Since fresh-faced, gritty-voiced Canadian songwriter Bryan Adams [ tickets ] first dispatched a few demo tapes to A&M Records and signed his first recording contract for $1 in 1978, he has sold in excess of 65 million records, including hits such as "Summer of '69," "Straight From the Heart" and "Cuts Like a Knife," as well as the Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated and Grammy-winning "(Everything I Do) I Do for You."

At 49, Adams will continue playing out the sentiment of that monster hit in concert halls across North America in the coming weeks. In an interview with LiveDaily, Adams said he'll be flying solo--armed with just a harp and guitar--crooning more sparse versions of his many classics, as well as material from his latest project, simply titled "11."

And truth be told, he won't exactly be singing alone all night.

"Every night I bring somebody up on stage from the audience," Adams said. "Because I have a theory that everyone can sing, and I prove it night after night. You don't have to any have vocal lessons; you can just come up and go for it."

Adams said occasionally he'll even get someone who understands harmony.

"But no matter what, it's always a hoot to have someone come up. They're excited, and everyone is excited to see what's gonna happen. And you know what? Some nights it's so good the audience thinks it's someone we've planted, but it never is."

When Adams debuted his newest album, he said he kicked off a similar tour as a publicity stunt, playing 11 cities in 11 European countries over just 11 days. And flying completely solo was new to him.

"Whenever I wanted, I always had a band to fall back on," Adams said. "But in this case, it's really different. It's gonna be all acoustic--just me and my guitar and my harmonica. That's something I had never done before."

One of the new tunes on "11" entitled "Walk on By" sounds like it could serve as anyone's anthem for change, although Adams delivers the vocals with a knowingness that seems to spring from something familiar to him.

"It's kind of like advice for a friend, isn't it? I like the idea about someone leaving home. You can point yourself in a direction but in the end you're on your own," Adams said. "Perhaps it's a little autobiographical, although it's more directed towards a woman."

Adams also tapped into the talents of DJ Nick Bracegirdle, who did a compelling dance remix on "She's Got A Way."

"If you listen to the album version of it, it's quite different; it was a rock song on the original album. But there's something about it that lends itself towards something different, so I asked Nick to remix it."

Music has always been a means to an end when it comes to Bryan Adams' charity work. Many fans became aware of the performer's commitment to worthy worldwide causes when he opened the American segment of the original Live Aid in 1985.

But Adams said long before he ever fancied himself a musician, his upbringing exposed him to the kind of suffering he has railed against worldwide since he was a very young man.

"I traveled around the world with my parents way before I started thinking about music. And I've seen abject poverty all over the world face-to-face," Adams said. "And I was committed to doing something about it."

Adams said Live Aid co-founder Bob Geldof called on Adams long before the global concert and awareness-raising movement was even conceived.

"Geldof called me way, way before the [Live Aid] show was put together to feel me out. He used to be a journalist in Vancouver [for] The Georgia Straight. And when he called me I said I'd be happy to do it. He told me all about putting the show together and what he was feeling about world hunger, and I said, 'Count me in.'

"Then I didn't hear anything more about it," Adams recalled. "And a year later, he calls me up and says, 'We're gonna do it, I need ya,' and I said, 'I'll be there.'"

Over the years, Adams has developed a talent for photography, which he also had a chance to use to help benefit important cancer research programs at Sloan-Kettering Hospital.

"It's not like I didn't have enough to play with, but for some reason I just fell into doing it," he said. "I had done some portraits for friends, and then I started doing portraits for a magazine which ended up getting me more work. And here we are 10 years later, and it's turned into something I spend quite a lot of time doing."

Adams said a similar referral got his work in front of Calvin Klein in 2003, which got him working on an intensive year-long project compiling images for a cancer-benefit coffee-table book entitled "American Women," featuring a diverse group of models dressed in the designer's new and vintage fashions.

Billed as a tribute to the beauty, strength and character of American women, it features actors, journalists, musicians, artists, businesswomen, athletes, and philanthropists including Hilary Clinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Scarlet Johannson, Venus and Serena Williams, Sheryl Crow, Pink, Natalie Cole, Katie Couric, Jane Pauley, Paula Zahn, Liz Smith, Blaine Trump, Nan Kempner, Aerin Lauder, Marlo Thomas, Amber Valetta, Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford, Eve Ensler, Alice Sebold, Lindsay Lohan, Lauren Bush, and Debbie Harry, among others.

On a smaller scale, and much more recently, Adams said he was moved to sell the clothes off his back to a fan to help benefit a local hospital near his home, and threw in an impromptu guitar lesson as well.

"When I did this charity event to help benefit the hospital in St. Catharines, Ontario, at the end I gave away my clothes--my jeans and my shirt and my boots and all. And this woman paid, like, $8,000 to get this stuff with all the money going for the hospital. And she said, 'Bryan, if I'm gonna do this, I want you to give my son a guitar lesson.' And I said, 'All right.'"

Besides being honored with several high profile awards including the Order of Canada for his contributions to both music and philanthropic initiatives, Adams is about to get his youthful image released on a Canadian postage stamp come June 2009.

"I never thought about it," Adams said with a laugh. "I got a message from a friend of mine saying, 'Congratulations getting on a stamp, but I'm not so sure I'll be too keen about licking the back side of it.'"