Ryan Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ryan Adams
Adams in 2015
Background information
Birth name	David Ryan Adams
Born	(1974-11-05) November 5, 1974 (age 50) Jacksonville, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Rock alternative country folk rock indie rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano banjo bass guitar harmonica percussion
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Bloodshot Lost Highway PAX AM Blue Note Capitol

David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American rock and country singer and songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums. He also released three albums as a member of the band Whiskeytown.

In 2000, Adams started his solo career. He released his first solo album, Heartbreaker. Critics really liked this album. The next year, he became more famous with his album Gold. This album included the song "New York, New York". Around this time, Adams worked on many songs that were later put together into his third album, Demolition (2002).

Adams worked very fast. He released the rock-influenced album Rock N Roll in 2003. His record label, Lost Highway, first said no to another album he planned, Love Is Hell. So, Love Is Hell was released as two smaller albums (EPs) and then as a full album in 2004.

After he hurt his wrist during a show, Ryan Adams took a break. He then formed a band called The Cardinals. They played with him on his next four albums. In 2009, Adams stopped playing with The Cardinals and took a break from music. This was because of a health issue called Ménière's disease. However, he came back to music in 2010. He released his 13th album, Ashes & Fire. Adams kept making music and released his 14th album, Ryan Adams in 2014.

In 2015, Adams got a lot of attention for his album 1989. This album was his own version of Taylor Swift's album of the same name. Adams released six more albums between 2020 and 2022. Besides his own music, Adams has also helped produce albums for other artists. These include Willie Nelson, Jesse Malin, Jenny Lewis, and Fall Out Boy. He has also worked with many other musicians like Counting Crows and Norah Jones. He has written two books: Infinity Blues, which is a book of poems, and Hello Sunshine, which has poems and short stories.

Early life

David Ryan Adams was born on November 5, 1974, in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He is the middle child of three. He has an older brother and a younger sister. When he was five, he and his family moved in with his grandparents. He has said that his grandparents were very important to him. He said his grandmother was like a mother to him.

When he was 8, Adams started writing short stories and poems on his grandmother's typewriter. He said he was very interested in writers like Edgar Allan Poe when he was young. Later, as a teenager, he enjoyed reading books by authors like Jack Kerouac. At 14, Adams started learning to play an electric guitar. His mother and stepfather bought it for him. Soon after, he joined a local band called Blank Label. They recorded a short record in 1991 before breaking up.

Adams left Jacksonville High School when he was 16. He then moved into a house with a bandmate. Around this time, he played with several local bands. One of the most notable was The Patty Duke Syndrome. After getting his GED, Adams moved to Raleigh. The Patty Duke Syndrome broke up in 1994.

Career

Whiskeytown

After his high school band broke up, Adams helped start Whiskeytown. Other members included Caitlin Cary and Phil Wandscher. In Whiskeytown, Adams started playing alt-country music. He said that punk rock was "too hard to sing." Whiskeytown was inspired by country-rock artists like Gram Parsons. The band quickly became popular after releasing their second album, Strangers Almanac. This was their first album released by a major record label. A third album, Pneumonia, was finished in 1999. However, problems with the record label delayed its release. It was finally released in 2001, but by then the band had mostly stopped playing together.

Solo career (2000–2004)

Adams released his first solo album, Heartbreaker, in 2000. Emmylou Harris sang backup on one of the songs. Other musicians like Gillian Welch also helped. Adams's music style became more like folk music. The album was very popular with critics, but it did not sell many copies at first.

Adams released Gold in 2001. This album was also well-received. Adams did not want to promote the album through radio station visits. Instead, he wanted to record more music and play live shows. A music video was made for the album's first song, "New York, New York". The video showed Adams performing in front of the New York City skyline. This was four days before the September 11 attacks. The video was played often on MTV and VH1 after the attacks. This helped Adams become known to more people.

After Gold was successful, Adams's record label stopped him from releasing his next chosen album in 2002. Instead, the label picked songs from three of Adams's unreleased albums. They created Demolition, which came out in September 2002. This album got him more attention from critics. However, it did not sell as well as Gold. In the same year, Adams produced Jesse Malin's first album. He also worked with Malin to form a punk-rock group called The Finger. He also appeared in a Gap advertisement with Willie Nelson.

In May 2002, Adams joined Elton John on CMT Crossroads. This show brings together country artists with musicians from other types of music. During the show, John called Adams "fabulous." He said that Heartbreaker inspired him to record his album Songs from the West Coast. This was his most successful album in several years at that time.

In 2002 and 2003, Adams worked on recording Love Is Hell. He planned to release it in 2003. Lost Highway Records thought it would not sell well and did not want to release it. So, Adams went back to the studio. Two weeks later, he returned with Rock n Roll. This album featured guest musicians like Melissa Auf der Maur and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Adams's song "In My Time of Need" was included on Joan Baez's 2003 album.

Also in 2003, Adams formed a punk band called The Finger. This fun project allowed Adams and Jesse Malin to go back to their punk music roots. Adams and Lost Highway Records finally agreed. The label would release Rock N Roll and Love Is Hell. But Love Is Hell had to be split into two smaller albums (EPs). Rock N Roll and Love Is Hell, Pt. 1 came out in November 2003. Love Is Hell, Pt. 2 followed in December. Both albums were liked by critics. In May 2004, Love Is Hell was released as a full album.

Love Is Hell included a cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall". Adams had played this song live before. Noel Gallagher from Oasis said he loved Adams's version. The song earned Adams a Grammy Award nomination.

In January 2004, Adams broke his wrist during a show in Liverpool. He fell off the stage into the orchestra pit. Because of his injury, some of his concert dates had to be canceled.

Adams was also featured on the album True Love by Toots and the Maytals. This album won a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album. Many famous musicians played on it, including Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton.

The Cardinals (2005–2009)

Adams live with The Cardinals in November 2008

In 2005, Adams teamed up with his band The Cardinals. They released two albums: Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights. Cold Roses was a double album. His second album of the year, Jacksonville City Nights, included a song with Norah Jones. Besides these two albums with The Cardinals, Adams also released a solo album called 29 later that year.

Adams also played at a concert to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina in New York City. Three of Adams's songs were used in the movie Elizabethtown.

Adams became friends with Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead. They performed together several times. Lesh's live shows in 2006 included some of Adams's songs.

In early 2006, Adams went on a solo tour in the United Kingdom. He then toured the United States with The Cardinals. This included a show at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Adams and The Cardinals then toured Europe.

Adams produced Willie Nelson's album Songbird. He and The Cardinals played as Nelson's backing band on the album. It was released in October 2006. Adams also opened for Nelson at the Hollywood Bowl. In late 2006, Adams tried out hip hop music. He added many new recordings to his website under different names.

Adams released his ninth album, Easy Tiger, on June 26, 2007. This album included many songs he had played during his 2006 tours.

On October 23, 2007, Adams released Follow the Lights. This was a smaller album (EP) with three new songs. It also had live versions of older songs and a cover of Alice in Chains' "Down In A Hole". In 2007, Adams helped write a song for Australian singer Krista Polvere. He also played guitar and piano on her album.

A new album with The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released on October 28, 2008. Adams also said he planned to release a book called Infinity Blues.

On January 14, 2009, Ryan Adams announced he was leaving The Cardinals. Their last show was on March 20, 2009. Adams said he was having hearing problems because of Ménière's disease. He also felt tired of the music business and how the media and audiences behaved. He also said he was working on two new books. The second book, Hello Sunshine, was released in the fall of 2009.

After The Cardinals (2009)

In May 2009, drummer Brad Pemberton said that everyone in the band was a bit tired. He said it was a good time to take a break. He encouraged Ryan to get married and have a peaceful life. Pemberton said that he and Ryan are good friends and will likely work together again someday.

The Cardinals, without Adams, recorded with Gin Wigmore for her first album. Adams said a reunion with The Cardinals would not be right after their bassist, Chris Feinstein, passed away.

In August 2009, Adams started posting on a fan website. He talked about a possible Whiskeytown reunion and new songs. He also mentioned releasing his many unreleased albums. In August, Adams also started writing for a blog called The Awl. In September 2009, Adams shared a new song online called "Happy Birthday". He also started releasing songs from his new record label, PAX AM.

The Cardinals' guitarist, Neal Casal, released a photo-book in February 2010. It showed his time with the band.

PAX AM and return to music (2010–2013)

In March 2010, Adams announced a new metal-influenced album called Orion. It was released on his PAX AM label. Orion was only released on vinyl on May 18, 2010. Adams also said he had finished two unreleased albums, Blackhole and Cardinals III/IV. He was also recording new albums in New York City and Los Angeles.

On October 29, 2010, Adams played his first live show since leaving The Cardinals in March 2009. He was backed by a band called "The Ryan Adams Band." They played three new songs. His wife, Mandy Moore, joined them for one song.

In November 2010, Adams announced the release of Cardinals III/IV. This was his twelfth studio album. It was recorded in 2006. This album was his fifth with The Cardinals. It was released on December 14, 2010, through PAX AM.

In 2011, Adams announced a European tour. He also said he was working on a new album with producer Glyn Johns.

On April 21, 2011, Adams was a surprise opening act for an Emmylou Harris show in Los Angeles. He played several new songs. He also sang "Oh My Sweet Carolina" with Emmylou Harris.

On June 16, 2011, Ryan hinted on Twitter that his album Blackhole might be released around Christmas.

In September 2011, Ryan shared details about his first solo album since leaving The Cardinals. It was called Ashes & Fire. He also talked about possibly releasing a third book, Phoenix.

In early 2012, Ryan was nominated for a Brit Award for Best International Male Artist. On June 18, 2012, Adams released a live box set called Live After Deaf. This set showed his return to live performances. His album Ashes & Fire was nominated for a Grammy Award.

On April 21, 2013, Adams released an EP called 7 Minutes in Heaven. This was with his new punk rock band. In July 2013, Adams worked as a producer for the rock band Fall Out Boy. This resulted in Fall Out Boy's PAX AM Days EP. On March 19, 2013, Ryan played a live show with a full band for the first time since The Cardinals broke up. He played new songs from a coming album.

Self-titled album, 1989 and Prisoner (2014–2018)

On July 1, 2014, it was announced that a self-titled album, Ryan Adams, would be released on September 9, 2014. Adams also released a smaller album (EP) called 1984. He announced tour dates through mid-October 2014. He played several new songs from the self-titled album at festivals in July 2014. On September 9, 2014, the album Ryan Adams was released.

Adams also announced a project called the "PAX AM Single Series." He planned to release a new song every month. The first release, the 1984 EP, came out in August 2014. Adams said it was a tribute to early punk and indie record labels. In 2014 and 2015, Adams continued to release digital songs. These often sold out quickly online.

On December 5, 2014, "Gimme Something Good" from the Ryan Adams album was nominated for a Grammy Award.

On August 5, 2015, Adams announced on Instagram that he would cover Taylor Swift's 2014 album 1989. He shared clips of his versions of Swift's songs. Adams's 1989 was released on September 21, 2015. It reached No. 7 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Adams said in October 2016 that he would not cover another full album again.

On December 6, 2016, Ryan Adams announced a new album, Prisoner. It was released on February 17, 2017. The first song from the album, "Do You Still Love Me?", came out on December 7, 2016. The second song, "To Be Without You", was released on December 23, 2016.

In 2018, Adams released a single song called "Baby I Love You".

Recent albums (2019–present)

In January 2019, Adams said he planned to release three albums that year. The first, Big Colors, was planned for April 19. The second, Wednesdays, did not have a release date yet. The release of all three albums was delayed. On December 11, 2020, Adams surprisingly released Wednesdays. This album included "I'm Sorry and I Love You." A music video for this song was uploaded on December 15, 2020. The video description said Wednesdays was the first of three albums, including Big Colors and Chris.

On April 23, 2021, Adams surprisingly released "Do Not Disturb." This was the first song from the updated Big Colors album. The album was released on June 11, 2021, with a different list of songs than first announced.

On March 2, 2022, Adams announced his first concert since a newspaper article was published. It sold out quickly. More concerts were announced later. On March 25, Adams released Chris. This was the final album in the trilogy. He then released four more albums: Romeo & Juliet on April 25, FM on July 22, Devolver on September 23, and Nebraska on December 7. Nebraska was a cover of the Bruce Springsteen album. Devolver was given away for free. He announced more shows for 2022 and a return to the U.K. in April 2023. On December 26, 2022, Adams released a cover of the Bob Dylan album Blood on the Tracks. On April 14, 2023, he released a cover of the Oasis album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?.

On January 1, 2024, Adams surprisingly released four more studio albums: Sword & Stone, Star Sign, Heatwave and 1985. He also released a live version of Prisoner.

Personal life

Relationships and health

Adams was engaged to singer-songwriter Leona Naess, but they broke up in 2003. From 2003 to 2005, Adams dated actress Parker Posey. In 2008, Adams started dating singer and actress Mandy Moore. They got engaged in February 2009 and married on March 10, 2009. On January 23, 2015, Adams and Moore announced they were separating. Their divorce was finalized in June 2016.

Adams has Ménière's disease and tinnitus. These are conditions that affect his hearing. At his concerts, a note is sometimes put on seats in the first few rows. It asks people not to use flash photos or autofocus lights when taking pictures. This is to help protect Adams's hearing. Adams has also talked about experiencing health challenges related to his mood.

Recognition

Adams is known for writing many songs. His singing style is like a country rocker. However, he played punk rock earlier in his career. Adams has often tried different types of music. But for most of his career, his music has been alternative rock. He is also one of the few artists from the alt-country music scene to become widely successful.

Many artists have praised his music style and energy. These include Frank Turner, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Norah Jones, and Noel Gallagher. American author Stephen King is a fan of Adams. In 2007, King said that Adams might be the best North American singer-songwriter since Neil Young.

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Ryan Adams para niños