1/17/2022
Performances and Artists
Multiplatinum pianist Jim Brickman admits his boyhood piano teacher didn’t show him a lot of love.
“My first teacher didn't appreciate the fact that I didn't like playing basic scales and beginner songs. I always wanted to play my own songs,” Brickman says, recalling how he begged his parents for lessons after becoming obsessed with his neighbor’s piano.
Fortunately, playing his own songs didn’t steer Brickman wrong. Especially love songs.
After three decades as a songwriter and recording artist, Brickman has earned two Grammy nominations and sold millions of albums worldwide with his original music.
He has also collaborated with megastars such as Martina McBride and Johnny Mathis — all in the process of bringing his gentle yet catchy instrumental music to mainstream audiences.
And to this day, he still feels especially drawn to writing and performing love songs, with many romantic hits like “Valentine,” “Love of My Life” and “Angel Eyes.”
“The music I write comes from a desire to make an emotional connection with people,” Brickman explains. “I want my music to heal, comfort and inspire people. There's not enough romantic music in the world these days.”
“I want the live shows to be an escape, for audiences to spend a couple of hours with me without thinking about the world outside the theater,” Brickman says. “I want people to laugh, to have tender moments and experience the joy of live music again.”
Creating Feelings Through Music
To reach his groundbreaking success, Brickman experienced a musical education unlike most artists.
Before becoming a solo performer, he wrote commercial jingles. This required creating tunes spanning country, rock, big band, classical and beyond.
“I had to be proficient in every musical genre,” Brickman remembers. “Because of this, I appreciate and can write in all styles.”
Most important, he learned to “create feelings” with melody, he adds, a talent reflected in the soothing hooks of his original songs.
He believes this emotional undertone gives his music its broad appeal.
That’s also likely why people play his music everywhere, he notes, including both weddings and funerals.
“My favorite story is the man who told me he listens to my music while he's out on the range riding on his John Deere tractor,” Brickman says. “Really, I never know how the music will affect people. I'm just glad they can relate.”
A Concert Of Romantic Hits
For his upcoming Smith Center concerts, Brickman promises to deliver romantic melodies befitting this time of year near Valentine’s Day.
He will also play his greatest hits, he adds, while sharing delightful stories of his life and career.
“If you are lucky enough to have hits, you should play them,” he says.
And there will likely be more hits to come.
Brickman invested much his time during the lockdown to writing and recording new songs, he says, in addition to performing virtual concerts that he plans to continue even post-pandemic.
Of course, he relishes the chance to connect with live audiences again, especially in his goal to bring a little more love to their lives.
“I love playing at (Myron’s) at The Smith Center. It's a perfect, intimate and beautiful setting for what I do,” Brickman says. “In this time in the world, for me, the performance needs to be all about positive and hopeful feelings, so that people leave the theater happy and glad they came.”
See The Shows