New Age/pop artist Jim Brickman, who studied piano while taking business classes in college, got his start in music by writing commercial jingles. ∙ His 1994 track “Rocket to the Moon” was the first solo instrumental recording to make Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. ∙ Featuring vocals by Martina McBride, his 1997 single “Valentine” was an Adult Contemporary and Country hit, while the album on which it appeared, Picture This, went Platinum. ∙ Beginning in 1997, he hosted The Jim Brickman Show, a syndicated radio program blending music, lifestyle reporting, and celebrity interviews. ∙ Brickman’s 2002 album Love Songs & Lullabies featured future 30 Rock star Jane Krakowski singing the soaring hit “You.” ∙ In 2012, he cocreated a scholarship for piano students at his musical alma mater, the Cleveland Institute of Music. ∙ The pianist’s 2020 collection 25th Anniversary: Greatest Hits featured him singing his own hits on a recording for the first time.