Alberta Adams

Alberta Adams
Adams performing at Sushi Blues in December 2006
Adams performing at Sushi Blues in December 2006
Background information
Birth nameRoberta Louise Osborn
Also known asThe Queen of the Blues
Born(1917-07-26)July 26, 1917
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 25, 2014(2014-12-25) (aged 97)
Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
GenresDetroit blues, jump blues, Chicago blues
OccupationMusician
InstrumentVocals
Years active1930s-2014
LabelsChess Records, Savoy Records, Cannonball Records, Eastlawn Records
Formerly ofThe Bluesettes

Alberta Adams (July 26, 1917 – December 25, 2014) was an American blues singer.

Raised in Detroit, Michigan, she began performing as a tap dancer and nightclub singer in the 1930s. In 1952, she signed a recording contract with Chess Records and recorded with Red Saunders for the label. She toured with Duke Ellington, Eddie Vinson, Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton, and T-Bone Walker, among others.

In her solo career, she secured a recording contract with the now-defunct Cannonball Records and recorded two albums for them: Born with the Blues (1999) and Say Baby Say (2000). Her 2004 album, I'm on the Move, was released by Eastlawn Records. In 2006 she released the EP Detroit's Queen of the Blues, which was named Outstanding Blues/R&B Recording at the 2006 Detroit Music Awards.[1] At age 91 she recorded Detroit Is My Home, with Ann Rabson and Thornetta Davis.[2][3]

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