| Jim Brickman | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | November 20, 1961 |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Genres | Adult contemporary (soft), New Age |
| Occupations | Songwriter, Recording artist |
| Instruments | Piano, Vocals |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | BMG/Windham Hill (1994-2005) Savoy Label Group (2005-2008) Brickhouse Direct (2008-present) |
| Website | www.jimbrickman.com www.brickhousedirect.com |
Jim Brickman (born November 20, 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, Delta Goodrem, Misha Omar, 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. His CD entitled Faith has been nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.[3]
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.[4] 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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Brickman was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio and attended Shaker Heights High School. 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.[5] In 1980, Brickman founded his own advertising music company called The Brickman Arrangement,[6] writing commercial jingles for many companies across the country such as McDonalds, Pontiac, City of Cleveland, Ohio Lottery, and Isuzu.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9] This song charted on both country and AC stations with the album selling platinum.[10] 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.[11] He has produced several other Christmas-themed albums, Peace (2003), Christmas Romance (2006), Homecoming (2007), and The Hymns and Carols of Christmas (2008);[12] and his two albums Grace (2005) and Faith (2008) concentrate on arrangements of well-known Christian music.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15] 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".[16] The 2008 album, Faith, has been nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.[3]
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.[17]
In 2008 Brickman teamed up with American Greetings lending his music to some of their eCards.[18]
Jim Brickman has filmed and released the PBS specials, My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman,[19] Love Songs & Lullabies,[20] and The Disney Songbook.[21] In June 2009, Brickman came back to PBS with Beautiful World, which was filmed at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. Sharing the stage with Brickman was Jon Secada, Melinda Doolittle, Órla Fallon, Arthur Hanlon, David Klinkenberg, Mark Masri, plus Anne Cochran and Tracy Silverman.
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.[22] 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.[23]
In June 2009, Brickman switched syndicating companies from WestStar to Impact Radio Network (with assistance from Sun Radio Network) with more stations to be added.
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, traveling the Southern Caribbean in 2009, and in July 2010 sailed the coast of Alaska on the "Ultimate Cruise".
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]
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 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 | — | — | — | |
| The Hymns and Carols of Christmas | — | — | — | |
| Faith | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | Beautiful World | 89 | — | — |
| Joy | 185 | — | — | |
| 2010 | Home | — | — | — |
| Love | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | All is Calm | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that failed to chart, not released, or not certified | ||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AC | US Country | CAN AC | CAN Country | CAN | |||
| 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) | — | — | 16 | 15 | 42 | 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) | 1 | — | — | — | — | 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)B | 1 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | "Til I See You Again" (with Mark Schultz) | 21 | — | — | — | — | Greatest Hits |
| "My Love Is Here" (with Roch Voisine) | 21 | — | 9 | — | — | ||
| 2005 | "I'm Amazed" (with Lila McCann) | — | 59 | — | — | — | The Disney Songbook |
| "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 (When It Snows)" (with Geoff Byrd) | 3 | — | — | — | — | Escape |
| "Escape" (with Marc Antoine)C | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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) |
| "Beautiful World (We're All Here)" (with Adam Crossley) | 4 | — | 7 | — | 95 | Beautiful World | |
| 2011 | "Fa La La" (Olivia Jade Archbold) | 2 | — | — | — | — | Radio Version |
| "—" denotes releases that failed to chart or not released | |||||||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Valentine" (with Martina McBride)[25] | Alan Glazen, Ron Goldfarb, Ted Zbozion |
| "Your Love" (with Michelle Wright)[26] | David Safian | |
| "The Gift" (with Susan Ashton and Collin Raye)[27] | Norry Niven | |
| 2007 | "Never Alone" (with Lady Antebellum) | Glenn Sweitzer |
| "Coming Home for Christmas" (with Richie McDonald) |