faye adams

Biography

Faye Adams, born Fanny Tuell on May 22, 1923, began singing religious music at age 5 in church, where her parents would stand her on tables to perform. She started her professional career as a religious singer on a Newark, New Jersey radio show before transitioning to secular music. Under her married name Faye Scruggs, she became a regular in New York nightclubs in the late 1940s and early 1950s. While performing in Atlanta, she was discovered by Ruth Brown, leading to an audition with bandleader Joe Morris, who changed her name to Faye Adams and signed her to Herald Records in 1952.[1][2][3][4][5]

Adams achieved massive success with her debut single 'Shake a Hand' in 1953, which topped the Billboard R&B chart for ten weeks, reached number 22 on the pop chart, and sold one million copies, earning a gold disc. She followed with two more R&B number ones: 'I'll Be True' in 1954 (later covered by Bill Haley and Jackie DeShannon) and 'It Hurts Me to My Heart.' Known as 'Atomic Adams' after leaving Morris's band, she appeared in the 1955 film Rhythm & Blues Revue, toured on Rhythm and Blues Show Tours with acts like The Drifters, The Counts, and The Spaniels, and was dubbed 'the little gal with the big voice' by Alan Freed. Her style blended gospel's expressive power with R&B, pioneering early soul elements. She moved to Imperial Records in 1957, but success waned, leading to recordings on small labels until the early 1960s.[1][2][3]

By 1963, Adams retired from secular music, remarried in 1968 as Fannie Jones, and returned to gospel roots and family life in New Jersey. In the 1970s, she co-wrote songs with her husband Clarence E. Jones and released 'Sinner Man' on Savoy Records. She received a Rhythm and Blues Foundation award in 1998 and possibly died on November 2, 2016, though unconfirmed.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Nicknamed 'Atomic Adams' after leaving Joe Morris's band and billed as such on tours.
• Dubbed 'the little gal with the big voice' by Alan Freed; headlined New York's Apollo Theater in 1955.
• Began singing gospel at age 5, standing on church tables; later refused to discuss her R&B hits after returning to gospel.
• Her 1953 hit 'Shake a Hand' was considered an early R&B standard and first clear evidence of soul music by some sources.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Ruth Brown - Discovered her while performing in Atlanta and secured audition with Joe Morris (Led to signing with Herald Records) [Early 1950s]
• Joe Morris - Bandleader who renamed her Faye Adams and signed her to Herald Records ('Shake a Hand', 'I'll Be True') [1952-1954]
• Phil Moore - Manager who helped secure opportunities and suggested name change (Facilitated 'Shake a Hand' recording) [Early 1950s]

Key Collaborators

• Joe Morris and his Orchestra - Bandleader and orchestra for early hits; she was featured singer ('Shake a Hand', 'I'll Be True', 'That's What Makes My Baby Fat') [1952-1954]

Artists Influenced

• The '5' Royales - Ex-gospel group turning to R&B; her work cited as early soul evidence alongside theirs (R&B standards) [1950s]
• Bill Haley - Covered her song ('I'll Be True' (1954)) [1954]
• Jackie DeShannon - Covered her song as a young artist ('I'll Be True' (1957)) [1957]

External Links

• Spotify