Woodrow Wilson Adams (April 9, 1917 – August 9, 1988) was an American

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

player. He made a late entry into the recording industry, producing three singles. His most accomplished song was "How Long", which offered an insight into his lifestyle. His works were later collected on a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

. Adams was born in Tchula, Mississippi, the son of plantation workers. From an early age, he was taught the rudiments of playing the harmonica and the guitar. Though he is mainly remembered for his music, he did not begin his recording career until the age of 35, when he was making a living as a tractor driver. On May 24, 1952, Adams, backed by the supporting group the 3 B's, recorded "Pretty Baby Blues" at Sun Studios, in Memphis. One member of the group was Fiddlin' Joe Martin, who would appear on all of Adams's recordings and performed live with him throughout his career. The resulting single, released by

Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded ...

, is now very rare; only one copy is known to still exist. In 1955, Adams returned to the studio, this time with the Boogie Blues Blasters, to record "Wine Head Woman" for his second single. It represented his transition from blues to a more commercial R&B style. Adams released one more single, "Something on My Mind", in 1961, as a solo effort before returning to his work on a plantation. None of his recordings had much commercial success. The musician David Evans recorded a session with Adams's former backing band in 1967. Adams's material has been circulated among a wider audience over the years and has received renewed interest. In 1974, two of his previously unissued tracks, "Pony Blues" and "How Long" (arguably his best-known song), were compiled on the album ''High Water Blues''. The song was inspired by Adams's life on a plantation and emulates the instrumental and melodic style of Howlin' Wolf, who taught Adams how to play harmonica, and Wolf's 1954 song, "Baby How Long". Adams died in Tunica County, Mississippi, in 1988. After all of his past work was steadily released, the compilation album ''This Is the Blues, Volume 4'', containing all of his recorded songs, was issued in 2015.

Discography

Singles

* "Pretty Baby Blues" b/w "She's Done Come and Gone",

(Checker 757), 1952 * "Wine Head Woman" b/w "Baby You Just Don't Know", Meteor Records (MR 5033), 1955 * "Something on My Mind" b/w "Sad and Blue", Home of the Blues Records (HB 2523), 1961

Compilation

* ''This Is the Blues Volume 4, A Collection of Authentic Blues Recordings'', Be! Sharp 692, 2015

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Woodrow 1917 births 1988 deaths Blues musicians from Mississippi Delta blues musicians American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues harmonica players African-American guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Mississippi People from Tchula, Mississippi 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians