b. Latham John Adams, 5 January 1932; New
Orleans, LA
d. 14 September 1998; Baton Rouge, LA
Singer. The ‘‘Tan Canary’’ of New Orleans, often
considered the musicians’ favorite Crescent City vocalist, began his career with a decade of gospel, singing with the Soul Revivers and the Soul Consolators
before crossing over to the secular side and signing
with the New Orleans-based Ric label in 1959. The
Adams vocal style, at once both urbane and intense,
proved to be immediately popular as he recorded
a series of regional hits, the first, ‘‘I Won’t Cry,’’
produced by a teenage Mac ‘‘Dr. John’’ Rebennack.
Adams, who recruited longtime associate and swamp
soul guitar star Walter ‘‘Wolfman’’ Washington for
his live act, scored his biggest hit, ‘‘Reconsider Me,’’
in 1969.
Adams, however, soon dropped out of the national
scene, performing almost exclusively in New Orleans,
primarily at his regular gig at Dorothy’s Medallion
Lounge, and also making an annual appearance at
the Heritage & Jazz Festival. Adams reappeared in
1984 when he resumed recording, beginning a long
affiliation with Rounder Records on the release of
‘‘From the Heart,’’ an album featuring Washington
leading his working band in the only time it was
recorded. A series of critically acclaimed albums, including After Dark, Room with a View of the Blues, I
Won’t Cry Now, One Foot in the Blues; the Percy
Mayfield tribute Walking on a Tightrope followed.
Adams emphasized his jazzier side on ‘‘Good Morning Heartache’’ in 1993 and on ‘‘The Verdict,’’ which
featured hometown fan Harry, Connick, Jr., on piano
in 1995. He also recorded a duet on an album by R&B
legend Ruth Brown. ‘‘Man of My Word’’ in 1998,
which reunited him with Washington, was his final
recording.
MICHAEL POINT
Bibliography
AMG; Larkin; Santelli
Hannusch, Jeff, and Sebastian Danchin. ‘‘Johnny Adams’’
[obituary]. Living Blues no. 142 (November/December
1998): 50–53.
Discography: AMG