朱利安·布里姆（Julian Bream ）大师出生在一个音乐家庭。他的父亲是一位商业美术家，同时他还参加了一个小型的跳舞乐团，在其中演奏爵士吉他。当时，正直年轻的布里姆就对具有传奇色彩的吉普赛吉他演奏家DhabgiReubhardt的爵士吉他音乐风格非常感兴趣。布里姆的父亲鼓励儿子学习钢琴的演奏，同时也学习演奏吉他。在他11岁那年，布里姆的父亲送给了他一把古典吉他。
到1945年时，布里姆在少年组的钢琴比赛中获奖，这使得他有机会到伦敦的皇家音乐学院（RoyalCollegeofMusic）学习钢琴和大提琴。同年，他的父亲让他在伦敦爱乐社团的活动中演奏，使得他的音乐天赋被BorisPerott所注意，并提议说要教布里姆演奏吉他。于是布里姆跟随Perott学习了一年。此后，Perott和WilfridAppleby又将布里姆介绍给塞戈维亚大师，大师听过布里姆的演奏，留下了深刻的印象，并同意给这个只有13岁的学生上课。
布里姆的首次专业音乐登台是在1947年，地点是英国英格兰西南部城市切尔滕纳姆。随后，在他父亲的鼓励下，布里姆决定将自己的专业定位于音乐和吉他，从而放弃了原先要当一名板球运动员的理想。在他15岁的时候，获得了皇家音乐学院的全额奖学金，用于学习钢琴、和声和作曲，在当时还没有专门的奖学金用于学习吉他。
1951年，当布里姆在伦敦的WigmoreHall演出之后，大量的赞誉随之而来。在1952年到1955年的军队服役期间，布里姆也频繁地出现在广播电台、电视台的节目和大量的公众音乐会上。
通过与RCA唱片公司的合作，使得世界范围内的吉他爱好者认识了布里姆和他的音乐，同时也给他在录音界带来了极高的荣誉。其中包括国家艺术学院录音艺术和科学奖；两次获得莱美奖（1963年和1966年），即美国镀金唱片奖，是一年一度地奖励录音工业中有特别成就的奖项；1968年荣获爱迪生大奖等。从1952年起，布里姆又在WigmoreHall进行的独奏音乐会中使用鲁特琴演奏部分曲目，使得他在鲁特琴方面的演奏也得到了很高的重视，同时也让这种乐器重新焕发出了光彩。
布里姆与著名吉他演奏家约翰·威廉斯合作录制过3张唱片，由RCA唱片公司录制发行，两人还共同举办过多场音乐会。此外，我们还可以见到布里姆演奏西班牙吉他音乐的录象资料，其中介绍了西班牙吉他音乐，吉他、鲁特琴等弹拨乐器，还有布里姆大师的精彩演奏。由于布里姆大师的杰出贡献，因此他有“英国的塞戈维亚”的美誉。
Originally taught by his father, Julian Bream (b. 1933) made his debut with the Cheltham Guitar Circle at the age of 14. By the age of 16, already a seasoned recitalist, he entered the Royal College of Music. He made his London debut in 1950, but it was his appearance in November of 1951 at Wigmore Hall that propelled his career to international success. This led him first to Switzerland in 1954, followed by a European tour, and in 1958, the United States.
In 1950, Bream took up the Renaissance lute, and began a life-long fascination with Elizabethan music. His work with the tenor Peter Pears, and especially his formation of the Julian Bream Consort began a revival of early consort music that has continued to the present day. In addition, his work with such contemporary composers Villa-Lobos, Britten, Bennet, Rawsthorne, Walton, Henze, Takemitsu, Tippett, and Arnold led to a revival of interest in guitar music.
Bream has recorded extensively, receiving numerous awards along the way including six from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and a platinum disk from RCA. He has also produced a number of televised programs, including master classes, an eight-part retrospective on Spanish music, and a biography entitled A Life in the Country, first broadcast in 1976 by the BBC.
Among his many other awards are honorary doctorates from the Universities of Surrey and Leeds, an honorary membership in the Royal Academy of Music, an honorary fellowship in the Royal College of Music, and an honorary membership in the Royal Philharmonic Society. Julian Bream was the first musician of the post-war era to popularize classical guitar. His wide ranging interests in repertory, his impeccable technique and style, his instrumental role in the revival of Renaissance music, and his extensive recorded legacy place him as one of the giants of twentieth century guitar music.