Jim Brickman
(born 1961) is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, [1] with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists such as Michael W. Smith, Martina McBride, Donny Osmond, Olivia Newton-John, Lady Antebellum, and others. [2] He earned a Grammy nomination in 2003, SESAC "Songwriter of the Year" award, Canadian Country Music Award for "Best Vocal/ Instrumental Collaboration", and a Dove Award presented by the Gospel Music Association.
Since 1997, he has hosted his own radio show called Your Weekend with Jim Brickman
, which is carried on radio stations throughout the United States. [3] Brickman has also released three PBS specials, and hosts an annual fan cruise. He is founder of Brickhouse Direct, a company that provides strategic marketing and e-commerce solutions for clients in a variety of industries.
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History
Early years
Brickman was born and raised in
Cleveland, Ohio. He began playing piano at the age of five. Later he studied composition and performance at the
Cleveland Institute of Music while taking business classes at
Case Western Reserve University.
[4] In 1980, Brickman founded his own advertising music company called The Brickman Arrangements,
[5] writing commercial jingles for many companies across the country such as
McDonalds,
Pontiac, City of Cleveland, Ohio Lottery, and
Isuzu.
[6]
Musical career
Brickman signed to
Windham Hill Records in 1994 and released his first album,
No Words
, featuring the song, "Rocket to the Moon", which became his first solo instrumental to be ranked on the
Billboard
charts.
[7] The songs "Angel Eyes" and "If You Believe" gained radio airplay from Brickman's second release,
By Heart
, on the Windham Hill label in 1995. The following year, the CD's title tune, "By Heart", became his first top 20
adult contemporary (AC) hit. In 1997 Brickman released the album,
Picture This
, adding a vocal performance, "Valentine", sung by
Martina McBride.
[8] This song charted on both
country and AC stations with the album selling
platinum.
[9] By the end of the year, Brickman issued the first of many Christmas CDs,
The Gift
, with the title song featuring
Collin Raye and
Susan Ashton, topping three different charts for which Brickman received a
Dove Award from the
Gospel Music Association.
[10] He has produced several other Christmas-themed albums,
Peace
(2003),
Christmas Romance
(2006),
Homecoming
(2007), and
The Hymns and Carols of Christmas
(2008);
[11] and his two albums
Grace
(2005) and
Faith
(2008) concentrate on arrangements of well-known Christian music.
[12]
During his career,
Valentine
went platinum selling over one million records and four others have sold over 500,000 copies;
By Heart
(1995),
Picture This
(1997),
The Gift
(1997), and
Destiny
(1999), qualifying them as gold records in the United States.
[13] In November 2005, three of Brickman's albums,
The Disney Songbook
(2004),
Grace
(2005), and
Greatest Hits
(2004), held the top three spots on Billboard's
new age chart.
[14] He also received a
Grammy nomination in 2003, an
SESAC "Songwriter of the Year" award, and a
Canadian Country Music Award for "Best Vocal/Instrumental Collaboration".
[15]
Brickman writes a variety of music. Besides his piano compositions and love songs, he has also created arrangements of existing songs and several of his albums feature arrangements of children's music. He has collaborated with artists from all genres with songs like "Love of My Life" with
Michael W. Smith, "You" with
Jane Krakowski, "Never Alone" with country group
Lady Antebellum, "After All These Years" with
Anne Cochran, "Never Far Away" with christian contemporary group
Rush of Fools, among others.
His music is sometimes classified in the
new age genre, although the diversity of his music makes Brickman skeptical of this classification.
[16]
In 2008 Brickman teamed up with
American Greetings lending his music to some of their eCards.
[17]
PBS specials
Jim Brickman has filmed and released the
PBS specials,
My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman
,
[18] Love Songs & Lullabies
,
[19] and
The Disney Songbook
.
[20] In June 2009, Brickman will come back to PBS with
Beautiful World
, being filmed at the
Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. Sharing the stage will be
Jon Secada,
Melinda Doolittle,
Órla Fallon,
Arthur Hanlon, David Klinkenberg, Mark Masri, plus
Anne Cochran and
Tracy Silverman.
Radio show
Making its debut in January 1997,
Your Weekend with Jim Brickman
is a three-hour radio show that has been heard across the US featuring adult contemporary music blended with celebrity interviews, lifestyle features, and entertainment reports.
[21] Brickman is also joined by entertainment reporter Kym Douglas who is the Fashion and Beauty contributor for
The Ellen Show and the lifestyle expert for
Good Day L.A. [22]
In June 2009, Brickman will switch syndicating companies from
WestStar to Impact Radio Network with more stations to be added.
Annual fan cruise
Since 2006, Brickman has been joined at sea with his fans for a week of activities including Q&A with Jim Brickman, concerts at sea, and "Brick-aoke" where fans sing Brickman songs. In 2006 and 2007, Brickman and fans set sail to the Eastern Caribbean, followed by a cruise to the Mexican Riviera in 2008, and traveling the Southern Caribbean in 2009. In July 2010, a cruise is scheduled to Alaska on "The Ultimate Cruise" leaving out of Seattle, WA.
[23]
Brickhouse Direct
Brickman founded Brickhouse Direct (BHD) in 2003, a company that provides strategic marketing and e-commerce solutions for clients in a variety of industries. Brickhouse Direct has done work for a wide range of clients over the years including
Universal Music,
Concord Music Group,
Carly Simon,
Michael W. Smith,
Amy Grant,
Sandi Patty,
Casey Kasem,
Dave Koz,
Chris Sligh, Lenz Entertainment,
Anita Renfroe and many others.
[24]
Discography
Albums
Year
| Album
| Chart Positions
| RIAA
|
Billboard 200
| CAN Country
|
1994
| No Words
| —
| —
| —
|
1995
| By Heart
| 187
| —
| Gold
|
1997
| Picture This
| 30
| —
| Gold
|
The Gift
| 48
| 19
| Gold
|
1998
| Visions of Love
| 170
| —
| —
|
1999
| Destiny
| 42
| —
| Gold
|
2000
| My Romance
| 75
| —
| —
|
2001
| Simple Things
| 54
| —
| —
|
2002
| Love Songs and Lullabies
| 73
| —
| —
|
2003
| Peace
| 87
| —
| —
|
2004
| Greatest Hits
| 134
| —
| —
|
2005
| Grace
| 88
| —
| —
|
The Disney Songbook
| 142
| —
| —
|
2006
| Escape
| 105
| —
| —
|
Christmas Romance
| —
| —
| —
|
2007
| Homecoming
| 96
| —
| —
|
Hope
| —
| —
| —
|
2008
| Valentine
| —
| —
| —
|
Unspoken
| —
| —
| —
|
Ultimate Love Songs
| —
| —
| —
|
"—" denotes releases that failed to chart, not released, or not certified
|
Singles
Year
| Single
| Peak chart positions
| Album
|
US AC
| US Country
| CAN AC
| CAN Country
|
1996
| "By Heart"
| 16
| —
| —
| —
| By Heart: Piano Solos
|
"Hero's Dream"
| 24
| —
| —
| —
| Picture This
|
1997
| "Valentine" (with Martina McBride)A
| 3
| 68
| 16
| —
|
"Picture This"
| 23
| —
| —
| —
|
"Your Love" (with Michelle Wright)B
| —
| —
| 16
| 15
| Visions of Love
|
"The Gift" (with Collin Raye and Susan Ashton)
| 3
| 51
| —
| 52
| The Gift
/ Visions of Love
|
1998
| "After All These Years" (with Anne Cochran)
| 8
| —
| 18
| —
| Visions of Love
|
"Valentine" (with Martina McBride; re-release)A
| —
| 9
| —
| 14
| Evolution
(Martina McBride album)
|
1999
| "Love of My Life" (with Michael W. Smith)
| 9
| —
| —
| —
| Destiny
|
"Destiny" (with Jordan Hill and Billy Porter)
| 10
| —
| 10
| —
|
"Your Love" (with Michelle Wright; re-release)
| 19
| 74
| —
| —
| Visions of Love
|
2000
| "The Love I Found in You" (with Dave Koz)
| 15
| —
| 84
| —
| My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman
|
2001
| "Simple Things" (with Rebecca Lynn Howard)
| 13
| —
| —
| —
| Simple Things
|
2002
| "A Mother's Day"
| 18
| —
| —
| —
|
"You" (with Jane Krakowski)
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| Love Songs and Lullabies
|
2003
| "Peace (Where the Heart Is)" (with Collin Raye and Susan Ashton)
| 15
| —
| —
| —
| Peace
|
"Sending You a Little Christmas" (with Kristy Starling)C
| 1
| —
| —
| —
|
2004
| "Til I See You Again"
| 21
| —
| —
| —
| Greatest Hits
|
"My Love Is Here" (with Roch Voisine)
| 21
| —
| —
| —
|
2005
| "I'm Amazed" (with Lila McCann)
| —
| 59
| —
| —
| single only
|
"You" (with Tara MacLean)
| 32
| —
| —
| —
| Love Songs and Lullabies
|
"Hear Me (Water into Wine)" (with Michael Bolton)
| 20
| —
| —
| —
| Grace
|
"Beautiful" (with Wayne Brady)
| 2
| —
| —
| —
| The Disney Songbook
|
2006
| "Hideaway" (with Geoff Byrd)
| 3
| —
| —
| —
| Escape
|
"Escape" (with Marc Antoine)D
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2007
| "Never Alone" (with Lady Antebellum)
| 14
| —
| —
| —
|
"Coming Home for Christmas" (with Richie McDonald)
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| Homecoming
|
2009
| "Never Far Away" (with Rush of Fools)
| 11
| —
| —
| —
| Wonder of the World
(Rush of Fools album)
|
"—" denotes releases that failed to chart or not released
|
- A "Valentine" was originally only released to Adult Contemporary, but charted on the country charts as an album cut. It was remixed and released to country radio the following year. It also peaked at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- B "Your Love" also peaked at #42 on the RPM
Top Singles chart.
- C "Sending You a Little Christmas" also peaked at #15 on Hot Christian Songs.
- D "Escape" peaked at #17 on Hot Contemporary Jazz Songs.
References
- Foste’s Daily Democrat
- Ultimate Disney Interview with Jim Brickman
- Around Hawaii
- Cleveland Woman
- Company profile at Manta.com
- CNN Saturday Morning News
- The Tennessee Tribune
- North County Times
- Jim Brickman CDs
- Jim brickman’s "The Hymns And Carols Of Christmas"
- All Music Guide (Review)
- All Music Guide - Review
- A Secrets Music Review
- Foste’s Daily Democrat
- Jim Brickman
- PBG Lifestyle Magazine
- American Greetings E-cards
- East Valley Tribune
- The Topeka Capital-Hournal
- The Disney Songbook DVD Review
- Jim Brickman Radio Show
- Kym Douglas
- Annual Fan Cruise
- Brickhouse Direct