The man who has preserved the legacy of Ray Charles was a barrier-breaking star long before ‘The Genius’
You may remember Joe Adams as the legendary manager of musical genius Ray Charles from the motion picture ‘Ray’, but what most people don’t know is Joe Adams was an entertainment innovator, actor, savvy businessman, and legend in his own right.
In a rare one on one interview with the Sentinel, Adams reveals stories untold and provides a unique introspective into The Man who was behind The Man.
It’s a bright sunny day in the city of Los Angeles and the historical landmark RPM International sits quiet on Washington Blvd.
The piano keys are still; the wardrobe closet is flush with Ray Charles jackets, silk shirts, Bally's shoes and pants.
The President of Ray Charles Foundation, Valerie Ervin and the rest of us anxiously wait for the man who for many and has been known as the man behind the man.
As he carefully navigates each step from the small parking structure up the stair chase into the studio that sits adjacent to the famous recording booth, Joe Adams has arrived.
It is a location that he is all too familiar with because he was responsible for designing RPM International Studios where Charles’ genius expanded.
There he was, slowed only by his biological clock that now stretches to 89, wearing a dapper purple silk shirt and stylish matching slacks.
Adams who for more than four decades teamed with the revolutionary Ray Charles to form an entertainment business model that will never be duplicated, is still managing.
These days he sits atop as the Chairman of the Board of The Ray Charles Foundation and his own foundation, the Emma and Joe Adams Foundation, carrying out the wishes that he and his friend shared years before Charles succumbed in 2004.
He is responsible for shepherding the legacy of Ray Charles and implementing the philanthropic goals that both men had.
It was Adams who presented Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science with a $1-million donation — the largest one-time individual gift in the school’s history in June. The money will be used to fund student scholarships and the donation comes from Joe Adams and his wife, Emma, and will establish the Adams Scholars, which will provide $10,000 to cover tuition for undergraduates based on their financial need.
Additionally, Adams is responsible for millions of dollars in ongoing contributions to Morehouse College and a recent $600,000 donation to Spellman College through his charitable foundations.
A Los Angeles native who was raised in Watts and proudly recalls his days as a student at Jordan High School, Adams spoke fondly of the influence he received from late Sentinel Publisher Col. Leon H. Washington.
“Yes Col. Washington gave me a lot of good advice back then,” Adams remembered.
Adams’ father was a local businessman who owned Gold’s Furniture store on Central Ave. during the late 1960s and 70s, and it was from him that Adams attained his keen sense for business and the astute value of money.
Adams was the son of an African American mother and Jewish father, and his parents were a rare interracial couple at the height of racial segregation and prejudice in the early 1900s.
During those days Adams was growing up in Watts when he began honing his talents to become a barrier breaker in radio broadcasting.
It was during this time at a young age that he realized he wanted to do what no African American dared dream of.
Adams wanted to become a radio announcer and practiced by shouting aloud in isolated parking lots.
Experiencing the brunt of racism growing up as a child, he was determined to not allow his black skin to prevent him from reaching his goal.
By the time he was a teenager he was the first African American on radio at Art Grogan’s owned Santa Monica Station KOWL, who gave Adams the opportunity to go on the air in the 1940s.
Within two years Adam’s daily radio show was the #1 rated deejay show in Los Angeles. During an era when deejays were required to solicit their own sponsors, he attracted an incredible 56 paid advertisers to pay for airtime on KOWL, marking the beginning of an auspicious radio career that eventually spanned twenty years.
Adams branched out into television with two shows of his own, “Adams Alley” for KLAC with a cast of twenty-eight people, and “Joe Adams Presents.” He was one of the pioneers of that era, hosting top-name stars and musical greats, among them was Charles.
He also enjoyed success as a film actor, appearing in more than 26 motion pictures. Among his most notable roles was Husky Miller in Carman Jones and as Frank Sinatra’s psychiatrist in The Manchurian Candidate. His talent as an actor earned him the Foreign Correspondence Award as the Golden Globe Outstanding New Actor Award in 1958. He was the first African American man to win this award. He was a star long before he met Charles in 1958.
When Charles invited him to be the master of ceremonies during his world tour in 1961, Adams was already a well-known major network radio personality and accomplished actor.
Historically, Black performers had been controlled (and, too often, robbed) by white members of the music industry (agents, managers, accountants, lawyers), whose chief loyalty is to one another and not to their clients.
However, in Adams, Charles discovered a loyal man who was also polished in business and law. He was retired before he decided to join Charles on tour, but subsequently went on to serve as an adviser-manager and their relationship in business was much like a marriage.
Adams only could recall one time he had a disagreement with Charles; “We once had a mix-up that had something to do with a song, but I just left it alone and went on to New York and when I returned, he told me that I was right,” he told the Sentinel in an exclusive interview.
Adams wasn’t just a trusted adviser and manager, but also the designer of all of his wardrobe, producer of shows and photographer.
Their relationship lasted through the singer’s death.
Some may scoff at the relationship that Adams and Charles had, but had it not been for Adams the success of the foundation would not be possible. “They needed each other more than anyone could ever imagine,” a confidant said.
Today, Adams looks on as President, Valerie Ervin for whom he and Ray Charles both trained, oversees and is in charge of RPM International, and supervises the many activities of the parent company, including its business holdings and publishing companies, including Tangerine and Racer Music; as well as Ray Charles Enterprises, which covers the activities of the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Raelettes.
Adams was at the helm of the Ray Charles Corporation until his retirement in 2008, he now serves as Chairman of the board appointed by Ray Charles.
Although the couple does not have any children, among their gifts was the establishment of the Emma and Joe Adams Public Service Institute at Morehouse College in Atlanta, which supports students who balance academic excellence with a commitment to community service.
As major individual donors to The Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, not only have they supported the facility financially with a $500,000 gift, they also are responsible for introducing Ray Charles to Morehouse and nurturing the relationship that yielded the vision for The Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. The facility’s concert hall is named after the couple. The couple has already substantially contributed to building a lasting legacy at Morehouse.
Adams goes about his dignified life not looking for accolades or personal endorsements, but instead pondering how he can make the lives of those less fortunate better.
Asked about his friend Charles, and Adams says; “I miss him,” solemnly.
His friend would be proud to know that he is going about life, as he would have with him, all that’s missing is Charles being on tour and producing music.
For Adams it’s a void that can never be filled, but there is a mission in life ahead and one that will not be complete without Joe Adams.
After being told that, because of his race, he should not try for a career in radio, Adams took an indirect route to reach that goal. He went from being a truck driver to being chauffeur and general assistant for Los Angeles radio personality Al Jarvis. After six months, Adams had become Jarvis' assistant producer.
Adams was the first African-American announcer on NBC's radio network, handling West Coast jazz remote broadcasts and producing segments of NBC's Monitor program. In 1948, he became a disc jockey and announcer on KOWL radio in Santa Monica, California, and 10 years later he was described in a newspaper article as "the station's top personality and most valuable property".
Adams became the Emcee and stage director for the fourth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. on September 12, 1948, and continued for the annual event for 10 more years. The event showcased over 125 artists over time. Dizzy Gillespie, Frankie Lane, Little Miss Cornshucks, The Sweethearts of Rhythm, The Honey Drippers, Joe Turner, Jimmy Witherspoon, The Blenders and The Sensations were all featured as Adams emceed his first Cavalcade of Jazz concert.
On June 19, 1951, Adams began his own television program on KTTV in Los Angeles. The show featured Adams' 15-piece orchestra, vocalist Mauri Lynn, and the Hi Hatters dance team.
In 1954 Adams played boxer "Husky Miller" in the award-winning "Carmen Jones" film opera featuring an all-black cast headed by Best Actress Oscar-nominee Dorothy Dandridge.
On stage, Adams had the role of Joe Nashua in the Broadway musical Jamaica (1957).
Adams married Emma Millhouse in 1946. They remained married until his death 72 years later.
The Los Angeles City Council designated March 15, 1953, a day to honor Adams. In 1955, he received FEM magazine's Man of the Year Award.
Adams' photographs, scrapbooks, and other materials are housed in the Joe Adams Papers collection in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution.
On Tuesday, July 3, the longtime manager of legendary musician Ray Charles and former Chairman of the Board of The Ray Charles Foundation, Joe Adams died at the age of 94 in Los Angeles.
Charles and Adams designed and built the RPM International office and studios on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles. As the CEO in charge of RPM International, Adams supervised the many activities of the parent company, including its business holdings and publishing companies, Tangerine and Racer Music. His work with Charles extended to Ray Charles Enterprises, which covered the activities of the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Raelettes. Adams produced Ray Charles’ numerous appearances overseeing every details from stage lights to Charles’ wardrobe–which he personally designed for not only Charles but the Raelettes as well.
A Los Angeles native who was raised in Watts, Adams was the son of an African American mother and Jewish father. Adams’ father was a local businessman who owned Gold’s Furniture store on Central Ave. during the late 1960s and 70s, and it was from him that Adams attained his keen sense for business and the astute value of money.
During the 1940s, as a teenager Adams was the first African American deejay at the Art Grogan owned Santa Monica based radio station KOWL-AM. Within two years, Adam’s daily radio show was the #1 rated deejay show in Los Angeles. During an era when deejays were required to solicit their own sponsors, Adams attracted an incredible 56 paid advertisers to pay for airtime on KOWL, marking the beginning of an auspicious radio career that eventually spanned twenty years. In addition to radio, Adams enjoyed success on both television and in film as an actor appearing in more than 26 motion pictures. Among his most notable roles were as Frank Sinatra’s psychiatrist in “The Manchurian Candidate” and as Husky Miller in “Carmen Jones”–the latter of which earned Adams a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year in 1955 making him the first African American man to win the award.
An integral part of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, Adams honed his skills and later became a qualified commercial pilot. Among his many talents and skills, Adams was a professional photographer and well versed in entertainment contract law
Adams was at the helm of the Ray Charles Corporation until his retirement in 2008. For ten years he served as the Chairman of the Board of the Ray Charles Foundation where he was responsible for shepherding the legacy of Ray Charles and implementing the philanthropic goals that both men had. He and his wife Emma established The Emma and Joe Adams Foundation where they donated millions to support educational institutions. It was Adams who presented Watts’ Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science with a $1-million donation— at the time—the largest one-time individual gift in the school’s history. The money funded student scholarships and established the Adams Scholars which provides $10,000 to cover tuition for undergraduates based on their financial need.
Additionally, Adams was responsible for millions of dollars in ongoing contributions to Morehouse College and a $600,000 donation to Spelman College.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced at a later date.
About Ray Charles (1930 - 2004):
Ray Charles has been called "the genius of soul," a true pioneer of American soul music. The Albany, Georgia-born musical prodigy, blind since the age of 7, defied formidable odds to become one of the foremost icons in the history of modern American music.
Born Ray Charles Robinson in 1930, after his family moved to Greenville, Florida (near Tallahassee) Charles was soon enrolled at a state-supported school for the deaf and blind in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1937. During his eight years there, Charles received a formal music education, mastered Braille and learned to play piano, organ, clarinet, trumpet and saxophone. On summer breaks, he occasionally entertained relatives in Tallahassee's black district, known as Frenchtown.
At 15, he left school to join the South's so-called "chitlin' circuit, performing at gigs throughout the south, mostly in black dance halls in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, where he lived briefly. In Tampa, he played for a southern band called The Florida Playboys, wearing his signature sunglasses for the first time. It was in Tampa that he made his first three recordings.
In 1948, Charles left Florida for Seattle, Washington, to pursue better opportunities in music. There he met 14-year-old Quincy Jones, and the two developed what would become a close personal and professional relationship for the rest of Charles' life.
Charles soon dropped his last name "Robinson," mainly to avoid popular confusion, since boxer Sugar Ray Robinson had become a household name in the U.S. He soon landed a record contract and moved to Los Angeles with a newly formed group, the McSon Trio. It was with this trio that a recording first brought Charles into the national spotlight. In 1951, the single "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" jumped to #5 on the nation's R&B chart.
The 1950s was a decade of phenomenal success for Charles. First signed to Atlantic Records, he scored his first No. 1 hit with "I Got a Woman," a song that combined elements of gospel music with blues. The wildly popular recording spawned a new musical genre that eventually would become known as soul music. Charles ended the decade on a high note with the single "What'd I Say." The song topped the R&B chart in 1959 and was Charles' first cross-over hit.
The 1960s brought a string of smash hits, many of which not only became Charles' all-time signature songs, but also were unprecedented blends of soul, blues, jazz and country western sounds. Such hits as "Georgia on My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack," "You Don't Know Me," and "Crying Time," ably demonstrated Charles' extraordinary grasp of the full range of American pop music.
When he died (of liver cancer) in 2002, Ray Charles had conquered not only the music world, but also a 20-year addiction to drugs. His legacy—underscored by a dozen Grammy Awards, three Emmy nominations, inductions into the Rock, Jazz and Rhythm and Blues halls of fame, among a long list of other honors—is generally regarded as an essential and indelible element in the bedrock of American pop music.
On the eve of his death, Hollywood paid its own tribute with Ray, a film depicting Charles' life. The movie starred Jamie Foxx, whose portrayal of Charles won him the 2004 Academy Award for Best Actor. Charles got the chance to work with the film's director but died before the film's debut in 2004. He is buried in Los Angeles.