Arthur (K.) Adams was born December 25, 1943.

He is an American blues musician

from Medon, Tennessee. On some of Adams' records, up until the late 1960s, he was
credited as Arthur K. Adams - the "K" being a marketing device, with no particular
significance. It was the idea of promoter/singer Scotty McKay. For Arthur Adams, getting
Back On Track was a circuitous route.
It took him from playing gospel and blues in his early years to a temporary late 1970s
detour into slick, funky soul and all the way back around to his blues roots in the mid-
1980s. Since then, he's firmly staked his claim as one of the top blues artists on the Los
Angeles circuit.

Arthur's freight train guitar and soul-steeped vocals, combined with his prolific
predilection for writing great material (often in conjunction with award-winning composer
Will Jennings), are all brilliantly showcased on his Blind Pig debut Back On Track, his
first album in two decades. The set features two sparkling duets ("Got You Next To Me"
and "The Long Haul") pairing Adams with his principal stylistic influence, the great B.B.
King, and his regal presence is quite an honor for his longtime friend Arthur.

Live, Arthur radiates daunting energy, his fret attack as searing as anyone's on the
contemporary blues front. The fierce, determined expression plastered across his face
as he charges from one end of the venue to the other, delivering his rapid-fire picking
directly to the tables of his adoring fans, is downright intimidating. Even non-blues
believers are quickly convinced of his extraordinary talent and intensity.
==

Born on Christmas Day in Medon, Tennessee (not far from Jackson), Arthur got his
musical start in church, singing in service of the Lord when he was six and picking up a
guitar as he entered his teens. Back then, Dixie Hummingbirds guitarist Howard Carroll
was his main man, though he'd sneak an earful of B.B., Elmore James, or Muddy
Waters over WLAC radio out of Nashville, WDIA from Memphis, or WJAK in Jackson
whenever he could. Along with his cousins, Arthur formed a group called the Gospel
Travelers, but they disbanded when he moved to Nashville to attend Tennessee State
University.

That's where Arthur began playing the blues professionally--for fellow students at a local
joint, the Club Baron. Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Beck, known for his instrumental "Pipe
Dream" (on the Champion label) hired Arthur in 1959. They traveled as backup for
Nashville singer Gene Allison, still riding his '57 Vee-Jay Records smash "You Can
Make It If You Try" for all it was worth. At the end of an ill-fated tour, Allison left the
troupe stranded high and dry in Dallas. Instead of complaining, Arthur made the best of
a bad situation.
From February of '59 to April of '64, he made Dallas his home base, working local
nightspots like the Clubhouse and the Empire Room and playing behind luminaries such
as Lightnin' Hopkins, Chuck Berry, Elmore James, and Lowell Fulson. When Arthur
backed Buddy Guy one night, he took notice of Guy's habit of strolling through the
audience in mid-solo. It was a lesson in showmanship Arthur never forgot.

Source: Blind Pig records.

==
Adams waxed several singles during the early 1960s--"If It Ain't One Thing It's
Another"../"Willin' To Die" for Philadelphia-based Jamie Records (the 45 was produced
in Dallas by Al Klein, later a Motown rep), two or three more for Duchess, and "The
Same Thing"../"Tend To Your Business" for Valdot, a logo owned by prolific Nashville
songwriter Ted Jarrett. He was then billed as Arthur K. Adams--a ruse cooked up by
promotion man and sometime singer Scotty McKay. That 'K' stood for absolutely nothing
in particular, but endured on Adams' singles into the late '60s.

A Fort Worth deejay recommended Arthur to Vee-Jay Records in 1964, so the guitarist
saved his dough and moved to Los Angeles. He cut a session for the fading firm there,
but it never hit the street. By 1967, he was establishing himself in the City of Angels,
doing a musical cameo in the made-for-TV flick The Outsider (starring Darren McGavin)
and cutting a fine blues number for the Bihari brothers' Modern imprint, "She Drives Me
Out Of My Mind." Vacillating between blues and soul at Modern, he also waxed a
smooth duet, "Let's Get Together," with future Honey Cone lead singer Edna Wright
under the billing of Arthur & Mary. Bobby Womack tipped Arthur to a regular house band
gig for a TV program hosted by NFL defensive tackle Roosevelt Grier, who moonlighted
as a singer.
That led to his entry into the lucrative L.A. studio scene, where he played on hundreds of
sessions by the Jackson 5, Henry Mancini, Lou Rawls, Willie Hutch, Sonny Bono, Nancy
Wilson, Kim Weston, the Ballads (their '68 hit "God Bless Our Love"), the Phil Spector-
produced 1969 smash "Black Pearl" by Sonny Charles & the Checkmates Ltd., and
others. He contributed to TV and movie soundtracks (Cactus Flower, Buck and the
Preacher, The Bill Cosby Show, Ironside), and his song "Love And Peace" was covered
by Quincy Jones, who put it on his Grammy-winning 1969 A&M album Walking In
Space.

Arthur's own recording career soared too. His 1969 single "It's Private Tonight" for
Motown-distributed Chisa Records did strong regional business. Bob Krasnow's Blue
Thumb Records signed Arthur and released his 1972 debut album, It's Private Tonight.
The cream of L.A. sessioneers, including Crusaders keyboardist Joe Sample and saxist
Wilton Felder, backed Arthur on the LP, and he returned the favor by playing on many of
the Crusaders' jazz and funk-steeped '70s LPs, notably The Crusaders, Second
Coming, Unsung Heroes, Those Southern Knights, and Free As the Wind.
There were three more Adams albums as the decade progressed, each progressively
more funk-oriented: 1975's Home Brew, its follow up Midnight Serenade (both for
Fantasy), and the disco-tinged 1979 A&M set I Love Love Love My Lady.

Not everything from this period was slick--Arthur co-wrote "Truckload Of Lovin'" with
Jimmy Lewis for Albert King's 1976 Utopia album of the same name. The 1980s were
tough for Arthur. Burned out on studio work, he wrote a few tunes and generally cooled
out before signing on as Nina Simone's bassist for a 1985 European tour. Fortunately, a
session for a Church's Fried Chicken commercial the next year hooked Arthur up with
harpist Chris Smith. As he played the blues with Smith at a nearby mountain resort,
Arthur happily discovered exactly what had been missing from his musical diet.

By 1987, a reenergized Adams was fronting his own blues outfit, steadily rebuilding his
reputation as a dynamic live performer. Prior to their duets for Back On Track, Arthur
had crossed paths with B.B. when he played rhythm guitar and wrote two songs for
King's 1991 MCA album There Is Always One More Time. In '94, King inaugurated his
classy nightspot in Universal City; Arthur has reigned as one of its primary attractions
ever since. He also appears at a slew of other discerning L.A. blues clubs.
Hollywood has been receptive to Arthur lately too; he recently filmed a reprise of the
moody Ann Peebles soul classic "I Can't Stand The Rain" for the new movie Town And
Country, starring Goldie Hawn.

Prestigious blues festivals have been calling: Arthur wowed the St. Louis Blues Heritage
Festival in August of '97 and three months later journeyed to Holland for Utrecht Blues
Estafette. With his Blind Pig album triumphantly announcing the emergence of Arthur
Adams as one of today's most exciting blues artists, there can be no doubt that this
veteran guitar master is Back On Track. The destination is clearly international stardom.
==
As house bandleader at B.B. King's Los Angeles blues club, Arthur Adams cranks out
searing blues for the well-heeled tourists who trod the length of Universal Studios' glitzy
City Walk. But the great majority of his transient clientele can't begin to imagine the
depth and variety of the guitarist's career. The shaven-headed Tennessee native began
playing guitar in the mid-'50s, taking early inspiration from the man whose name adorns
the club that later employed him (Howard Carroll, axe man for gospel's Dixie
Hummingbirds, also was a principal influence). He studied music at Tennessee State
University, playing briefly with the school's resident jazz and blues aggregation. Touring
as a member of singer Gene Allison's band, Adams found himself stranded in Dallas,
where he dazzled the locals with his fancy fretwork. Relocating to L.A. in 1964, he began
to do session work for jazz great Quincy Jones, and cut singles for the Bihari Brothers'
Kent label and Hugh Masekela's Motown-distributed Chisa imprint.

His late-'60s R&B sides for the latter were co-produced by Stewart Levine and featured
support from most of the Crusaders. Adams' 1970 debut LP for Blue Thumb, "It's Private
Tonight", was co-produced by Bonnie Raitt and Tommy Lipuma. Adams continued to
record solo albums through the late '70s, but by the '80s he retreated from the forefront,
only occasionally moonlighting as a session guitarist for various groups. In 1992, he
wrote two songs for B.B. King's "There Is Always One More Time" album and 1999 saw
Adams's first solo release in 20 years with "Back on Track", which featured King as a
guest guitarist. In 2004, Adams continued rebuilding momentum with the release "Soul
of the Blues".
==

You’ll find a 45 here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=720114404703973
==
Bio by Robert Rouse.
Arthur Adams (born December 25, 1943) is an American blues musician from Medon,
Tennessee. Inspired by B.B. King and other 1950s artists, he played gospel music
before attending college. He moved to Los Angeles, and during the 1960s and 1970s he
released solo albums and worked as a session musician. In 1985 he was tapped to tour
on bass guitar with Nina Simone, and he staged a comeback in the 1990s when he
released “Back on Track”, and became a respected Chicago blues player and
bandleader in B.B. King’s clubs.
A prolific songwriter, with a blues style that incorporated a variety of genres, and a
vocalist with a funky, soul-driven sound, Adams is known for his collaboration with many
of blues’ elite and continues to perform to date.
Arthur Adams was born on Christmas in Medon, Tennessee At the age of six, he sang in
the church choir, but did not begin playing the guitar until he was a teenager. In the mid-
1950s, he learned the instrument from his mother, by copying her finger positions. He
was inspired by artists such as B. B. King, Howard Carroll of Dixie Hummingbirds,
Elmore James and Muddy Waters, which he listened to on the radio. Adams formed a
group with his cousins, called the Gospel Travelers, who toured Tennessee and
Arkansas.
The group was disbanded when he moved to Tennessee to attend the State University,
where he studied music and played in the school’s resident jazz and blues band. Adams
began playing the blues professionally at a local student bar called the Club Baron. He
toured with Gene Allison’s band, as a backup singer. Allison had success in 1957 with
“You Can Make It If You Try” on the Vee-Jay label. At the end of an ill-fated tour, Adams
was stranded by Allison in Dallas. He remained there from February 1959 until April
1964, working in local nightclubs including the Clubhouse and the Empire Room, playing
with Lightnin’ Hopkins, Chuck Berry, Elmore James, and Lowell Fulson. On one
occasion, Adams supported Buddy Guy, and picked up his showmanship habit of
walking through the audience in mid-solo. Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Beck, who had a hit
record, the instrumental “Pipe Dream” (on the Champion Records label) hired Arthur in
1959.

During his early career, he played gospel and blues. In the early 1960s, he produced
several singles, including “If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another”/”Willin’ To Die” on
Philadelphia-based Jamie Records), which was produced in Dallas by Al Klein, who
went on to become a Motown representative. On the Dutchess record label, he released
“I Had A Dream” in 1961. He also released “The Same Thing”/”Tend To Your Business”
on the Valdot label, which was owned by Nashville songwriter Ted Jarrett.
On some of Adams’ records, up until the late 1960s, he was credited as Arthur K.
Adams – the “K” being a marketing device, with no particular significance. It was the
idea of promoter/singer Scotty McKay.
In 1964, Adams moved to Los Angeles, California after a DJ in Fort Worth
recommended Adams as a session player to Vee-Jay Records. Although he recorded a
session, it was never released. That same year, he began working as a session
musician full-time, working with Quincy Jones, and recording singles for the notorious
Bihari Brothers (on the Kent Records label), and for Hugh Masekela on the Chisa label.
The move was lucrative for Adams, who not only made a name for himself in the clubs,
but also became a prolific studio musician, contributing to movies and soundtracks,
playing on hundreds of sessions with artists ranging from Lou Rawls to Henry Mancini.
In 1967, he was performing he performed music on the television movie The Outsider,
which starred Darren McGavin.

He then recorded a blues track, “She Drives Me Out Of My Mind”, on the Bihari Brothers’
Modern Records label. He produced both blues and soul music on the Modern label,
and with Edna Wright (later lead singer of Honey Cone), he sang a duet called “Let’s Get
Together”, using the name Arthur & Mary. Upon recommendation from Bobby Womack,
Adams appeared in the house band for a TV program hosted by NFL defensive tackle
Rosey Grier, who was also a singer. This led to further studio work in Los Angeles; he
played on recordings by the Jackson 5, Henry Mancini, Lou Rawls, Willie Hutch, Sonny
Bono, Nancy Wilson, Kim Weston, the Ballads (on their 1968 single “God Bless Our
Love”), Sonny Charles & the Checkmates, Ltd. (on the 1969 single “Black Pearl”,
produced by Phil Spector), and others.

He contributed to TV and movie soundtracks including Cactus Flower, Buck and the
Preacher, The Bill Cosby Show, and Ironside. His song “Love And Peace” was covered
by Quincy Jones on his Grammy Award- winning 1969 album Walking In Space.In the
late 1960s he recorded several Rhythm and blues records with James Gadson and
several members of The Crusaders, co-produced by Stewart Levine. In 1969 he
released the single “It’s Private Tonight” on the Motown-distributed Chisa Records label.
He then joined Bob Krasnow’s Blue Thumb Records, and released his 1972 debut
album, It’s Private Tonight. It was co-produced by Bonnie Raitt and Tommy LiPuma.
This featured artists such as The Crusaders’ keyboardist Joe Sample and saxophonist
Wilton Felder. Conversely, Adams played on many of the Crusaders’ 1970 jazz and funk
LPs, including The Crusaders, Second Coming, Unsung Heroes, Those Southern
Knights, and Free As the Wind. In 1967, Adams performed in a cameo appearance for
the made for television movie, The Outsiders, playing a rendition of “She Drives Me Out
Of My Mind”. He released four more albums during the decade. Adams’ style became
progressively more funk-oriented, with the release of three further albums, Home Brew
(1975, Fantasy Records), Midnight Serenade (the follow-up, also Fantasy Records), and
I Love Love Love My Lady on A&M. He also co-wrote “Truckload Of Lovin’” with Jimmy
Lewis, which was the eponymous track on Albert King’s 1976 Utopia Records album.
During the latter 1970s, Adams changed style and played soul. He recorded more solo
albums, but in the 1980s he returned to his blues roots, occasionally working as a
session guitarist for various groups. After tiring of session work, in 1985 Adams became
the bassist for Nina Simone on her 1995 European tour. In 1986, he recorded a session
for a Church’s Fried Chicken commercial, with harpist Chris Smith. By 1987, Adams was
fronting his own blues band, and again performing live. He wrote two songs, which
appeared on for B. B. King’s 1992 album “There Is Always One More Time. In 1994, B.
B. King opened a club in Universal City. Adams had previously played rhythm guitar for
B. B. King, and had written two songs for King’s 1991 “There Is Always One More Time”
(MCA Records), and through this connection he became one of the primary attractions
at the club; he also appeared at other L.A. blues clubs. Adams recorded a version of
Ann Peebles soul classic “I Can’t Stand The Rain” for the movie Town And Country,
starring Goldie Hawn.
He performed at the St. Louis Blues Heritage Festival in August 1997, and in November
at the Utrecht Blues Estafette in The Netherlands. In 1999, he released the album Back
on Track, his first solo release in 20 years. B. B. King guested on the album on guitar,
and the pair duetted on two tracks. This was his first release on the Blind Pig record
label. Adams wrote eight out of the eleven tracks, combining the three styles of gospel,
blues and soul. Tracks include two duets (“Got You Next To Me” and “The Long Haul”),
in which Adams sang with B. B. King – both composed by Adams and Will Jennings.
In 2004, he released Soul of the Blues. Adams was a bandleader at B. B. King’s blues
club in Los Angeles, often performing with drummer James Gadson. His style has been
described as “freight train guitar and soul-steeped vocals”. He has also written with the
award-winning composer Will Jennings.
==
Discography Arthur Adams:
It's Private Tonight 1972 Blue Thumb

A relaxed southern soul album with cool guitar licks

Home Brew 1975 Fantasy

Arthur Adams was one of the many excellent west coast session players of the early 70s
– and if you check the notes on some of your favorite California soul albums, you'll find
that you've probably heard his guitar an awful lot over the years!
Adams steps out in the light – as he does wonderfully with this smooth jazz funk
production by Wayne Henderson, which brings out some great tonal colors in Adams'
guitar playing.
There's a bit of a New Orleans sound in the record, but the real feel is Fantasy Records
jazz funk – as you'll hear on the cuts "Chicago Sidewalk", "Bumpin' Around", and "That's
the Way It's Gonna Be".
Midnight Serenade 1977 Fantasy

This is the third solo effort by venerable blues/jazz/funk session man Arthur Adams.
The line-up doesn't jump out out as it did on his previous effort, Home Brew.
Most of these cats were assembled from Blue Thumb/Fantasy stalwarts and the roster
includes a good portion of Side Effect/L.A. Boppers.
Produced by the Crusaders' Wayne Henderson, with whom Arthur maintained a close
working relationship for many years, it's definitely a product of its time and place.
Although it features some fancy fretwork and catchy compositions, it's very much a pop-
oriented outing with a bit less of the raw blues or fiery funk that earned Adams his rep as
a smokin' session man in the 60s and early 70s.
I Love Love Love My Lady 1979 A&M

It's more or less soul, but it's got a bluesy feel to it.
Back on Track 1999 Blind Pig

This review is by Dick Houff.

Arthur Adams is one of those guns that lay in the weeds, and when the time is right—
smack, he’s got you cornered. I guess that’s how I’d describe his guitar; this guy can
take you on a smooth journey or via warp speed. Arthur’s vocals are pure and soulful—
of course, that doesn’t surprise me. He started singing at the age of six, and didn’t pick
up guitar until his teens. Born in Tennessee, he got his start in gospel; paying close
attention to the blues coming in over the airways: Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and
B.B. King to name but a few.
However, Arthur remained true to his gospel roots, and started a group with his cousins
called the Gospel Travelers. The group eventually parted ways when Adams decided to
move to Nashville, where he attended Tennessee State University.
During this time period (1959), Arthur started playing blues gigs and was eventually
hired by sax man, Jimmy Beck as a backup to Vee-Jay recording artist Gene Allison.
While touring, Allison left the group in Dallas. A devastating move for most seasoned
band members. The usual course of action that follows is that musicians split, and head
to the four corners looking for new gigs. Not so with Adams; he stayed in Dallas from
1959 to 1964, and cut five singles while working the clubs.
A pivotal move to Los Angeles, proved to be a very lucrative choice for Adams. Not only
was he making a name for himself in the clubs, but as a much coveted studio musician
as well. He contributed to movies and soundtracks, and played on hundreds of sessions
from Lou Rawls to Henry Mancini.
During the 70s, Arthur recorded four albums. By then, a disco infested hell along with
pointless musical journeys took hold of the nation. Growing tired of session work in the
80s, Arthur signed on as Nina Simone’s bass player during a European tour. In 87,
Adams returned to the blues, playing countless club gigs. He also played rhythm guitar
on a B.B. King engagement, and wrote two songs for King’s 1991 MCA album: There Is
Always One More Time.
Now, with Back On Track, Arthur’s debut album on Blind Pig Records; you can sit back
or move—this cat has something for everybody! And B.B. even drops by for two of the
tracks: Get You Next To Me, and The Long Haul. Adams wrote eight out of the eleven
tracks for this outing, and my personal favorites (besides the B.B. King duets) are track
#1: Back On Track, #3 Who Does She Think She Is, #10 Honda Betty, and #11 Backup
Man. Take this one home and "Shake Those Wicked Knees!" Highly recommended.
Soul of the Blues 2004 PM
Stomp The Floor 2009 Delta Groove
Feet Back in The Door 2012 Kind of Blue Music (EP)

Arthur's vocals are strong and sit comfortably inside

the Keb Mo track. Overall, a nice record for a "re-
introduction" of a classic artist.

Look What the Blues Has Done for Me 2017 Cleopatra

Two CD edition from

this 2017 studio album -
his first in eight years.
Adams proves that the
blues only gets better
with age as he and his
band bring the goods on
these 13 all new
compositions including
the standout tracks
"Helpin' Hand Man," the
gospel-tinged "If You
Let Me Love You" and
the outstanding title
track. Celebrating the
career of this blues
troubadour we are
including a full-length
bonus disc of tracks
from Adams' '70s
albums, all of which are
appearing here for the
first time ever on CD,
plus the jazz-funk dance
single "You Got The Floor" which went to #1 on the UK Disco Chart in 1981.

==