Alberta Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alberta Adams
Adams performing at Sushi Blues in December 2006
Background information
Birth name	Roberta Louise Osborn
Also known as	The Queen of the Blues
Born	(1917-07-26)July 26, 1917 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	December 25, 2014(2014-12-25) (aged 97) Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Detroit blues, jump blues, Chicago blues
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1930s-2014
Labels	Chess Records, Savoy Records, Cannonball Records, Eastlawn Records
Associated acts	The Bluesettes, Tiny Bradshaw, Johnnie Bassett

Alberta Adams (born July 26, 1917 – died December 25, 2014) was a famous American blues singer. She was known for her powerful voice and long career, which lasted from the 1930s until her death in 2014. People often called her "The Queen of the Blues" in Detroit.

Alberta Adams grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She started her career in the 1930s as a tap dancer and singer in nightclubs. In 1952, she signed a recording contract with Chess Records, a very important record company for blues music. She also got to tour with many famous musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and Lionel Hampton.

Later in her career, she released several solo albums. Her album Detroit's Queen of the Blues won an award in 2006. Even when she was 91 years old, she recorded another album called Detroit Is My Home.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Growing Up in Detroit

Alberta Adams was born Roberta Louise Osborn on July 26, 1917, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She moved to Detroit and was raised by family members, like her aunt. From a young age, she dreamed of becoming an entertainer. When she was just fourteen, she started living on her own and got a small apartment in Detroit.

Starting Her Career

Alberta began performing as a tap dancer in the clubs on Hastings Street in Detroit. Soon after, she started singing. In the 1940s, she was tap dancing at a club called the B&C. One night, the main singer was sick, so Alberta stepped in and sang two songs. The club liked her so much that they hired her as a singer for five years! She learned a lot from other musicians on Hastings Street, like John Lee Hooker.

Music Career Highlights

Signing with Famous Labels

In the 1950s, Phil and Leonard Chess, who owned Chess Records, heard Alberta Adams sing on Hastings Street. They were impressed and signed her as a vocalist. With Chess Records, she recorded songs with Red Saunders's band. Some of her recordings were later put on special Chess compilation albums in the 1990s.

For a while, she was also part of a singing group called the Bluesettes. They toured with Tiny Bradshaw's big band. She also recorded for Savoy Records and released a song called "Say Baby Say."

Touring and Solo Success

Alberta Adams toured with many legendary musicians, including Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton. After taking a break from performing a lot, she started touring again in the 1990s with guitarist Johnnie Bassett.

In 1997, she was featured on an album called Blues Across America: The Detroit Scene. This album helped her career get a big boost and led to her signing a contract for her own solo albums.

Solo Albums: Born with the Blues and Say Baby Say

Alberta Adams signed with Cannonball Records and released two albums. Her first solo album, Born with the Blues, came out on February 16, 1999. She wrote most of the songs herself. Critics really liked this album, and it was named one of the top blues albums of 1999. Reviewers said she had a "sizable amount of honey in her voice" and that her singing was "solid."

Her second solo album, Say Baby Say, was released on June 6, 2000. She wrote many of the songs for this album too. The songs on this album looked back at her life, including raising children, four marriages, and many years of performing blues music. Reviewers praised her "forcefully husky-voiced" singing.

Later Albums with Eastlawn Records

Alberta's solo career became very popular again starting in the 1990s. Her manager and musician R.J. Spangler, who ran Eastlawn Records, helped her a lot.

Her 2004 album, I'm on the Move, was released by Eastlawn Records. Critics gave it great reviews, saying Alberta was "at the top of her game and seeming to enjoy herself." They also liked the band, called the Rhythm Rockers, who played with her.

In 2006, her short album (EP) Detroit's Queen of the Blues was released. It won the award for Outstanding Blues/R&B Recording at the 2006 Detroit Music Awards.

When she was 91 years old, Alberta Adams recorded Detroit Is My Home, which came out in 2008. She wrote many of the songs on this album.

Final Years and Legacy

Alberta Adams continued to perform and record music even in her last years. In 2014, when she was 96, other singers like Thornetta Davis held a concert called "To Alberta with Love" to honor her.

Alberta Adams passed away on December 25, 2014, at the age of 97, in Dearborn, Michigan. Her niece, Lily Delois Adams, gave a tribute concert in Detroit in July 2016 to remember her.

Style and Influences

People have called Alberta Adams "the personification of the Detroit blues scene" and "the undisputed, unrivaled, peerless Detroit Queen of the Blues." This means she was seen as the perfect example of a Detroit blues singer.

Alberta mostly taught herself how to sing. She said that some of her earliest musical influences were the blues singer Big Joe Turner and the famous singers Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, and LaVern Baker.

Discography

Solo Recordings

Studio Albums

EPs

Singles (Some Songs)

See also

In Spanish: Alberta Adams para niños