Winner of 3 JUNO Awards, 10 nominations
Bruce Fairbairn never liked to blow his own horn, even when he was blowing his own horn.
A classically-trained trumpet player who loved the late ’60s brassy pop of Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago, the Vancouver native rarely turned down the invitation to jam. But it was his soft-spoken, polite and unobtrusive mannerisms in the studio that brought Bruce Fairbairn fame, fortune and respect, producing blockbuster albums for Loverboy, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Cranberries that literally rocketed their careers to new stratospheres.Unlike some overseers who trumpet their contributions, Fairbairn instead let his reputation speak volumes: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, 20 million copies sold; the Aerosmith trilogy of Permanent Vacation, Pump and Get A Grip, along with the greatest hits compilation Big Ones, 30 million sold’ the Loverboy library of Loverboy, Get Lucky, Keep it Up, Lovin’ Every Minute Of It and Wildside, 15 million sold.Whether it was AC/DC or the Cranberries, KISS of his one-time band Prism, Fairbairn always made the music the priority.
“He was a reall good arbitrator,” Loverboy gutarist Paul Dean told the Vancouver Sun. “He knew exactly what to say to get everybody working together.” Added lifelong friend and Prism partner Jim Vallance: “He did what a producer is suppose to do, which is provide the vision and guide the project. Aerosmith knew that. Bon Jovi knew it. And that’s why they kept coming back to Bruce.”
Although Bruce earned the respect of his music industry peers, we sometimes forget the lasting impact his input has had on so many of our lives. Thousands of us have gleefully shouted along to the words “Shot through the heart, And you’re to blame, you give love a bad name!”- the wonderful acapella intro to Bon Jovi’s You Give Love A Bad Name! How many of us have strummed air guitars to the funky strut of Aerosmith’s naughty Love In An Elevator or pumped the car stereo’s volume on a Friday night up to eleven when Loverboys Working For The Weekend signaled it was time to party?
Which is why the sense of emptiness and loss was so deeply felt when this gifted man suddenly and tragically passed away at home last May, at the too-young age of 49. And it is why the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences rallied to honour and pay tribute to Mr. Fairbairn by inducting him into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame this year: he left a legacy that will long be remembered.
Although he loved music, his professional life revolving around the bands he played with and the studios where we worked, there was a well-roundness to Bruce Fairbairn because of his family life. He was devoted to his wife Julie and his sons Scott, Kevin and Brent, and continually ensured that studio time was balanced by family and community commitments. “He’s the only guy I know in this business who managed to meld an incredibly rich and fulfilling family life with a fulfilling career,” says Bruce Allen, longtime friend and manager.And perhaps that’s the most fitting tribute of all to Bruce Fairbairn’s integrity.
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