From:  "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun Sep 26, 2004  2:29 am 
Subject:  This Is My Story : Faye Adams
 
FAYE ADAMS

Born Fay Tuell, 1923, Newark, New Jersey

Fay began her career at age five with two older siblings in the Tuell
Sisters gospel group, regularly appearing on Newark broadcasts.
In 1942 she married Tommy Scruggs, under whose influence she
moved into the direction of secular music. By the early 1950s she
was a staple of the NYC nightclub circuit. Fay Scruggs was very
determined to become a successful singer. For years she haunted
the corridors of the office buildings housing the many small record
companies and song publishers in New York City. It was Ruth Brown
who spotted her while performing in Atlanta and Ruth's encouragement
led to an audition for promoter Phil Moore in his Carnegie Hall office.
Moore immediately became her manager, changed her name to the
more theatrical "Faye Adams", and introduced her to Joe Morris, a
popular rhythm and blues bandleader, who led a successful touring
company known as the "Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade". The Cavalcade's
previous featured singer, Laurie Tate, had recently resigned to raise a
family and Faye was hired as her replacement. Morris was contracted
to Atlantic and recorded one session with Faye for that label in late
1952. The resulting single, the novelty "That's What Makes My Baby
Fat", went nowhere, but, undaunted, Morris felt he had the perfect song
for Faye to record, his own composition "Shake A Hand". His Atlantic
contract had expired and Morris signed with another NYC independent,
Herald Records. The first Herald release by the Morris band was "Shake
A Hand", featuring Faye Adams on vocal with her superb voice. The
record topped the R&B charts for an amazing ten weeks in 1953 and
also crossed over to the pop charts (# 22). It is one of the most power-
ful and recognizable R&B songs of the 1950s. Many other artists have
recorded "Shake A Hand", among them Little Richard, the Mike Pedicin
Quintet (# 71 pop, 1958), LaVern Baker (# 13 R&B, 1960), Ruth Brown
(# 97 pop, 1962) and the duo Jackie Wilson and Linda Hopkins (# 21
R&B, # 42 pop, 1963).

In 1954, Faye managed to score two more chart toppers with "I'll Be
True" (covered by Bill Haley) and "Hurts Me To My Heart". During this
remarkable period, she was billed as "Atomic Adams", a tribute to her
showmanship on stage. By this time Miss Adams had left Morris' s band
and struck out on her own. In 1955 she appeared in the movie "Rhythm
& Blues Revue". She eventually recorded some 30 songs for Herald
before leaving in 1957, to join Imperial Records. But only "Keeper Of
My Heart" on that label made any impression (# 13 R&B in mid-1957).
It would be her final chart entry. Other labels followed in quick succession :
Lido, Warwick, Brunswick, Savoy and Prestige. By 1963 she had retired
from the secular music scene and returned to her gospel roots and family
life in New Jersey. She even refused to discuss her classic R&B sides
during the decades to come.

CD : Faye Adams, The Herald Singles (Collectables, 1990).
Only 14 tracks and the sound quality isn't the greatest, obviously
dubbed fom vinyl. She deserves a better reissue compilation.