John Rainey Adkins (December 31, 1941 – June 18, 1989) was a self-taught guitarist and songwriter from

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...

. Adkins experienced commercial success in America during his music career in the 1960s and 1970s with the bands

The Candymen The Candymen (or the Candy Men) were an American pop quintet active 1965-1972 which prefigured the Atlanta Rhythm Section. The group were managed by Dothan, Alabama producer-songwriter Buddy Buie, and included guitarists John Rainey Adkins (who was ...

and Beaverteeth. Adkins' bands played live on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'', ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'', and NBC's '' Midnight Special''.

Early life

John Rainey Adkins was born and raised in Dothan, Alabama. He attended

Dothan High School Dothan Preparatory Academy is located in Dothan, Alabama, USA. It is located on U.S. Highway 231 inside Ross Clark Circle, about north of the southern tip of Ross Clark Circle. The high school district roughly runs down U.S. Highway 84, which ...

where he met many of his bandmates and made other important music connections. He played the

bass horn The serpent is a low-pitched early brass instrument developed in the Renaissance era with a trombone-like mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece and tone holes (later with keys) like a woodwind instrument. It is named for its long, bore (wind instruments) ...

in the marching band and started local blues and rock bands. Adkins was known for designing the Dothan High School marching band costumes; His artwork was chosen for the school year book in 1960. Adkins attended

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

for one year before pursuing his musical career full time.

Career

Early career

Adkins started the band The Webs in the late 1950s, The Webs would later evolve into

. Adkins attended

for one year before pursuing his musical career full time. A big break came when a former high school friend, Buddy Buie, hired his band Adkins's band The Webs to play back up to

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

at the

National Peanut Festival The National Peanut Festival (NPF), the United States' largest peanut festival, is held each fall in Dothan, Alabama, to honor peanut growers and to celebrate the harvest season. Established in 1938, the fairgrounds are located on Highway 231 Sou ...

in the early 1960s. Orbison was impressed with The Webs and hired them on the spot to become his regular touring band. Orbison also renamed the band as The Candymen, a nod to Orbison's 1961 radio hit "

The Candy Man "The Candy Man" (or alternatively, "The Candy Man Can") is a song that originally appeared in the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory''. It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the film. Although the ori ...

." Adkins and his band The Candymen would tour with Orbison much of the 1960s. They would open for The Beatles, The Yardbirds, and the Hollies. They also worked with Orbison in the recording studio. Adkins played with Orbison on the

Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night ...

on July 4, 1965. He continued to play and write music after his time with Orbison. He co-wrote the hit song "Georgia Pines" with Buddy Buie. ''Georgia Pines'' rose to number 81 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in November 1967. Adkins performed the song on

on December 2, 196

Eventually, the Candymen would break from Orbison and tour and record on their own. They gained notoriety in the music scenes in Los Angeles and New York, becoming a popular live act at clubs frequented by other musicians.

Late career

In 1972, John Rainey Adkins formed the band Beaverteeth with his brother David Adkins. They were accompanied by bassist Dean Daughtry and saxophonist Jay Scott. The band toured throughout the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

, as well as in southern Alabama. Later in 1973, Adkins was called by former Candymen bandmate Rodney Justo to play with

B. J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' ...

on the road. Beaverteeth was featured on late-night musical variety show ''Midnight Special'', hosted by the DJ Wolfman Jack. They performed with B.J. Thomas on his No. 1 Billboard hit " Another Someboday Done Somebody Wrong" song. The show was viewed by millions and the video of the performance continues to attract viewers on social media. Adkins also released two albums on

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

in 1977 and 1978 entitled ''Beaverteeth'' and ''Dam It''. The last musical project Adkins worked on was in 1989 at the age of 47. He was signed to Tree Publishing and co-wrote a song for the band Shenandoah. Adkins died suddenly on June 18, 1989. His image can be found memorialized on the Music Mural in downtown Dothan, Alabama.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adkins, John Rainey Musicians from Alabama People from Dothan, Alabama 1941 births 1989 deaths