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Rik Emmett

 
Artist: Rik Emmett
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Rik Emmett

Similar Artists:

Triumph

Followers:

John Petrucci

Worked With:

Ed Stone, G.L. Moore, Michael Levine
See Rik Emmett Lyrics
  • Active: '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Vocals, Guitar
  • Representative Albums: "20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rik Emmett," "Spiral Notebook," "Absolutely"

Biography

Best known as the guitarist (and often singer) of hard-edged prog rockers Triumph, Rik Emmett went on to launch his own solo career after leaving the group in the late '80s. Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1953, Emmett picked up the guitar just before his teenage years, and eventually studied a wide variety of styles -- classical, pop, jazz, and rock. After dropping out of college during the early '70s, Emmett pursued music full time, and he was a member of such obscure Canadian outfits as the glam-based Justin Paige and the more progressive Act III. By the middle of the decade, Emmett had joined forces with drummer/singer Gil Moore and bassist Mike Levine, which led to the formation of Triumph. Following in the footsteps of another Canadian trio, Rush, Emmett and company specialized in a prog rock meets heavy metal style, but Triumph also incorporated elements of arena rock (i.e., singalong anthems) into its sound. Several albums followed in the late '70s (1976's self-titled debut, 1977's Rock & Roll Machine, and 1979's Just a Game), while the group's over the top live show (heavy on intricate lighting/lasers) proved popular among headbangers in Canada and the United States. Triumph peaked commercially with such releases as 1980's Progressions of Power, 1981's Allied Forces, 1982's Never Surrender, and 1984's Thunder Seven, during which time Emmett's instrumental talents were often recognized, as his mug graced the cover of quite a few guitar publications. It was around this time that Emmett began writing his own monthly column in Guitar Player magazine (as well as the humorous "Rocktoons" for Hit Parader), and began a long association with the Yamaha guitar company. But a cool reception welcomed a pair of Triumph releases in 1985, Stages and The Sport of Kings. With interest in the group waning, Emmett departed Triumph in 1988, as he had become increasingly frustrated with the group's musical direction. Emmett was supposedly offered gigs in both Asia and Damn Yankees soon after, but opted instead to launch a solo career. Throughout the '90s, Emmett issued a wide variety of solo releases and toured regularly, including such titles as 1990's Absolutely, 1992's Ipso Facto, 1996's Spiral Notebook, 1997's Ten Invitations from the Mistress of Mr. E. and Swing Shift, plus 1999's Raw Quartet and The Spirit of Christmas (the latter a collaboration with keyboardist Sam Reid). Also during the late '90s, an archival live Triumph release featuring Emmett (from 1981) was issued, 1996's King Biscuit Flower Hour (In Concert). The early 21st century saw Emmett keep up his steady pace of issuing recordings and playing live shows, as such further releases as 2000's Live at Berklee, 2002's Handiwork and 2003's Good Faith were released, as was his very own edition of the 20th Century Masters - Millennium Collection series, The Best of Rik Emmett. Strung out Troubadours: Live at Hugh's Room with Dave Dunlop arrived in 2007. Additionally, the guitarist currently serves on the board of directors for the Songwriters Association of Canada, teaches a music career development course at Toronto's Humber College, and also oversees his own website, www.rikemmett.com. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Rik Emmett
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Rik Emmett

Rik Emmett at The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano.
Photo: Burns! 2002.
Background information
Birth name Richard Gordon Emmett
Born July 10, 1953 (1953-07-10) (age 56)
in Toronto, Ontario Canada
Genres Hard rock, rock, classical, flamenco, jazz, blues
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Guitar
Years active since 1975
Labels Charisma Records[1]
Associated acts Triumph, Strung-Out Troubadours
Website http://www.rikemmett.com/
Notable instruments
Yamaha Rik Emmett Signature model
Dean Rik Emmett Signature model V

Richard Gordon (Rik) Emmett (born July 10, 1953 in Toronto, Ontario) is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a massive hit across North America thanks to the smash hits "When a Heart Breaks" and "Saved by Love". He is also a writer for Guitar Player magazine and teaches songwriting and music business at Humber College in Toronto.

For a time during the 1980s, Rik Emmett also contributed cartoons satirizing the music industry to Hit Parader magazine.

Due to a production error in spelling his name correctly by Gil Moore and Mike Levine on Triumph's first album, Rick Emmett changed the spelling of his name to Rik rather than have the album recalled or cause confusion with fans.

Among his peers, Rik Emmett is widely considered to be one of the most proficient and versatile guitarists of all time.[2] Although he is best known as a premier rock guitarist, his playing style incorporates rock, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass and flamenco techniques. Similarly, his songwriting and discography demonstrate his ability to employ and blend multiple genres. In April 2005, Emmett was lauded with the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year.

He is also a skilled vocalist with a wide vocal range. He was the primary singer for most Triumph songs during his time with them, though drummer Gil Moore also wrote and sang many songs. However, most of the songs garnering radio play were Emmett's as he tended to write and sing in a more "commercial" style, while Moore's songwriting and singing were in more of a heavy metal style.

In 2007, Rik Emmett joined former Triumph bandmates Gil Moore and Mike Levine for their induction into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. And, on Sunday April 6, 2008 at The 2008 JUNO Awards, Triumph was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).

As of 2008 Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore have agreed to play a rock festival in Sweden in the summer under the Triumph moniker. The group has said that more dates will follow.

As a result of very positive audience response to their dual guitar work in Rik's live shows, Rik and fellow guitarist Dave Dunlop formed the mostly-acoustic duo Strung-Out Troubadours, with two albums so far. In 2007, Strung-Out Troubadours won "Album of the Year" and "Group/Duo of the Year" at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, where they were the most heavily-nominated act. Both Rik & Dave were also nominated for "Best Guitarist". Emmett and Dunlop are scheduled to release another Strung-Out Troubadours release in 2009 titled Push & Pull.

Contents

Discography

Singles

Year Song CAN
1990 "Big Lie" 47
"When a Heart Breaks" 14
1991 "Saved by Love" 17
"World of Wonder" 22
"The Way That You Love Me" 76
1992 "Bang On" 48
"Dig a Little Deeper" 66
1993 "Heaven in Your Heart" 44
1995 "Let Me be the One" 31

Albums

References

  1. ^ http://www.geocities.com//patmil007/juneee1423.JPG
  2. ^ Rik Emmett

External links

v • d • e
Triumph
Gil Moore • Mike Levine • Rik Emmett •
 Rick Santers • Phil Xenidis
Studio albums
Triumph (1976) • Rock and Roll Machine (1977) • Just a Game (1979) • Progressions of Power (1980) • Allied Forces (1981) • Never Surrender (1983) • Thunder Seven (1984) • The Sport of Kings (1986) • Surveillance (1987) • Edge of Excess (1993)
Compilations
Live albums
Videos and DVDs
Songs
"24 Hours a Day" (1976) • "Rock and Roll Machine" (1977) • "Hold On" (1979) • "Lay it on the Line" (1979) • "Allied Forces" (1981) • "Magic Power" (1981) • "Follow Your Heart" (1984)
Related articles
v • d • e
Rik Emmett
Rik Emmett • Dave Dunlop • Steve Skingley • Marty Anderson • Randy Cooke
Studio albums
Absolutely (1990) • Ipso Facto (1992) • The Spiral Notebook (1995) • Ten Invitations (1997) • Swing Shift (1997) • Raw Quartet (1999) • Handiwork (2002) • Good Faith (2003) • Strung Out Troubadours (2006) • Liberty Manifesto (2007)
Compilations
Best of Rik Emmett (2002) • The Spirit of Christmas (2007)
Live albums
Live at Berklee (1999) • Strung Out Troubadours (Live) (2007)
Related Articles
Discography • Members ·

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