JIM BRICKMAN

Born: James Brickman; Cleveland, Ohio, 20 November 1961

Genre: New Age

Best-selling album since 1990: Picture This (1997)

Hit songs since 1990: "Valentine," "The Gift," "You"

Composer/performer Jim Brickman mines the taste for romance with his pop-influenced, sentimental piano instrumentals. His discerning use of guest vocalists helped propel him further into the world of pop music. After enjoying success as a composer of commercial jingles, Brickman's dogged determination, strong marketing acumen, and gift for creating melodies enabled his pop music success.

While growing up in Cleveland, Brickman began studying music early after his mother put him in piano lessons at the age of four. He showed a propensity for improvising pop songs early on and he later studied music at the Cleveland Institute of Music while taking classes in business at another nearby institution. After college, he formed Brickman Arrangements, which focused on creating music for advertising campaigns, known in the industry as "jingles." Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Brickman wrote music for a variety of national advertising accounts such as McDonalds, the Gap, AT&T, Miller beer, Revlon, and Standard Oil. Brickman eventually tired of the jingle business and cut some piano instrumentals, which he actively marketed to radio stations and record companies. Most were unreceptive but Brickman was undeterred. Finally, Windham Hill, a label known for producing a variety of instrumental artists such as George Winston and Yanni, offered Brickman a record contract.

His first release, No Words (1994), sold well, partly due to the mood-creating acoustic piano melodies and partly due to Brickman loading his car with No Words CDs and personally distributing them to radio stations all across the country. A single from the album, "Rocket to the Moon," was the first solo instrumental song to ever land on the adult contemporary music chart. He built on that success the following year by releasing By Heart: Piano Solos (1995), which surpassed most recordings in its genre by landing on the Billboard 200 chart. What ensued was a flurry of successful recordings starting with Picture This (1997), his most successful seller, and The Gift (1997), a Christmas album on which Kenny Loggins sings the title song.

Brickman stepped into the role of producer with Visions of Love (1998), a compilation of twelve songs written and performed by a variety of established artists such as Stephen Bishop, Janis Ian, and Peabo Bryson. Brickman composed one instrumental for the album and plays piano accompaniment on select songs.

Love Songs and Lullabies (2002), Brickman's ninth solo release since 1994, contains eight solo piano pieces mixed with four songs that feature guest vocal appearances from the group All-4-One and actress Jane Krakowski of television's Ally McBeal, who displays her ample singing skills on the ballad "You."

In addition to recording and keeping up with a 150-city touring schedule each year, Brickman hosts a three-hour weekly radio program, Your Weekend with Jim Brickman. The show features Brickman doing celebrity interviews and presenting music from the adult contemporary hit list. It airs on over 170 radio stations across the United States. He also collaborated with writer Cindy Pearlman on the self-help book, Simple Things (2001). The book focuses on how to gain appreciation for all that life offers in the face of today's hurried existence. It became a bestseller in its category.

From his productive days of writing advertising jingles, Brickman discovered how to create melodies that sell, an art he now applies to his catalog of romantic pop music.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

No Words (Windham Hill, 1994); By Heart: Piano Solos (Windham Hill, 1995); Picture This (Windham Hill, 1997); The Gift (Windham Hill, 1997); Visions of Love (Windham Hill, 1998); Destiny (Windham Hill, 1999); If You Believe (Windham Hill, 1999); My Romance (Windham Hill, 2000); Simple Things (Windham Hill, 2001); Love Songs and Lullabies (Windham Hill, 2002).

donald lowe