Influential Animal Right Activists Bryan Adams Born: November 5, 1959 (age 62) Citizen: Kingston, Ontario, Canada Occupation: Singer | Musician | Song Writer | Composer | Photographer Genres: Rock | Pop Rock | Soft Rock | Arena Rock Instrument: Vocals | Guitar | Bass Who is he... Bryan Guy Adams OC OBC FRPS (born November 5, 1959) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and photographer. Sources state Adams has sold either more than 75 million or more than 100 million records and singles worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s and has had 25 top-15 singles in Canada and a dozen or more in each of the US, UK, and Australia. 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 tracks like "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. 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. Activism and Humanitarian work Most of Adams's philanthropic activity is through The Bryan Adams Foundation, which "aims 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". The foundation is mostly funded by Adams himself. Since the 1980s, Adams has participated in concerts and other activities to help raise money and awareness for a variety of causes. His first high-profile charity appearance came in 1985 when he opened the US transmission of Live Aid from Philadelphia.