Frank Adams

Frank Adams is a clarinetist / saxophonist residing in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a member of several active performing groups, including the Birmingham Heritage Band and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars. Frank Adams learned to play the clarinet from his older brother, Oscar Adams, Jr., Alabama's first Black Supreme Court Justice. Their father, Oscar Adams, Sr., played trombone with W. C. Handy, the Father of the Blues, at Alabama A & M in Huntsville. Adams studied music under Birmingham's Maker of Musicians, John T. "Fess" Whatley and played in Whatley's band for two years. Then came the giants of jazz: Duke Ellington, Lucky Millinder, Tiny Bradshaw and Sun Ra. On the Birmingham jazz scene, Adams formed his own band that featured his wife Dot as vocalist. He joined the Birmingham Heritage Band in 1976. A respected clarinet and saxophone soloist, Adams credits his first band instructor, William Wise Handy for developing his love for music. He succeeded Handy at Lincoln Elementary School. Adams is the Program Specialist for Music Instruction for the Birmingham Public School System. In 1978, Frank Adams was a Charter Member of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, where he is currently Director of Education Emeritus.

External Link

• The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame website