I can't remember the exact date of my first paying job as a musician, but it was sometime in 1965. I was 13 years old. My band -- which consisted of me and some guys from school -- had been hired to play for a "teen dance" at the Community Centre, located upstairs at the skating rink in the small town of Vanderhoof, British Columbia.

It wasn't the first time I'd performed in front of an audience (our band had previously played several noon-hour concerts at school), but it was the first time I'd actually been paid to perform for an audience!

We were paid $2.50 each. Not exactly a king's ransom, but it opened up a world of possibilities. I mean, imagine being paid for doing something you love!

This was a significant moment, a "career highlight", even if my "career" at that point was only a few months old.

I can't remember the exact date of my first paying job as a musician, but it was sometime in 1965. I was 13 years old. My band -- which consisted of me and some guys from school -- had been hired to play for a "teen dance" at the Community Centre, located upstairs at the skating rink in the small town of Vanderhoof, British Columbia.

It wasn't the first time I'd performed in front of an audience (our band had previously played several noon-hour concerts at school), but it was the first time I'd actually been paid to perform for an audience!

We were paid $2.50 each. Not exactly a king's ransom, but it opened up a world of possibilities. I mean, imagine being paid for doing something you love!

This was a significant moment, a "career highlight", even if my "career" at that point was only a few months old.

	Jeff Lynne, Jim Vallance, Bryan Adams

Fast-forward 50+ years, by which time I've had the privilege of working with some of the best singers and musicians in the business: Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Heart, Joe Cocker, etc. Amazing, all of them. But nothing can top the experience of working with Jeff Lynne and Steve Jay on Bryan's "Get Up!" album.

Unusual for a Bryan Adams album, the "band" on Get Up consisted of Bryan (guitar and vocals), me (guitar, backing vocals and percussion), Steve Jay (percussion, audio engineering) and Jeff Lynne (production, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and backing vocals). Most of the album was recorded at Jeff's home studio, with additional recording at my house, Bryan's house, and a variety hotel rooms around the world.