Adam Wade
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Adam Wade
- Genres: Vocal Music
Biography
A natural singer, vocalist/actor/drummer Wade was influenced by Jesse Belvin, Johnny Mathis (who bounced out of the gate a few years before Wade), and Nat King Cole. Wade grew up in Pittsburgh PA, and briefly worked as a lab assistant for the famed Dr. Jonas Salk who invented the vaccine for polio. He moved to New York in 1960 and tasted success instantly. He signed with CoEd Records and sang at the city's most prestigious club, the Copacabana, within six months of setting foot in the Big Apple. Wade scored a modicum of recording success in 1960 with "Ruby" and "I Can't Help It." He fared in 1961 with three Top Ten singles: "Take Good Care of Her," "The Writing on the Wall" and "As if I Didn't Know." Comparisons to Johnny Mathis hurt more than helped Wade, however; the two were vocally similar, and like Mathis, Wade was eye candy for the ladies.After two albums in 1960 and 1961 he left CoEd to replace Johnny Mathis (who else?) at Epic Records. The move all but killed his recording career. He only charted once at Epic with "Crying in the Chapel," which reached number 88 -- hardly a blockbuster. His three Epic albums from 1962 and 1963 didn't move any mountains either. Subsequent efforts hit with the impact of a gnat and by 1969 Wade dropped recording for acting. He found work doing voice-overs, including Sweet Lou Dunbar and Gismo Man on The Harlem Globetrotters Show, and started acting with roles in Wanderlove (1970) and Shaft (1971), followed by roles as Benjy in Comeback Charleston Blues (1972), Gordon's War (1973) playing Hustler, and Crazy Joe in Phantom of the Paradise and Claudine, both released in 1974. In 1976 he became the first African-American to host a national television talk show -- Musical Chairs. Rejuvenated again, Wade resurrected his recording career somewhat on Kirshner Records in 1978; this time he went for a funkier sound; the Mathis imitation was history. On Kirshner he recorded "Alexander's Soul Time Band," and others. In 1978 he played in an all-black cast of Guys and Dolls in Las Vegas for six months. He returned to acting in 1982 via Kiss Me Goodbye where he played Roscoe, and has worked quietly behind the scenes ever since. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Adam Wade (singer)
| Adam Wade | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Patrick Henry Wade |
| Born | March 17, 1935 [1][2] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Easy listening Traditional popular music |
| Occupations | Singer, drummer, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals Drums |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Labels | Coed, Kirschner, Epic |
Adam Wade (born Patrick Henry Wade,[3] March 17, 1935) is an American singer, drummer and television actor. He is noted for his stint as the host of the CBS game show Musical Chairs, which made him the first African-American game show host.
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Contents
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Early career
Wade worked for a time as a lab assistant with Dr. Jonas Salk on the polio research team. He wanted to pursue a recording career and signed with Coed Records in late 1959. He had his first major hit with a song called "Ruby" in early 1960, a cover of the hit movie song of 1953. Wade was popular in the early 1960s with vocal styling similar to that of Johnny Mathis.[4] In 1961 three of Wade's songs ("Take Good Care of Her" (#7), "As If I Didn't Know" (#10) and "The Writing on the Wall" (#5) made the Top Ten in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. These songs also made the Top Five of Billboard's Easy Listening (later Adult Contemporary) survey.
He released the following albums in the UK; 1961 Adam and Evening HMV CLP 1451, Adam Wade One Is A Lonely Number (Mono) Columbia 33SX1501 & Adam Wade One Is A Lonely Number (Stereo) Columbia SCX3474/both 1962. He also released an EP IN 1960, And then came Adam, HMV 7EG 8620.
In addition, "Take Good Care of Her" reached #38 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1961.[5]
In 1975, Wade become the first African-American to host a television game show, with the premiere of Musical Chairs. He starred in the production Guys and Dolls in 1978, and hosted the talk show Mid-Morning LA.[where?]
1970 to the present
In the late 1970s and early 1980s Wade began to concentrate on acting, and appeared in several of the so-called blaxploitation movies, including Gordon's War. He briefly returned to recording, producing a self-titled album on the Kirschner record label. This was a venture into a more soulful singing genre. It met with moderate success and is still a favorite with his loyal fans. His latest theatrical appearance was with the 2008 touring company of the play The Color Purple. Wade and his wife have a music production firm, 'Songbird' whose headquarters are in New Jersey. He can also be seen quite frequently on national television as a co-pitchman in a television commercial for the Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company.
Personal
Wade was married 1956-1973 to Kay Wade, with whom he had 3 children:
- Sheldon (1956) - now known as Ramel Wade
- Patrice (1957) - now known as Patrice Wade Johnson
- Michael (1960) - now known as Jamel Wade
Wade has been married since 1989 to Jeree Wade, an entertainer. They often perform together. Wade revealed in a interview that he actually met her on Musical Chairs[3]
References
- ^ Brainyhistory.com
- ^ Thehistorymakers.com
- ^ a b IMDb.com
- ^ Oldies.com
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 589. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists
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(1979 TV Episode)
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