Marie Adams (singer)
| Marie Adams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ollie Marie Givens |
| Also known as | Ollie Marie Adams "TV Mama" |
| Born |
October 19, 1925 Linden, Texas, United States |
| Died | February 23, 1998 (aged 72) Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | R&B, gospel, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | c.1950–1980 |
| Labels | Peacock, Capitol |
| Associated acts |
Johnny Otis The Three Tons of Joy |
Marie Adams (born Ollie Marie Givens, October 19, 1925 – February 23, 1998) was an American gospel and R&B singer, who became popular in the 1950s particularly for her work with Johnny Otis.
She was born in Linden, Texas, and when young sang in gospel groups. After marrying, she began performing in Houston as Ollie Marie Adams, later dropping her first name. She made her first recordings for Don Robey's Peacock Records, with Bill Harvey's band. Her single "I'm Gonna Play the Honky Tonks" coupled with "My Search Is Over", with the writing of both songs credited to Robey, reached number 3 on the Billboard R&B chart in mid-1952, becoming the most successful record on Peacock at that point. In all, she released seven singles on Peacock including a cover version of her label-mate Johnny Ace's "My Song".
Adams toured widely in the early 1950s on shows featuring Johnny Ace, Jimmy Forrest, B.B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and Lloyd Price. In 1953, she joined the Johnny Otis band as a featured singer, and moved to Los Angeles. After Johnny Ace's death, she recorded the tribute song, "In Memory", which was regularly played by radio DJ Alan Freed but failed to chart. She toured with Johnny Otis through much of the 1950s, and became a popular live performer, being known as "TV Mama" in recognition of her "wide screen" girth. As a mainstay of the Johnny Otis Revue, she recruited sisters Sadie and Francine McKinley to form The Three Tons of Joy, considered "an appropriate name as the three women weighed around 800 pounds together."
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