummings	1996–1998	percussion backing vocals	Unplugged (1997) On a Day Like Today (1998) Wembley 1996 Live (2016)
	Norm Fisher	2002–2016	bass backing vocals	Room Service (2004) Live in Lisbon (2005) 11 (2008)
	Phil Thornalley	2016–2017		On a Day Like Today (1998) Room Service (2004) Get Up (2015) Shine a Light (2019)

Timeline

Lineups

References

1. Mills, Kathryn (July 1982). "Bryan Adams" (PDF). Canadian Musician. Vol. 4, no. 4. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Norris Publications. pp. 64, 66. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
2. ^ "Adams, Bryan". The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
3. Devlin, Mike (September 8, 2023). "Former Islander keeps pace with rocker Bryan Adams; sold-out concert on Saturday in Victoria". Times Colonist. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
4. "Bryan Adams live at Giants Stadium, Jun 15, 1986". Wolfgang's. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
5. "Mickey Curry". Modern Drummer. October 19, 2005. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
6. "Album review: Bryan Adams – Wembley 1996 Live". Get Ready to Rock!. July 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
7. "International News" (PDF). Pollstar. August 16, 1999. p. 17. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
8. "BRYAN ADAMS – Ottawa Celebrates 30th Anniversary of "Reckless"". The Music Express. February 24, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
9. "Bryan Adams Facebook Post on March 13, 2016". Facebook. March 13, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
10. "Bryan Adams Praises Belfast's 'Incredible Enthusiasm': "No matter where I've played it's never been bettered"". eonmusic. May 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
11. Bowen, Mike (June 1, 2018). "Rock legend Bryan Adams wows Bowen at the O2". Look at Bowen. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

External links

• Bryan Adams official website

• Bryan Adams
• Lists of members by band