Feature Photo: Courtesy of Jim Vallance
Classic rock fans who grew up in the 1980s and loved to read liner notes will recognize the name Jim Vallance. I guarantee you know his songs if you don’t recognize the name. The Award-winning Canadian songwriter first made a name for himself in the music business with his songwriting partner Bryan Adams. The two teamed up at a very young age and began working together in a songwriting partnership that would eventually catapult Bryan Adams to rock stardom. Jim Vallance co-wrote many of Bryan Adams’ biggest hits, including songs such as “Cut’s Like A Knife, “Run To You,” “Summer Of 69,” and so many more. However, while Jim Vallance enjoyed tremendous success with Bryan Adams, the man became the go-to songwriter for many other rock and roll artists.
Throughout his career, Jim Vallance has written songs for Aerosmith, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Heart, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Joan Jett and so many more. At times, his talent for writing hit songs fueled by memorable melodies, riffs, and lyrics helped bands like Aerosmith, Heart, and others resurrect their careers. When Quincy Jones had completed work on “We Are The World,” a song performed by many of the most popular U.S. artists at the time, the legendary producer turned to Jim Vallance to compose a song for Canadian artists to also sing for famine relief. The song entitled “Tears Are Not Enough,” which was also co-written by David Foster, Bryan Adams, Rachel Paiement, Paul Hyde, and Bob Rock, would appear on the We Are The World album.
Jim Vallance was born in the city of Chilliwack, which is a province of British Columbia, Canada. At a young age, he became an original member of the Canadian rock band Prism. Jim Vallance soon discovered that the touring life was not for him. Jim left the band after only one album but continued to write songs for the group. While the touring life may not have been his cup of tea, the art of songwriting most definitely was. His love of music and desire to make a living as a songwriter were fueled by a determination to accept no alternative. After many years of struggle in the music business, his work ethic and determination paid off when Jim and his songwriting partner Bryan Adams finally broke into the big time with Bryan Adams Cuts Like a Knife album in 1983. From that point on Jm Vallance has celebrated a very successful career in the music business still going strong in the present day.
In the opening segment of my interview with Jim Vallance, we talk about our shared love of New York City and all it has to offer while looking back at the city’s history over the past twenty years. The interview continues with Jim’s origins as a young songwriter that segues into what it was like writing songs with Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, and many others. The section on Aerosmith is a must-view as Jim dives deep into the songwriting process of some of the band’s biggest hits. Jim’s presentation of what it was like working with Jeff Lynne is also a must-listen for any classic rock fan.
After spending an hour with Jim Vallance, it was easy to see why he has been such a successful songwriting partner for many. He is incredibly friendly, instantly making one feel at ease in conversation. We think you will enjoy our interview with the extraordinarily talented Jim Vallance. If you would like to learn more about his career and discography, we recommend you look at his website link below, where he offers a personal rundown on all his musical projects.
Jims’ website link below
Jim Vallance: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain creative commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.
