Adam Wade
Encyclopedia
Adam Wade is an American
singer
, drummer
and television
actor
. He is noted for his stint as the host of the CBS
game show
Musical Chairs, which made him the first African-American game show host.
with Dr. Jonas Salk
on the polio research team. He wanted to pursue a recording
career and signed with Coed Records
in late 1959. He had his first major hit
with a song
called "Ruby" in early 1960, a cover
of the hit movie
song of 1953. Wade was popular in the early 1960s with vocal
styling similar to that of Johnny Mathis
. In 1961 three of Wade's songs ("Take Good Care of Her" (#7), "As If I Didn't Know" (#10) and "The Writing on the Wall" (#5) made the Top Ten in the Billboard Hot 100
chart
. These songs also made the Top Five of Billboards Easy Listening (later Adult Contemporary) survey. In addition, "Take Good Care of Her" reached #38 in the UK Singles Chart
in June 1961.
In 1975, Wade become the first African-American to host a television game show
, with the premiere of Musical Chairs. He starred in the production Guys and Dolls in 1978, and hosted the talk show Mid-Morning LA.
movies
, including Gordon's War
. He briefly returned to recording, producing a self-titled album
on the Kirschner record label
. This was a venture into a more soulful singing genre. It met with moderate success and is still a favorite with his loyal fans. His latest theatrical appearance was with the 2008 touring company of the play The Color Purple
. Wade and his wife have a music production firm, 'Songbird' whose headquarters are in New Jersey
. He can also be seen quite frequently on national television as a co-pitchman in a television commercial for the Colonial Penn
Life Insurance Company.
Wade has been married since 1989 to Jeree Wade, an entertainer. They often perform together.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is noted for his stint as the host of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Musical Chairs, which made him the first African-American game show host.
Early career
Wade worked for a time as a lab assistantLaboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
with Dr. Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk
Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist, best known for his discovery and development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine. He was born in New York City to parents from Ashkenazi Jewish Russian immigrant families...
on the polio research team. He wanted to pursue a recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
career and signed with Coed Records
Coed Records
George Paxton and Marvin Cane formed Coed Records, Inc. in New York City in 1958, and had offices at 1619 Broadway in the Brill Building. George Paxton produced many of the songs on this label, most of which were of the East Coast Doo-wop group style, and some of these became hit songs of the day...
in late 1959. He had his first major hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
with a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
called "Ruby" in early 1960, a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the hit movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
song of 1953. Wade was popular in the early 1960s with vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
styling similar to that of Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
. In 1961 three of Wade's songs ("Take Good Care of Her" (#7), "As If I Didn't Know" (#10) and "The Writing on the Wall" (#5) made the Top Ten in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. These songs also made the Top Five of Billboards Easy Listening (later Adult Contemporary) survey. In addition, "Take Good Care of Her" reached #38 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in June 1961.
In 1975, Wade become the first African-American to host a television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, with the premiere of Musical Chairs. He starred in the production Guys and Dolls in 1978, and hosted the talk show Mid-Morning LA.
1970 to the present
In the late 1970s and early 1980s Wade began to concentrate on acting, and appeared in several of the so-called blaxploitationBlaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, including Gordon's War
Gordon's War
Gordon's War is a 1973 action film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis. It stars Paul Winfield as Gordon Hudson.-Synopsis:...
. He briefly returned to recording, producing a self-titled album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
on the Kirschner record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. This was a venture into a more soulful singing genre. It met with moderate success and is still a favorite with his loyal fans. His latest theatrical appearance was with the 2008 touring company of the play The Color Purple
The Color Purple
The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. It received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction...
. Wade and his wife have a music production firm, 'Songbird' whose headquarters are in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He can also be seen quite frequently on national television as a co-pitchman in a television commercial for the Colonial Penn
Colonial Penn
Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based life insurance company owned by Conseco. Colonial Penn's marketing campaign is aimed at people between the age of 50 and 85, specializing in Guaranteed Acceptance Whole Life Insurance...
Life Insurance Company.
Personal
Wade was married 1956-1973 to Kay Wade, with whom he had 3 children:- Sheldon (1956) - now known as Ramel Wade
- Patrice (1957) - now known as Patrice Wade Johnson
- Michael (1960) - now known as Jamel Wade
Wade has been married since 1989 to Jeree Wade, an entertainer. They often perform together.