Bryan Adams

"Heartland" rock hit its peak in the '80s, with John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Seger all scoring bigger hits than ever. But some of the era's most all-American-sounding chartbusters came from Ontario boy Bryan Adams. "Summer of '69" is the ultimate classic-rock anthem of lost youth, looking fondly in the rearview at an idyllic past full of front porches, drive-ins, and, of course, finger-shredding six-string sessions. "Cuts Like a Knife" comes with the most irresistible na-na-na chorus since "Hey Jude," managing to make gut-wrenching heartbreak somehow sound like a hell of a lot of fun. And as many power ballads as the '80s birthed, "Heaven" flies high above the rest, with Adams' raspy, Rod Stewart-like tenor wringing every drop of drama from its soaring melody and mile-wide power chords.

Adams flirts with pop divas and R&B queens, in Next Steps.

Sure, Bryan Adams could churn out riff-grinding classic-rockers with the best of them, but he's never been the kind for solitary confinement in a Stratocaster-sealed cage. "I Finally Found Someone" throws Adams into the deep end of string-soaked romantic balladry with no less impressive a duet partner than pop diva supreme Barbra Streisand. His preference for partnering with powerful women extends to the soulful side when he teams with R&B queen Tina Turner for the steamy, swaggering stomp of "It's Only Love." And Adams shows he's got no superstar ego by submerging his big, bold voice in the aqueous ambient textures of British electro-dance impresario Chicane's "Don't Give Up."

In Deep Cuts, uncover the full Adams story, from nice to naughty.

Over the decades, Bryan Adams has racked up dozens of Top 40 hits and gone platinum enough times to start his own jewelry store. But there's still a whole world waiting to be discovered just beyond his blockbusters. The Canuck rocker kicks up a Chuck Berry-charged ruckus on the seasonal slam-dunk "Run Rudolph Run." Adams proves he can hit just as hard with his amplifier on zero with the MTV Unplugged performance of "Back to You." And before you go pigeonholing him as a clean-cut pop idol, dig the down-and-dirty desire he lays out in no uncertain terms with "(I Wanna Be) Your Underwear."

Not many rockers have earned the kind of widespread cred Bryan Adams packs. Sting, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand — at one time or another they've all turned out to team up with Adams. Maybe it's because he's earned a worldwide rep for tackling pedal-to-the-metal rock 'n' roll and heart-on-a-sleeve, cry-in-your-Coors ballads with an equal amount of moxie. But for all his household-name star status, a big part of the reason people love Adams is that his inner average Joe is easy to see, even from the arena's nosebleed seats. From the sweaty, supercharged Strat attack of "Run to You" to the flamenco-flecked romance of "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?," we've racked up 45 good reasons to roll with Canada's tastiest export since back bacon.