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| Johnny Adams | |
|---|---|
| Name | Johnny Adams |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | John Respass Jr. |
| Birth date | March 5, 1932 |
| Birth place | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Death date | September 14, 1998 |
| Death place | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues, R&B, Soul, Gospel, Jazz |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1950s–1998 |
| Labels | Ric, Mercury, SSS International, Rounder, Kent, Chess |
| Associated acts | Fate Marable, Eddie Bo, Ellis Marsalis |
Johnny Adams
Johnny Adams was an American singer celebrated for his versatile tenor voice that spanned blues, rhythm and blues, soul, gospel, and jazz. Born in New Orleans, he became a key figure in Louisiana music from the 1950s through the 1990s, recording for regional and national labels and collaborating with notable musicians and producers. Adams combined the traditions of New Orleans vocal music with influences from national stars, shaping a distinctive catalog admired by peers and critics alike.
Adams was born John Respass Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in the Tremé neighborhood. He grew up immersed in the city's musical environment, hearing performances at St. Augustine Catholic Church, local juke joints on Bourbon Street, and street parades featuring brass bands such as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band predecessors. As a youth he sang in church choirs associated with congregations near Bayou St. John and studied informally with neighborhood musicians connected to the Treme Brass Band tradition. His early exposure included recordings and radio broadcasts from artists like Mahalia Jackson, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and regional performers on stations such as WWL and WTIX.
Adams began his professional career in the 1950s, performing locally and making his first singles for the Ric Records imprint, a label known for launching Fats Domino and Professor Longhair-associated artists. He worked with New Orleans session musicians who had ties to producers at Cosimo Matassa's studio scene and often appeared on bills with entertainers like Allen Toussaint-affiliated acts. Throughout the 1960s he recorded with labels including Mercury Records and Chess Records subsidiaries, collaborating with arrangers and studio players from the New Orleans sound circuit. In the 1970s Adams signed with the SSS International label, where producer Jesse Johnson guided several chart singles. Later associations included Rounder Records and revival projects that teamed him with musicians from the Louisiana music revival movement and jazz figures linked to the Ellis Marsalis circle.
Adams' style blended the gospel phrasing of Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe with the secular soul of Sam Cooke and the blues timbres of B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland. Critics compared his dramatic delivery to the theatricality of Arthur Prysock and the emotional range of Ray Charles. Instrumentally his recordings often featured horn arrangements reminiscent of Stax Records sessions and piano figures associated with Fats Domino and Eddie Bo. Adams' phrasing showed influences from Louis Armstrong's New Orleans legacy and from visiting jazz artists who performed at clubs on Canal Street and in the French Quarter.
Adams achieved regional and national success with singles such as "Release Me" and "(I Won't Cry) If I Have to Cry Alone," recorded for labels including SST Records-affiliated producers and regional distributors. His 1960s recordings on Ric Records and later work for Sss International produced R&B chart appearances and coverage in publications like Billboard (magazine) and Rolling Stone. In the 1980s and 1990s Adams recorded acclaimed albums on Rounder Records that paired him with producers and musicians who had worked with Dr. John, Irma Thomas, and other Louisiana notables. He performed at festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and toured clubs and concert halls that featured artists from Atlantic Records rosters and the broader American roots music circuit. Collaborative appearances included sessions with members of the Meters offshoots and studio dates connecting him to producers with credits alongside Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett.
Over his career Adams received critical recognition from outlets including DownBeat and Living Blues and was honored by Louisiana cultural institutions for contributions to state musical heritage. He earned nominations and awards from regional organizations that celebrate Crescent City music and was inducted into local halls of fame recognizing performers from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. His records were anthologized on retrospective compilations issued by labels with catalogs of American roots music and cited by historians specializing in Rhythm and blues and soul music studies.
Adams maintained close ties to the New Orleans community, living much of his life in neighborhoods tied to African American cultural life such as Tremé and Gentilly. He was associated socially and professionally with local figures including club owners, radio personalities, and fellow performers from the Preservation Hall milieu. Offstage he engaged with organizations that supported musicians' healthcare and with benefit efforts following disasters that affected Louisiana artists. Adams balanced touring with family responsibilities and mentored younger singers from the regional scene who later worked with labels and producers across Louisiana and the broader American South.
Adams died in New Orleans in 1998, leaving a discography that documents half a century of Louisiana vocal traditions intersecting with national R&B and soul trends. His recordings have been reissued by specialty labels and cited in scholarship on New Orleans music and the development of American popular vocal styles. Musicians ranging from contemporary gospel performers to blues and jazz interpreters cite his phrasing and repertoire as influential, and his work remains part of festival programming at events like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and in curated exhibits at regional museums devoted to Louisiana cultural history.
Category:1932 births Category:1998 deaths Category:American soul singers Category:Musicians from New Orleans