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{{Short description|American singer and pianist (born 1953)}}
{{Short description|American singer and pianist (born 1953)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Oleta Adams
| name = Oleta Adams
|image = OletaAdams Ziggodome.jpg
| image = OletaAdams Ziggodome.jpg
| landscape = yes
| caption = Adams performing in 2017
|background = solo_singer
| caption = Adams performing in 2017
|birth_name = Oleta Angela Adams
| background = person
| birth_name = Oleta Angela Adams
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|5|4|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|5|4|mf=y}}
|birth_place = [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], U.S.
|genre = [[Gospel music|Gospel]], [[Soul music|soul]]<ref name="Cooper">{{cite web|last1=Cooper|first1=William|title=Oleta Adams|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/oleta-adams-mn0000887806/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref>
| genre = {{hlist|[[Gospel music|Gospel]]|[[Soul music|soul]]<ref name="Cooper">{{cite web|last1=Cooper|first1=William|title=Oleta Adams|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/oleta-adams-mn0000887806/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref>}}
|occupation = Singer
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|pianist}}
|instrument = Vocals, piano
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|piano}}
|years_active = 1980–present
| years_active = 1980–present
|label = {{Plainlist}}
| label = {{flatlist|
* [[Fontana Records|Fontana]] / [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
* [[Fontana Records|Fontana]] / [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
* [[Harmony Records|Harmony]]
* [[Harmony Records|Harmony]]
* Monarch / [[Pioneer Entertainment|Pioneer]]
* Monarch / [[Pioneer Entertainment|Pioneer]]
* [[Entertainment One Music|E1]]
* [[Entertainment One Music|E1]]
}}
{{Endplainlist}}
|website = {{URL|www.oletaadams.com}}
| website = {{URL|oletaadams.com}}
}}
}}


'''Oleta Angela Adams''' (born May 4, 1953) is an American [[singer]], [[pianist]], and songwriter. She found limited success during the early 1980s, before gaining fame via her contributions to [[Tears for Fears]]'s international chart-topping album ''[[The Seeds of Love]]'' (1989). Her albums ''[[Circle of One]]'' (1991) and ''[[Evolution (Oleta Adams album)|Evolution]]'' (1993) were top 10 hits in the UK; the former yielded a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]-nominated [[cover version|cover]] of [[Brenda Russell]]'s "[[Get Here]]", which was a top 5 hit in both the UK and the US. Adams has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, as well as two [[Soul Train Music Awards]].
'''Oleta Angela Adams''' (born May 4, 1953) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. She found limited success during the early 1980s, before gaining fame via her contributions to [[Tears for Fears]]' international chart-topping album ''[[The Seeds of Love]]'' (1989). Her albums ''[[Circle of One]]'' (1991) and ''[[Evolution (Oleta Adams album)|Evolution]]'' (1993) were top 10 hits in the UK; the former yielded a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]-nominated [[cover version|cover]] of [[Brenda Russell]]'s "[[Get Here]]", which was a top 5 hit in both the UK and the U.S. Adams has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, as well as two [[Soul Train Music Awards]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
Oleta Angela Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised listening to [[gospel music]]. In her [[adolescence|youth]], her family moved to [[Yakima, Washington]], which is sometimes shown as her place of birth. She got her musical start in the [[church (sociology of religion)|church]].
Oleta Angela Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised listening to [[gospel music]]. In her youth, her family moved to [[Yakima, Washington]], which is sometimes shown as her place of birth. She got her musical start in the church.


Before gaining her opportunity to perform, Adams faced a great deal of rejection. In the 1970s, she moved to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]], where she recorded a [[Demo Tape|demo tape]]. However, many music executives were exclusively interested in [[disco]] music rather than Adams' preferred style.
Before gaining her opportunity to perform, Adams faced a great deal of rejection. In the 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she recorded a [[Demo (music)|demo tape]]. However, many music executives were exclusively interested in [[disco]] music rather than Adams' preferred style.


With the advice of her singing coach, Lee Farrell, Adams moved to [[Kansas City, Missouri]], where she did a variety of local [[concert|gigs]]. She started her career in the early 1980s with two self-financed [[album]]s, which had limited success.<ref name="LarkinSM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1993|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-733-9|pages=7}}</ref>
On the advice of her singing coach, Lee Farrell, Adams moved to [[Kansas City, Missouri]], where she did a variety of local [[concert|gigs]]. She started her career in the early 1980s with two self-financed albums, which had limited success.<ref name="LarkinSM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1993|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-733-9|pages=7}}</ref>


Oleta Adams sang the [[The Star-Spangled Banner|National Anthem]] prior to Game Two of the [[1984 American League Championship Series]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1984 ALCS game 2 Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAyPpg2MEA4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/SAyPpg2MEA4 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date= April 14, 2021 |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Oleta Adams sang the [[The Star-Spangled Banner|National Anthem]] prior to Game Two of the [[1984 American League Championship Series]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1984 ALCS game 2 Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals | date=July 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAyPpg2MEA4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/SAyPpg2MEA4 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date= April 14, 2021 |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


==Collaboration with Tears for Fears==
==Collaboration with Tears for Fears==
In June 1985, while performing at the Peppercorn Duck Club in the Hyatt Hotel in Kansas City, Adams was heard by [[Ian Stanley]] (keyboardist of the British band [[Tears for Fears]]) while they were on a two-night stopover in Kansas City midway through their "Big Chair Tour". The next night Stanley, [[Curt Smith]] and [[Roland Orzabal]] had dinner at the club where Adams was again performing, and they collectively decided that they would approach her with an offer for her to work on their next album, ''[[The Seeds of Love]]''. Adams accepted the offer, and two years later Orzabal and Smith got in contact with her again to invite her to join the band as a singer and pianist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=80sography – 80s music interviews: Tears For Fears: Ian Stanley Interview Pt 2 (1984–89) |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tears-for-fears-ian-stanley-interview-pt-2-1984-89/id1486104117?i=1000518642834 |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In 1985, Adams was discovered by [[Roland Orzabal]] and [[Curt Smith]], founders of the English band [[Tears for Fears]], while she was performing in the Peppercorn Duck Club at the [[Hyatt|Hyatt Hotel]] in Kansas City, while they were on a US tour.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> Soon after, Adams stopped performing in hotels and had started to look for alternative employment.<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal|last=Bradley|first=Lloyd|date= March 5, 1991|title=Stories - Oleta Adams|journal=Q Magazine|volume=55|pages=13}}</ref> In 1987, Orzabal and Smith contacted her to invite her to join their band as a singer and pianist on their next album, ''[[The Seeds of Love]]''.<ref name="vh1">[http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/adams_oleta/bio.jhtml VH1.com] Biography Oleta Adams. (Retrieved: September 15, 2006)</ref> A year later she participated in two sessions while she toured the Nordic countries.<ref name=":04">{{Cite journal|last=Sutcliffe|first=Phil|date= March 5, 1991|title=Stories|journal=Q Magazine|volume=55|pages=10}}</ref>


In 1989, the [[album]] was released and the [[single (music)|single]] "Woman in Chains", sung as a [[duet (music)|duet]] by Adams and Orzabal and with [[Phil Collins]] on [[drum]]s, became her first [[Chart-topper|hit]].<ref name="LarkinSM"/> Adams embarked on a world tour with Tears For Fears in 1990, performing by herself as the supporting artist at the start of each show,<ref name=":04" /> and remaining onstage throughout the Tears For Fears set where she would provide piano and vocals.<ref name="LarkinSM"/>
In 1989, the album was released and the single "Woman in Chains", sung as a [[duet]] by Adams and Orzabal and with Manu Katche & [[Phil Collins]] on drums, became her first hit.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> Adams embarked on a world tour with Tears for Fears in 1990, performing by herself as the supporting artist at the start of each show,<ref name=":04">{{Cite journal |last=Sutcliffe |first=Phil |date=March 5, 1991 |title=Stories |journal=Q Magazine |volume=55 |pages=10}}</ref> and remaining onstage throughout the Tears for Fears set where she would provide piano and vocals.<ref name="LarkinSM"/>


==1990s==
==1990s==
⚫
Following her work with Tears for Fears, Adams was offered a recording contract by their label, [[Fontana Records]], and restarted her solo career in 1990.<ref name=":04" /> After meeting a number of producers, she worked with [[Roland Orzabal]], who co-produced her new album, ''[[Circle of One]]''.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The album received acclaim, and eventually peaked at No. 1 in the [[UK Albums Chart]] in 1991, after she scored her biggest hit to date with a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]]-nominated [[cover version|cover]] of [[Brenda Russell]]'s "[[Get Here]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/oleta-adams |title=Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female - The 34th Grammy Awards (1991) |work=[[The Recording Academy]] |access-date=February 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203211729/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/oleta-adams |archive-date=February 3, 2018}}</ref> The song reached the UK and U.S. top 5 and became popular during the 1991 [[Gulf War]] conflict,<ref name="ebony">{{cite magazine |last=Norment |first=Lynn |title=Moving on and up with Oleta Adams: with new husband and renewed religious faith, soulful singer scores with new album |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=August 1996 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n10_v51/ai_18544356/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305231552/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n10_v51/ai_18544356/ |archive-date=March 5, 2010|access-date=September 16, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="songs">{{cite web |author=Schoenherr, Steven |title=Get Here by Oleta Adams, 1990 |publisher=Songs in American History |date=May 1, 2006 |url=http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/snd/gethere.html |access-date=September 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719175109/http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/snd/gethere.html |archive-date=July 19, 2008
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
⚫
}}</ref> as families of deployed troops in the region embraced the tune as a theme song.<ref name="songs"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Mann |first=Brent |title=99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders |publisher=Bristol Park Books, Inc |location=New York |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-88486-435-6 |page=275 }}</ref>
⚫
Following her work with Tears For Fears, Adams was offered a recording contract by their label, [[Fontana Records]], and restarted her [[solo (music)|solo]] career in 1990.<ref name=":04" /> After meeting a number of producers, she worked with Orzabal, who co-produced her new album, ''[[Circle of One]]''.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The album received acclaim, and eventually peaked at No. 1 in the [[UK Albums Chart]] in 1991, after she scored her biggest hit to date with a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] nominated [[cover version|cover]] of [[Brenda Russell]]'s "[[Get Here]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/oleta-adams |title=Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female - The 34th Grammy Awards (1991) |work=[[The Recording Academy]] |access-date=February 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203211729/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/oleta-adams |archive-date=February 3, 2018}}</ref> The song reached the UK and US top 5 and became popular during the 1991 [[Gulf War]] conflict,<ref name="ebony">{{cite magazine
|author = Norment, Lynn
| title = Moving on and up with Oleta Adams: with new husband and renewed religious faith, soulful singer scores with new album
| magazine = [[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]
| date = August 1996
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n10_v51/ai_18544356/
| quote = Circle of One spawned three Top-20 pop singles, including an impassioned take on Brenda Russell's "Get Here," which became a popular anthem during the Persian Gulf War.
| access-date = September 16, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="songs">{{cite web
|author=Schoenherr, Steven
|title=Get Here by Oleta Adams, 1990
|publisher=Songs in American History
|date=May 1, 2006
|url=http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/snd/gethere.html
|quote=Get Here" became the unofficial anthem for the Gulf War (Desert Storm) in 1991. The lyrics express the longing for a loved one who's many miles away, and the different methods of transportation he can use to return. The song was sung to US troops in the Middle East whose loved ones were home in America, awaiting their return.
|access-date=September 16, 2009
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719175109/http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/snd/gethere.html
|archive-date=July 19, 2008
⚫
}}</ref> as families of deployed troops in the region embraced the tune as a theme song.<ref name="songs"/><ref>{{cite book | last = Mann | first = Brent | title = 99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders | publisher = Bristol Park Books, Inc | location = New York | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-0-88486-435-6 | page = 275 }}</ref>


1991 also saw Adams sign to independent music publisher Fairwood Music, and contribute to the [[Elton John]]/[[Bernie Taupin]] tribute album ''[[Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin|Two Rooms]]'', on which appeared her version of John's 1974 hit "[[Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me]]". Adams' version became another top 40 hit in the UK.
1991 also saw Adams sign to independent music publisher Fairwood Music, and contribute to the [[Elton John]]/[[Bernie Taupin]] tribute album ''[[Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin|Two Rooms]]'', on which appeared her version of John's 1974 hit "[[Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me]]". Adams' version became another top 40 hit in the UK.


Her next album, ''[[Evolution (Oleta Adams album)|Evolution]]'' (1993), was also a commercial success, making the UK top 10. It also featured her self-penned adult contemporary single "Window of Hope". Her 1995 release, ''[[Moving On (Oleta Adams album)|Moving On]]'', saw Adams move more in the direction of [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], and she also reunited with Roland Orzabal for the [[duet (music)|duet]] "Me and My Big Ideas", on the Tears For Fears album, ''[[Raoul and the Kings of Spain]]'', the same year. Two years later, she released the [[Christianity|Christian]] themed album ''[[Come Walk with Me (album)|Come Walk with Me]]'', where she received a nomination for a Grammy Award for "Holy Is the Lamb" in 1997.
Her next album, ''[[Evolution (Oleta Adams album)|Evolution]]'' (1993), was also a commercial success, making the UK top 10. It also featured her self-penned adult contemporary single "Window of Hope". Her 1995 release, ''[[Moving On (Oleta Adams album)|Moving On]]'', saw Adams move more in the direction of [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]. She reunited with Orzabal for the duet "Me and My Big Ideas", on the Tears for Fears album, ''[[Raoul and the Kings of Spain]]'', the same year. Two years later, she released the [[Christianity|Christian]] themed album ''[[Come Walk with Me (album)|Come Walk with Me]]'', where she received a nomination for a Grammy Award for "Holy Is the Lamb" in 1997.


In 1998, she toured as a guest vocalist on [[Phil Collins]]'s Big Band Jazz Tour.
In 1998, she toured as a guest vocalist on [[Phil Collins]]'s Big Band Jazz Tour.
Line 71: Line 54:
In 2004, Adams reunited with [[Tears for Fears]] once again as she made a surprise guest appearance onstage at their Kansas City concert, performing "[[Woman in Chains]]".
In 2004, Adams reunited with [[Tears for Fears]] once again as she made a surprise guest appearance onstage at their Kansas City concert, performing "[[Woman in Chains]]".


On October 3, 2006, Adams released her first [[Christmas]] album, entitled ''[[Christmas Time with Oleta]]''.<ref name="christmas">{{Cite web|url=http://oletaadams.com/|title=Homepage|website=Oletaadams.com|access-date=October 20, 2019}}</ref>
On October 3, 2006, Adams released her first Christmas album, entitled ''[[Christmas Time with Oleta]]''.<ref name="christmas">{{Cite web|url=http://oletaadams.com/|title=Homepage|website=Oletaadams.com|access-date=October 20, 2019}}</ref>


On April 21, 2009, Adams released her eighth album entitled ''[[Let's Stay Here]]''.
On April 21, 2009, Adams released her eighth album entitled ''[[Let's Stay Here]]''.
Line 79: Line 62:


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
In 1994, Adams married drummer John Cushon at a United Methodist church in Kansas City, where they both taught Sunday School. They met in 1980 while working on a demo tape for Adams.<ref name="findarticles.com">{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n10_v51/ai_18544356 | work=Ebony | title=Moving on and up with Oleta Adams: with new husband and renewed religious faith, soulful singer scores with new album | first=Lynn | last=Norment | year=1996}}</ref> Adams stated that she never had a passion to get married but on January 17, 1994 she and Cushon were involved in the [[1994 Northridge earthquake|Los Angeles earthquake]]. Adams referred to this as a sign from God that she was ready to get married.<ref name="findarticles.com"/>
In 1994, Adams married drummer John Cushon at a United Methodist church in Kansas City, where they both taught Sunday School. They met in 1980 while working on a demo tape for Adams.<ref name="ebony"/> Adams stated that she never had a passion to get married but on January 17, 1994 she and Cushon were involved in the [[1994 Northridge earthquake|Los Angeles earthquake]]. Adams referred to this as a sign from God that she was ready to get married.<ref name="ebony"/>


==Discography==
==Discography==
{{Main|Oleta Adams discography}}
{{Main|Oleta Adams discography}}
'''Studio albums'''
*1982: ''Untitled''
*1983: ''[[Going on Record]]''
⚫
*1990: ''[[Circle of One]]''
⚫
*1993: ''[[Evolution (Oleta Adams album)|Evolution]]''
⚫
*1995: ''[[Moving On (Oleta Adams album)|Moving On]]''
⚫
*1997: ''[[Come Walk with Me (album)|Come Walk with Me]]''
⚫
*2001: ''[[All the Love (album)|All the Love]]''
⚫
*2006: ''[[Christmas Time with Oleta]]''
⚫
*2009: ''[[Let's Stay Here]]''
⚫
*2017: ''[[Third Set (Oleta Adams album)|Third Set]]''


* ''Oleta Adams'' (1982)
'''Compilations'''
*1996: ''[[The Very Best of Oleta Adams]]''
* ''[[Going on Record]]'' (1983)
⚫
* ''[[Circle of One]]'' (1990)
*2004: ''[[The Ultimate Collection (Oleta Adams album)|The Ultimate Collection]]''
⚫
* ''[[Evolution (Oleta Adams album)|Evolution]]'' (1993)
⚫
* ''[[Moving On (Oleta Adams album)|Moving On]]'' (1995)
⚫
* ''[[Come Walk with Me (album)|Come Walk with Me]]'' (1997)
⚫
* ''[[All the Love (album)|All the Love]]'' (2001)
⚫
* ''[[Christmas Time with Oleta]]'' (2006)
⚫
* ''[[Let's Stay Here]]'' (2009)
⚫
* ''[[Third Set (Oleta Adams album)|Third Set]]'' (2017)


==Awards and nominations==
==Awards and nominations==
Line 151: Line 130:
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.oletaadams.com/}}
* {{Official website|http://www.oletaadams.com/}}
*{{IMDb name|id=1453831|name=Oleta Adams}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1453831|name=Oleta Adams}}
*[http://www.fairwoodmusic.com/ Fairwood Music (UK) Ltd. Website]
*[http://www.soulinterviews.com/oleta-adams-2016/ Oleta Adams 2016 Podcast Interview at Soulinterviews.com]


{{Oleta Adams}}
{{Oleta Adams}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Methodists]]
[[Category:20th-century Methodists]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American singers]]
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[[Category:21st-century Methodists]]
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[[Category:Ballad musicians]]
[[Category:American ballad musicians]]

Latest revision as of 09:37, 3 December 2024

Oleta Adams
Adams performing in 2017
Adams performing in 2017
Background information
Birth nameOleta Angela Adams
Born (1953-05-04) May 4, 1953 (age 71)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • pianist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active1980–present
Labels
Websiteoletaadams.com

Oleta Angela Adams (born May 4, 1953) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. She found limited success during the early 1980s, before gaining fame via her contributions to Tears for Fears' international chart-topping album The Seeds of Love (1989). Her albums Circle of One (1991) and Evolution (1993) were top 10 hits in the UK; the former yielded a Grammy-nominated cover of Brenda Russell's "Get Here", which was a top 5 hit in both the UK and the U.S. Adams has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, as well as two Soul Train Music Awards.

Biography

[edit]

Oleta Angela Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised listening to gospel music. In her youth, her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth. She got her musical start in the church.

Before gaining her opportunity to perform, Adams faced a great deal of rejection. In the 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she recorded a demo tape. However, many music executives were exclusively interested in disco music rather than Adams' preferred style.

On the advice of her singing coach, Lee Farrell, Adams moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where she did a variety of local gigs. She started her career in the early 1980s with two self-financed albums, which had limited success.[2]

Oleta Adams sang the National Anthem prior to Game Two of the 1984 American League Championship Series.[3]

Collaboration with Tears for Fears

[edit]

In June 1985, while performing at the Peppercorn Duck Club in the Hyatt Hotel in Kansas City, Adams was heard by Ian Stanley (keyboardist of the British band Tears for Fears) while they were on a two-night stopover in Kansas City midway through their "Big Chair Tour". The next night Stanley, Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal had dinner at the club where Adams was again performing, and they collectively decided that they would approach her with an offer for her to work on their next album, The Seeds of Love. Adams accepted the offer, and two years later Orzabal and Smith got in contact with her again to invite her to join the band as a singer and pianist.[4]

In 1989, the album was released and the single "Woman in Chains", sung as a duet by Adams and Orzabal and with Manu Katche & Phil Collins on drums, became her first hit.[2] Adams embarked on a world tour with Tears for Fears in 1990, performing by herself as the supporting artist at the start of each show,[5] and remaining onstage throughout the Tears for Fears set where she would provide piano and vocals.[2]

1990s

[edit]

Following her work with Tears for Fears, Adams was offered a recording contract by their label, Fontana Records, and restarted her solo career in 1990.[5] After meeting a number of producers, she worked with Roland Orzabal, who co-produced her new album, Circle of One.[2] The album received acclaim, and eventually peaked at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in 1991, after she scored her biggest hit to date with a Grammy-nominated cover of Brenda Russell's "Get Here".[6] The song reached the UK and U.S. top 5 and became popular during the 1991 Gulf War conflict,[7][8] as families of deployed troops in the region embraced the tune as a theme song.[8][9]

1991 also saw Adams sign to independent music publisher Fairwood Music, and contribute to the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album Two Rooms, on which appeared her version of John's 1974 hit "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Adams' version became another top 40 hit in the UK.

Her next album, Evolution (1993), was also a commercial success, making the UK top 10. It also featured her self-penned adult contemporary single "Window of Hope". Her 1995 release, Moving On, saw Adams move more in the direction of R&B. She reunited with Orzabal for the duet "Me and My Big Ideas", on the Tears for Fears album, Raoul and the Kings of Spain, the same year. Two years later, she released the Christian themed album Come Walk with Me, where she received a nomination for a Grammy Award for "Holy Is the Lamb" in 1997.

In 1998, she toured as a guest vocalist on Phil Collins's Big Band Jazz Tour.

2000s

[edit]

In 2001, Adams released her sixth album, All the Love, a return to an R&B/Adult contemporary sound. The album was re-released in 2004 in Germany with a different title I Can't Live a Day without You.

In 2004, Adams reunited with Tears for Fears once again as she made a surprise guest appearance onstage at their Kansas City concert, performing "Woman in Chains".

On October 3, 2006, Adams released her first Christmas album, entitled Christmas Time with Oleta.[10]

On April 21, 2009, Adams released her eighth album entitled Let's Stay Here.

2010s

[edit]

On February 10, 2017, Adams released her ninth album, her first album in eight years, entitled Third Set.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1994, Adams married drummer John Cushon at a United Methodist church in Kansas City, where they both taught Sunday School. They met in 1980 while working on a demo tape for Adams.[7] Adams stated that she never had a passion to get married but on January 17, 1994 she and Cushon were involved in the Los Angeles earthquake. Adams referred to this as a sign from God that she was ready to get married.[7]

Discography

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Main article: Oleta Adams discography

Awards and nominations

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Year Result Award Category Work
1991 Nominated Soul Train Music Award Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist
—
1992 Nominated Grammy Awards Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
"Get Here"
1993 Nominated Grammy Awards Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"
1994 Nominated Soul Train Music Award[11] Best R&B Single, Female
"I Just Had to Hear Your Voice"
1997 Nominated Grammy Awards Best R&B Album
Moving On
1998 Nominated Grammy Awards Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
Come Walk with Me

References

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  1. ^ Cooper, William. "Oleta Adams". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
  3. ^ "1984 ALCS game 2 Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals". YouTube. July 2017. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "80sography – 80s music interviews: Tears For Fears: Ian Stanley Interview Pt 2 (1984–89)". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  5. ^ a b Sutcliffe, Phil (March 5, 1991). "Stories". Q Magazine. 55: 10.
  6. ^ "Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female - The 34th Grammy Awards (1991)". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Norment, Lynn (August 1996). "Moving on and up with Oleta Adams: with new husband and renewed religious faith, soulful singer scores with new album". Ebony. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Schoenherr, Steven (May 1, 2006). "Get Here by Oleta Adams, 1990". Songs in American History. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  9. ^ Mann, Brent (2003). 99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders. New York: Bristol Park Books, Inc. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-88486-435-6.
  10. ^ "Homepage". Oletaadams.com. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company. 14 March 1994 – via Google Books.
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