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Frank Adams on his Early Life: Family and First Musical Experiences
In the first of more than 100 interviews with Burgin Mathews, Frank Adams shares some of his earliest memories. Topics include the influence of his father, Oscar W. Adams, Sr., and of his maternal grandmother, Ella Eaton; his first public…
Frank Adams on his Father, Oscar Adams, Sr.
Frank Adams shares memories of his father, Oscar Adams, Sr. An influential and sometimes controversial figure in Birmingham's Black community, the senior Adams was editor and publisher of the Birmingham Reporter newspaper (1906 - 1934); Grand…
Frank Adams on Ingenuity
In this short excerpt, Frank Adams recalls, from his years as a school band director, one parent’s resourceful innovation in the face of limited resources. Recorded by Burgin Mathews on September 9, 2009, in Frank Adams’s office at the Alabama Jazz…
Frank Adams on Music Education in Birmingham's Black Schools (1)
In this excerpt, Adams reflects on his early training in music, including his first informal lessons from his older brother Oscar and his experience in the elementary and high school bands of William Wise Handy and John T. “Fess” Whatley.…
Frank Adams on Music Education in Birmingham's Black Schools (2)
Frank Adams describes the musical culture of Birmingham’s segregated Black schools. In the opening portion of this excerpt, Adams reads from a lecture he was preparing for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, exploring the history of jazz and…
Frank Adams on Returning Home to Birmingham
In 1949, Frank Adams graduated from Howard University. A founding member of the Howard Swingmasters, Adams was active in Washington, D. C.’s music scene and found regular work subbing in a variety of bands, including that of Duke Ellington. In this…
Frank Adams on Trumpeter Joe Guy
In this excerpt, Frank Adams shares memories of trumpeter Joe Guy. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Birmingham-born Guy performed in the bands of Cab Calloway, Lucky Millinder, Coleman Hawkins, Cootie Williams, and others—as well as in the…
Lincoln School Band, 1930s
Lincoln School Band, 1930s. Band director William Wise Handy, nephew of W. C. Handy, is at far left, in black. Frank Adams is in the front row, third student from left, with clarinet.
Tolton Rosser Directs the Birmingham Heritage Band
Dr. Tolton Rosser directs the Birmingham Heritage Band at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame's 1998 induction ceremony, Birmingham, Alabama.