Arthur Adams Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter
Arthur Adams was born in Medon, Tennessee, a small town 11 miles southwest of Jackson in Madison County. He was first exposed to music in church, began learning to play the acoustic guitar as a youngster, and grew up listening to a variety of music on the family radio. When Adams was a teenager, some of his family members formed a group called the Gospel Travelers, pooled their money, and bought an electric guitar which he learned to play well.
Adams briefly attended Tennessee State University in Nashville and performed with the Tennessee State Jazz and Blues Band. He bought a guitar and began playing gigs in the Middle Tennessee area. He toured throughout the south with a band and ended up in Dallas, Texas in 1959. There he played R&B and southern blues in clubs, appearing with such artists as Chuck Berry, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins, and others.
Adams moved to Los Angeles, California in 1964 and began to play clubs in the area. He began to do studio work with Quincy Jones, who recorded one of Adam's songs (Love and Peace) on his Grammy-winning album "Walkin' in Space". He also recorded with James Brown, James Taylor, Jimmy Smith and the Crusaders. Bonnie Raitt and Tommy Lipuma co-produced his first album "It's Private Tonight". He toured Europe with Diana Ross and Nina Simone.
Adams recorded with B.B. King and wrote two of the songs on the album "There's Always One More Time". He and his band now play clubs and concerts and appear at B.B. King's Blues Club in Hollywood.