Rik Emmett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rik Emmett
Rik Emmett plays at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. (Photo: Burns! 2002)
Background information
Birth name	Richard Gordon Emmett
Born	(1953-07-10) July 10, 1953 (age 72) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Rock hard rock progressive rock heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, synthesizer, piano, bass guitar
Years active	1975–present
Labels	MCA Universal Rockit Sounds Attic Duke Street Fontana North
Associated acts	Triumph Strung-Out Troubadours Pavlo Oscar Lopez

Richard Gordon Emmett, known as Rik Emmett, is a talented Canadian musician. He was born on July 10, 1953. Rik is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian hard rock band Triumph. He is also a successful solo artist.

Rik Emmett's Musical Journey

Starting with Act III and Triumph

In the mid-1970s, Rik Emmett was part of a progressive rock group called Act III in Toronto. He later left this group to join Triumph. This led to Act III breaking up. Rik has mentioned that a song he played with Act III, "The Blinding Light Show," was later recorded with Triumph.

Solo Career and Other Work

Rik Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to start his own solo music career. His first solo album, Absolutely, came out in 1990. It became quite popular in the United States and Canada. Some of the hit songs from that album included "When a Heart Breaks," "Big Lie," and "Saved by Love."

Besides making music, Rik is also a writer for Guitar Player magazine. He teaches songwriting and the music business at Humber College in Toronto. For a while in the 1980s, he even drew cartoons for Hit Parader magazine. These cartoons made fun of the music industry.

Why His Name is "Rik"

When Triumph's first album was being made, there was a small mistake. To avoid having to recall the album or confuse fans, Rik decided to change the spelling of his first name from "Rick" to "Rik."

His Unique Guitar Style and Voice

Rik Emmett is famous as a rock guitarist. However, his playing style is very diverse. He mixes rock, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, and flamenco techniques. This shows how skilled he is with the guitar. His songs also combine many different music styles. In April 2005, he won the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year.

Rik is also a great singer. He shared lead vocal duties in Triumph with Gil Moore. Many people have noticed that Rik's voice sounds a bit like Geddy Lee from the Canadian progressive rock band Rush. Because of this, Triumph's sound was sometimes compared to Rush.

Hall of Fame Inductions

In 2007, Rik Emmett joined his former Triumph bandmates, Gil Moore and Mike Levine. They were all inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. Then, on April 6, 2008, Triumph was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at The JUNO Awards. This was a big honor for the band.

Strung-Out Troubadours

Rik Emmett and guitarist Dave Dunlop formed a duo called Strung-Out Troubadours. They decided to do this because audiences really enjoyed their guitar playing together during live shows. In 2007, their duo won 'Album of the Year' and 'Group/Duo of the Year' at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. They were nominated for the most awards that year. Both Rik and Dave were also nominated for 'Best Guitarist.'

Recent Activities

Rik Emmett went on tour with Dave Dunlop in 2018. After that, he mentioned he was interested in taking a break from touring. As of January 2019, Rik has been on a break from touring. In 2024, Rik shared that he is dealing with some health challenges, including prostate cancer and arthritis in his hands.

Rik Emmett's Music Albums

Solo Albums

• Absolutely (1990)
• Ipso Facto (1992)
• The Spiral Notebook (1995)
• Ten Invitations from the Mistress of Mr. E. (1997)
• Swing Shift (1997)
• Raw Quartet (1999)
• Handiwork (2002)
• Good Faith (2003)
• Then Again: Acoustic Selections from the Triumph Catalogue (2012)
• Marco's Secret Songbook (2012)

Live Albums

• Rik Emmett LIVE at Berklee (2000)
• ‘’Live at Hugh’s Room’’ (2007)

DVDs

• One Night in Cinci (2005)
• Live at 10 Gigs (2005)

Albums with Triumph

• Triumph (1976)
• Rock & Roll Machine (1977)
• Just a Game (1979)
• Progressions of Power (1980)
• Allied Forces (1981)
• Never Surrender (1982)
• Thunder Seven (1984)
• The Sport of Kings (1986)
• Surveillance (1987)

Albums with Other Artists

• With Sam Reid: The Spirit of Christmas (1999)
• With Strung-Out Troubadours: Strung-Out Troubadours (2006), Push & Pull (2009), reCOVERy room 9 (2011)
• With Airtime: Liberty Manifesto (2007)
• With Pavlo and Oscar Lopez: Trifecta (2009)
• With RESolution9: RES9 (2016)

Solo Songs (Singles)

Songs in Movies

• "Saved by Love" was featured in the movie Problem Child 2 (1991).

See also

In Spanish: Rik Emmett para niños

• Pavlo
• Oscar Lopez