Ryan Adams

The month is all but over with, so we end our month of Ryan Adams. I hope you've enjoyed the videos and such I've scattered throughout this blog the past month. Before we go I thought I'd leave everyone with a brief history of the aforementioned Mr. Adams. (I probably should have done that at the start of the month...oh, well - live and learn.)

Ryan was born on November 5, 1974 in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He was raised by his Mother and Grandmother. He dropped out of school at the age of 16, deciding that the life of a musician was what he wanted. After a short stint in some punk bands he formed Whiskeytown, after moving to Raleigh.

Whiskeytown was one of those early Americana groups that got a lot of press and was supposed to be the next big thing. They never quite graduated to the level of success so many anticipated for them. Ryan supposedly was not an easy person to work with, by the time of their last album together there was only one other original member left in the group, besides Ryan.

Ryan's first solo album was Heartbreaker in 2000. Since than he has released a total of 9 albums. Besides the releases albums there are a few unreleased albums that are supposed to be released later this year in a boxed set.

One thing that can be said about Ryan is that he is highly prolific. It's also been said against him. One of the most often heard complaints about Ryan is that he puts out too much material, that he needs to slow down and pick what he wants to release more carefully. I find this crazy. I like the fact that he is not afraid to release a lot of new material. Remember the days when the Beatles released some of the greatest albums in a span of just a few years? Or CCR? I'm glad to see an artist that doesn't take four years to release one album.

Recently Ryan has admitted to a long time drug abuse problem that he says he has ended. His last few albums have found Ryan using a regular band again, the Cardinals. Rumors are always floating around about a reunion with his former band Whiskeytown.

Ryan has said the reason he releases so much material is that he loves making music. I hope he continues to love it and releasing as much as he can.