Yolanda Adams
(born Yolanda Yvette Adams
on 1961(1961--)) is an American Grammy and Dove-award winning Gospel music singer and radio show host.
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YOLANDA ADAMS TICKETS
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Life
The oldest of six siblings, Adams was raised in Houston, Texas. She graduated from
Sterling High School in Houston in 1979.
[1] After graduating from
University of California Berkeley, she began a career as a
schoolteacher and part-time
model in Houston, Texas.
[2] [3] Eventually she gave up teaching to perform full-time as a lead singer.
Musical career
Beginnings
Adams attracted the attention of
Thomas Whitfield and Sound of Gospel Records as a lead singer in the Southeast Inspirational Choir. She signed a recording contract with Sound of Gospel which yielded her first album
Just As I Am
in 1987.
[4] In 1990, she signed to Ben Tankard's independent label
Tribute Records and released
Through The Storm
.
Two years later, Adams followed with
Save the World
, which included her first signature song "The Battle Is The Lord's". Her next release was 1995's
More Than A Melody
, which featured production work from Ben Tankard, O'Landa Draper, and
BeBe Winans. The single "
Gotta Have Love," from that album featuring
Tony Terry on background vocals, gained mainstream notoriety and was her first single and music video.
Yolanda... Live In Washington
, released the following year, featured versions of material from her first two albums. The footage from this recording was released as a collection of two videos on VHS initially, and later as a single set on DVD.
Songs from the Heart
was her final release for Verity Records and included "Only Believe" which was popular songs on contemporary radio. The album also included "Still I Rise," a dedication to
Rosa Parks which was inspired by the
Maya Angelou poem of the same name.
"Fragile Heart", was dedicated to the memory of Yolanda's long time road manager who died in 1998.
[5]
Adams' first significant attention outside the
urban contemporary gospel arena came with the release of
Mountain High... Valley Low
in 1999 on
Elektra Records. Several mainstream artists and producers helped in the production of this album including
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (
Janet Jackson,
Boyz II Men),
James "Big Jim" Wright (
Mariah Carey,
Nicole C. Mullen),
Warryn Campbell (
Mary Mary,
Brandy), and Keith Thomas (
BeBe & CeCe Winans). The album went
Platinum in 2000 and won her a Grammy Award. Notable singles from the album include
Yeah
", "Fragile Heart", and "
Open My Heart".
In 2000, Adams released a Christmas album, and in 2001 she released a live album (
The Experience
).
The Experience
netted Adams a second
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.
Believe
, which included the hit "
Never Give Up" was released in 2001. She would later go on to perform this song at "
The Salute to Gospel Music
" at the
White House during President
George W. Bush's administration.
Believe
was certified
Gold in 2002.
The Divas Of Gospel
, with
Albertina Walker (queen of gospel), was also released in 2001.
Yolanda recorded a song for the 2003 film,
Honey
titled "I Believe" that played during the last scene in the final dance.
Adams was also a judge for the 2nd annual
Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
[6]
Back after break
After nearly four years without releasing an album, Adams returned in 2005 with
Day By Day
. Although charting higher than Mountain High...Valley Low on the Billboard 100, and Billboard R&B Albums Chart, It didn't get a RIAA certification. The album featured the singles "
Be Blessed," "
Someone Watching Over You," "
This Too Shall Pass", and "
Victory" which was prominently featured in the movie
The Gospel
. After ending her long association with
Atlantic Records, They released a greatest hits collection entitled
The Best of Me
in May 2007. Adams signed with
Columbia Records in 2007. Columbia released
What a Wonderful Time
, her second holiday collection in October 2007. "
Hold On" was released as the lead single.
2008-Present
In 2007 after releasing her holiday album with Columbia, She stated in different interviews that she was currently in the planning stages for a new album. Her official website states that it will be a duets project including possible collaborations with
Mary J. Blige,
Alicia Keys,
Natalie Cole,
Trin-i-Tee 5:7, and
Mary Mary. In a interview with Commercial Appeal , Adams stated that
Chaka Khan, and
Shirley Caesar might be on the new project also. In March 2009, she was interview by a FOX station in Houston, where she stated that her women's clothing line and new album is still in progress. The new album is currently untitled, and will be out in the last quarter of the year. She stated that the new album will be full of dance tracks. Adams' may do a secular album in the future.
Adams' song "
Hold On" is included in a compilation in support of Barack Obama's campaign entitled 'Yes We Can: Voices of a Grass Roots Movement'.
Adams performed the National Anthem at the 2009 BCS National Championship game between the #1 University of Florida and #2 University of Oklahoma in Dolphin Stadium (Miami, Florida).
The Yolanda Adams Morning Show
on radio
Adams is the host of
The Yolanda Adams Morning Show
, which currently airs on
Urban Gospel stations owned by
Radio One.
Morning Show
cities and affiliates as of 7/21/2009
| City
| Station [7]
| Frequency
| Notes
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| Atlanta, Georgia
| WPZE
| FM 102.5
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| Augusta, Georgia
| WTHB
| AM 1550 FM 96.9
|
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| Bowman, South Carolina
| WSPX
| FM 94.5
|
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| Charlotte, North Carolina
| WPZS
| FM 100.9
|
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| Charleston, South Carolina
| WTUA
| FM 106.1
|
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| Columbia, South Carolina
| WFMV
| FM 95.3
|
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| Cleveland, Ohio
| WJMO
| AM 1300
|
|
| Columbus, Georgia
| WEAM-FM
| FM 100.7
|
|
| Columbus, Ohio
| WJYD
| FM 106.3
|
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| Florence, South Carolina
| WPDT
| FM 105.1
|
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| Greenville, North Carolina
| WLGT
| FM 98.3
|
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| Houston, Texas
| KROI
| FM 92.1
|
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| Indianapolis, Indiana
| WTLC
| AM 1310
|
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| Meridian, Mississippi
| WHYL
| AM 1450
|
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| Nashville, Tennessee
| WNSG
| AM 800
|
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| New Orleans, Louisiana
| WPRF
| FM 94.9
|
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| New York, New York
| WLIB
| AM 1190
|
|
| Norfolk, Virginia
| WXEZ
| FM 94.1
|
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| Orlando, Florida
| WOKB
| AM 1680
|
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| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| WPPZ
| FM 103.9
|
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| Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
| WNNL
| FM 103.9
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| Richmond, Virginia
| WPZZ
| FM 104.7
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| Rocky Mount, North Carolina
| WEED
| AM 1390
|
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| Sacramento, California
| KRJY
| AM 1240
|
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| Savannah, Georgia
| WSSJ
| FM 100.1
|
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| Summerton, South Carolina
| WLJI
| FM 98.3
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| Starkville, Mississippi
| WAJV
| FM 98.9
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| Washington, D.C.
| WPRS-FM
| FM 104.1
|
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Personal life
In 1997, Yolanda Adams married former
NFL player
Tim Crawford. The couple divorced in August 2004. They had one daughter, Taylor Ayanna, in 2001. Yolanda served as a spokesperson for the FILA Corporation's
Operation Rebound
, a program that addressed the concern of inner city schoolchildren. On October 15, 2008, Yolanda Adams' mother Carolyn Jean Adams died.
Discography
Adams also did a song with her daughter Taylor in April 15, 2009 on her radio show.
Awards
In total, Adams has won four
Grammy Awards, four of the Gospel Music Association's
Dove Awards, one
American Music Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Music Award, and three BET Awards.
References
- Distinguished Alumni
- About TSU > TSU Administration > Office of the President > Welcome
- Yolanda Adams - The Experience
- Yolanda Adams
- Yolanda Adams: ''Mountain High... Valley Low'' Review
- Independent Music Awards - Past Judges
- Yolanda's Music Box