oleta adams

Gospel, soul, jazz, disco, Tears for Fears, Phil Collins, Luther Vandross, Fontana Records, Michael Bolton, Oleata Adams, United Methodist Church, Hyatt Regency Hotel, lupus, piano

 

 

 

Oleta Adams is nothing if not persevering.

The piano-prodigy has sold more than two-and-half-million albums, gone platinum, earned nominations for a Soul Train Music Award and a Grammy and toured with big names like Phil Collins and Luther Vandross. But all of that happened after the 1970s, you see.

 

Oleta, a naturally gifted pianist and singer, lived an entire life of music. Her father was a preacher in her hometown of Seattle; belting gospel music with the church choir was her first taste of performing — and nothing was going to stop her. Oleta directed no less than four choirs before becoming a teen-ager. It seemed natural then, that the great state of California would be her destination.

 

But lo! — The 1970s was the decade of disco, baby, and no label or producer had need of a silky soulful voice crooning out the gospel-rooted style of Oleta Adams. And yet, the continuous rejection lit a fire of passion rather than defeat.  Bidding the West Coast goodbye, Oleta moved to Kansas City. She continued to perform, scoring a regular piano gig at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown.

 

Finally, it happened.

 

Oleta was discovered, and by none other than the British band Tears for Fears — she’s always seen good reception in the United Kingdom. In 1987, Oleta Adams made her debut on the big stage, playing piano for the group. She signed with Fontana Records and released Circle of One in 1990, her first (and platinum) album. Interjecting gospel into soul, jazz and R&B, Oleta’s musical style was — and is — dynamic and expressive.

 

Even after all that success, Oleta remains a resident in Kansas City. She married at the United Methodist Church on Oak Street in 1994. She was diagnosed with lupus in the early 2000s — but true to her won’t-give-up nature, Oleta is alive and well and as always, persevering.