Rik Emmett

U

ntil 1988 Richard Gordon "Rik" Emmett (born July 10, 1953; vocals/guitar) was a member of the Canadian band Triumph. After leaving that operation he would pursue a solo career.

His first solo album, Absolutely (1990) would become a moderate hit across the United States and Canada thanks to tracks like When a Heart Breaks and Saved by Love. He would also become a writer for guitar Player magazine and teach song-writing and music business classes at Humber College in Toronto. For a time during the 1980s, Emmett also contributed cartoons to Hit Parader magazine satirizing the music industry.

His stage name "Rik" evolved from a production error on Triumph's first album whereby his name was misspelled; instead of having the album withdrawn, Emmett chose to change the spelling of his first name.

Although he is best known as a rock guitarist, his playing style incorporates rock, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, and flamenco techniques. Similarly, his discography demonstrate his ability to employ and blend multiple genres. In April 2005, he won the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for guitarist of the Year.

Emmett became a proficient singer, splitting lead vocal duties of Triumph with Gil Moore. Most of the songs garnering radio play were those of Emmett as he tended to write and sing in a more commercial style, while Moore preferred a heavy metal style. Emmett's voice also boasts a resemblance to that of Geddy Lee (of Rush).