Rik Emmett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rik Emmett
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Rik Emmett plays at The Coach House in
San Juan Capistrano. (Photo: Burns! 2002) |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Gordon Emmett |
| Born | July 10, 1953 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| Instruments | Guitar, vocals, synthesizer, piano, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1975–present |
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Richard Gordon Emmett (born July 10, 1953) is a talented Canadian musician. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the hard rock band Triumph. Rik Emmett is also a successful solo artist and songwriter.
Contents
Rik Emmett's Music Career
Rik Emmett started his musical journey in the mid-1970s. He was part of a progressive rock group called Act III in Toronto. Later, he left Act III to join a new band called Triumph. This led to Act III breaking up. One song Rik performed with Act III, "The Blinding Light Show," was later recorded with Triumph.
Leaving Triumph and Solo Success
In 1988, Rik Emmett decided to leave Triumph. He wanted to start his own solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, came out in 1990. It became quite popular in both the United States and Canada. Some of the hit songs from this album were "When a Heart Breaks," "Big Lie," and "Saved by Love."
Rik Emmett is also a writer for Guitar Player magazine. He teaches music 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 business.
Why His Name is Spelled "Rik"
You might wonder why his first name is spelled "Rik" instead of "Rick." This happened because of a mistake on Triumph's first album. To avoid having to recall all the albums, Rik decided to change the spelling of his name. This way, fans would not get confused.
Rik Emmett's Guitar Style
Rik Emmett is famous as a rock guitarist. However, his guitar playing is much more than just rock. He mixes many different styles, including blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, and flamenco. His songs also show how he can blend many types of music. In 2005, he won an award for 'Guitarist of the Year' at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards.
Rik is also a great singer. He shared the lead singing duties in Triumph with Gil Moore. Some people say his 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. The next year, in 2008, Triumph was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. This happened at The JUNO Awards.
Strung-Out Troubadours
Rik Emmett also formed a duo with guitarist Dave Dunlop. They called themselves Strung-Out Troubadours. They played together often, and audiences really liked their guitar work. In 2007, this 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'.
Rik Emmett's 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)
Other Collaborations
- 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 Hit Songs
Rik Emmett has released several popular solo songs:
- "Big Lie" (1990)
- "When a Heart Breaks" (1990)
- "Saved by Love" (1991)
- "World of Wonder" (1991)
- "The Way That You Love Me" (1991)
- "Bang On" (1992)
- "Dig a Little Deeper" (1992)
- "Heaven in Your Heart" (1993)
- "Let Me be the One" (1995)
Movie Soundtracks
- "Saved by Love" was featured in the movie Problem Child 2 (1991).
See also
In Spanish: Rik Emmett para niños
- Pavlo
- Oscar Lopez
