Richard Gordon "Rik" Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and member of the Canadian rock band Triumph.
Career
He left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across the United States and Canada thanks to the hits "When a Heart Breaks" and "Saved by Love". He is also a writer for Guitar Player magazine and teaches songwriting and music business at Humber College in Toronto. For a time during the 1980s, Emmett contributed cartoons to Hit Parader magazine satirizing the music industry. Due to a production error by Gil Moore and Mike Levine on Triumph's first album, Emmett changed the spelling of his first name to "Rik" rather than have the album recalled or cause confusion with fans. Among his peers, Emmett is considered one of the most proficient and versatile guitarists. Although he is best known as a rock guitarist, his playing style incorporates rock, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, and flamenco techniques. Similarly, his songwriting and 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. He's also a proficient singer, splitting lead vocal duties of Triumph with Gil Moore. However, most of the songs garnering radio play were Emmett's as he tended to write and sing in a more commercial style, while Moore's songwriting and singing were in more of a heavy metal style. Emmett's voice also has a noticeable resemblance to Geddy Lee, leading to the band's sound itself often being compared to Rush. In 2007, Emmett joined former Triumph bandmates Gil Moore and Mike Levine for their induction into the Canadian Music IndustryHall of Fame. On Sunday April 6, 2008 at The 2008 JUNO Awards, Triumph was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. As a result of positive audience response to their dual guitar work in live shows, Emmett and guitarist Dave Dunlop formed the duo Strung-Out Troubadours. In 2007, Strung-Out Troubadours won Album of the Year and Group/Duo of the Year at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, where they were the most heavily nominated act. Both were also nominated for Best Guitarist. Emmett's 2018 tour with Dunlop may prove to be his last, citing an interest in retirement, or at least an extended break. As of January 2019, Emmett is on hiatus from touring.
