singer
Personal Information
Born Lathen John Adams on January 5, 1932, in New Orleans, LA; died on September 14, 1998, in Baton Rouge, LA; married Judy Adams.
Career
Began singing career at age 15; debut single, "I Won't Cry," 1959; had first national hit with "Release Me," 1968; continued performing in and around New Orleans, 1970s; signed with Rounder Records, 1984; recorded last album, Man of My Word, 1998.
Life's Work
Dubbed the "Tan Canary" by a New Orleans disc jockey, vocalist Johnny Adams was a long-time regular on the New Orleans music scene, beginning with his 1959 rhythm and blues hit "I Won't Cry." Adams, whose velvety voice could stretch into a high falsetto with ease, mastered a handful of musical styles, including gospel, blues, soul, jazz, and country. Over his nearly 40-year career, he recorded in these varied genres on a number of labels, yet he never reached the national stardom of some of his contemporaries. He performed largely in New Orleans, where he became a local legend. According to New Orleans Magazine music reviewer Errol Laborde, Adams was "perhaps the greatest rhythm-and-blues talent to come from New Orleans. He never made it as big as some others with less talent, but no one could do as much with his voice as Adams could. He didn't need much more than a piano as accompaniment because his voice, with a full C-range capable of an astounding falsetto, could be an orchestra in itself."
The eldest in a family of ten children, Adams was born on January 5, 1932, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was raised in a religious family and sang in the church choir, so it is not surprising that he was first drawn to gospel music. At age 15, Adams left school, got a day job, and began performing at night with the Soul Revivers, a gospel quartet. With this quartet, he honed what was to become his signature style of vocal acrobatics, ranging deftly from low to high notes. From that group he signed on with Spirit of New Orleans, and with Bessie Griffin and the Consolators. Yet Adams's virtuoso voice stood out from the ensemble.
In the late 1950s, as popular legend has it, aspiring composer-songwriter Dorothy La Bostrie discovered her neighbor in the apartment building because she could hear his singing through her apartment walls. Although Adams originally declined LaBostrie's offer when she approached him about singing her secular songs, he later changed his mind. In 1959 he jumped onto the rhythm-and-blues charts with a single, "I Won't Cry," produced by Mac Rebennack on the Ric record label. The ballad became one of Adams's most memorable songs. Although it might have been the first step on his road to stardom, the song did not catapult Adams into the national spotlight. Adams later cited an incident in which Ric label owner Joe Ruffino threatened to sue a Motown producer who was reportedly trying to sign Adams to a contract. Adams claimed that Ruffino held him back. "I really believe I could have gone somewhere if Ruffino would have just co-operated with the major record companies," Adams was quoted as saying in the London Times.
After Ruffino's death in 1963, Adams was free to forge his own path. He toured the "sugarcane circuit" of local bars and clubs, where he earned a solid reputation and a loyal fan base. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Adams recorded a handful of albums for several independent labels. Among the most commercially successful were his singles "Release Me," which made a brief appearance on the Hot 100 charts, "Reconsider Me," a soul-country hybrid that rose to number 28, and the album Heat and Soul. In 1978 his remake of Conway Twitty's "After All the Good Is Gone" landed on the national rhythm-and-blues chart. Despite these modest successes, it was not until 1983 that Adams developed a good working relationship with a record producer, Scott Billington of Rounder Records.
In the 1980s, at a time when the blues became subsumed under the heavy beat of the most popular music, Adams kept true to his roots, showcasing what he did best. Backed by musicians such as guitarist Walter "Wolfman" Washington and pianist Dr. John (a.k.a. Mac Rebennack), Adams recorded a series of nine albums in which he explored his favorite music: jazz, blues, gospel, standards, and contemporary songs, written by Doc Pomus, Percy Mayfield, Dan Penn, and John Hiatt, among others. In the album From the Heart, Adams reveled in his new-found freedom to express himself. "This is the first time I've had the freedom to choose what to sing, and how to sing it," he was quoted as saying in the London Guardian. "In the past, record companies have tried to pigeonhole me as a country singer or a ballad singer. But I consider myself able to do it all."
Adams's recordings with Rounder demonstrated his versatility. In Walking on a Tightrope, a collection of songs by Percy Mayfield, he showed his thoughtful jazz side, while in Good Morning Heartache he sung classic American jazz songs. The 1991 recording Johnny Adams Sings Doc Pomus also showed off Adams's love of jazz, while albums such as One Foot in the Blues and Room With a View of the Blues explored the artist's "blue-sy" side.
During the last decade of his life, Adams toured widely with singer-guitarist Walter "Wolfman" Washington. They often appeared on European stages, where Adams "displayed a stage presence as potent as his recordings," according to the London Guardian's Tony Russell. In 1997, while already seriously ill with cancer, Adams recorded Man of My Word, an album on which he "defies all expectations by digging into hard Southern soul," declared Boston Herald critic Larry Katz. On the last track, Adams and Aaron Neville sung an a cappella version of the gospel song "Never Alone." About this memorable event, Neville recalled to the New Orleans, Louisiana, Times-Picayune, "I'd get choked up when I was singing with him. It was special for everybody involved."
Adams died on September 14, 1998, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At his wake, Aaron Neville, Allen Toussaint, Ernie K-Doe, and gospel singers Marva Wright and Raymond Myles sang eulogies. There is no doubt about Adams's legacy to the music world. In 2000, as part of its "Heritage" series, Rounder Records released There Is Always One More Time, an album that showcased the highlights of Adams's career, demonstrating his arresting presence and command of diverse styles. As quoted in the Bergen County, New Jersey, Record, Rounder producer Scott Billington called Adams "one of the greatest vocalists of the twentieth century."
Awards
W. C. Handy Award, NAIRD India Award; six Big Easy (New Orleans) Awards; several OffBeat (New Orleans) Best of the Beat Awards; Pioneer Award, Rhythm-and-Blues Foundation, 1999.
Works
Selected discography
- Singles
- "I Won't Cry," Ric, 1959.
- "A Losing Battle," Ric, 1962.
- "Release Me," SSS, 1968.
- "Reconsider Me," SSS, 1969.
- "I Can't Be All Bad," SSS, 1969.
- Albums
- Heart and Soul, SSS, 1969.
- Christmas in New Orleans, Ace, 1975.
- Stand by Me, Chelsea, 1976.
- After All the Good Is Gone, Ariola, 1978.
- From the Heart, Rounder, 1984.
- After Dark, Rounder, 1986.
- Room with a View of the Blues, Rounder, 1987.
- Walking on a Tightrope: The Songs of Percy Mayfield, Rounder, 1989.
- Johnny Adams Sings Doc Pomus: The Real Me, Rounder, 1991.
- I Won't Cry: From the Vaults of Ric & Ron Records, Rounder, 1991.
- Good Morning Heartache, Rounder, 1993.
- The Verdict, Rounder, 1995.
- One Foot in the Blues, Rounder, 1996.
- Man of My Word, Rounder, 1998.
- There Is Always One More Time, Rounder, 2000.
Further Reading
Books
- Graff, Gary, Josh Freedom Du Lac, and Jim McFarlin, MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press, 1998.
Periodicals- Guardian (London, England), October 6, 1998, p. 22.
- New Orleans Magazine, December 1998, p. 120.
- New York Times, September 16, 1998, p. B11; February 27, 1999, p. B9.
- Record (Bergen County, NJ), March 9, 2000, p. 33.
- Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland), October 14, 1998.
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), September 20, 1998, p. 4FF.
- Times (London, England), October 9, 1998, p. 27.
- Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA), January 1, 1993, p. 16; April 25, 1999, p. E1.
- Washington Post, December 13, 2000, p. C5.
On-line- "Johnny Adams," All Music Guide, www.allmusic.com (May 19, 2003).
- Rounder Records, www.rounder.com (May 19, 2003).
— Jeanne M. Lesinski
