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Yolanda Adams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Yolanda Adams | |
|---|---|
 Yolanda Adams performing at the White House in February 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Yolanda Yvette Adams |
| Born | August 27, 1961 |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genre(s) | Gospel, R&B, Pop, Adult Contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1987 – present |
| Label(s) | Sound of Gospel (1988), Tribute/Benson (1991-1996), Verity (1996-1998), Elektra (1998-2004), Atlantic (2004-2007), Columbia (2007-present) |
| Website | YolandaAdams.org |
Yolanda Adams (born Yolanda Yvette Adams, on August 27, 1961) is an American Gospel music singer and radio show host.
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The oldest of six siblings, Adams was raised in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Sterling High School in Houston in 1979.[1] After graduating from Texas Southern University, she began a career as a schoolteacher and part-time model in Houston, Texas. [2][3] Eventually she gave up teaching to perform full-time as a lead singer.
Adams attracted the attention of Thomas Whitfield and Sound of Gospel Records as a lead singer in the Southeast Inspirational Choir. She signed a recording contract with Sound of Gospel which yielded her first album Just As I Am in 1987. [4] In 1990, she signed to Ben Tankard's independent label Tribute Records and released Through The Storm.
Two years later, Adams followed with Save the World. Her next release was 1995's More Than A Melody, which featured production work from Ben Tankard, O'Landa Draper, and BeBe Winans. The single Gotta Have Love, from that album featuring Tony Terry on background vocals, gained mainstream notoriety and was her first single and music video. Yolanda... Live In Washington, released the following year, featured versions of material from her first two albums. The footage from his was recording was released as a collection of two videos on VHS initially, and later as a single set on DVD.
Songs from the Heart was her final release for Verity Records and included Only Believe and God Will Take Care of You, both of which were popular songs on contemporary radio. The album included Still I Rise, a dedication to Rosa Parks which was inspired by the Maya Angelou poem of the same name.
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More about Fragile Heart
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Adams first significant attention outside of the urban contemporary gospel arena came with the release of Mountain High... Valley Low in 1999 on Elektra Records. Several mainstream artists and producers helped in the production of this album including producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men), James "Big Jim" Wright (Mariah Carey, Nicole C. Mullen), Warryn Campbell (Mary Mary, Brandy), and Keith Thomas (BeBe & CeCe Winans). Popular singles from the album include Time to Change, Yeah, and Fragile Heart. Open My Heart, the biggest single from the album, received heavy airplay on Urban Adult Contemporary radio stations and was Adams' first top 5 R&B and top 40 Pop hit.[citation needed] It remained on the Billboard magazine music charts for over a year and was instrumental in Adams first major award win (1999 Grammy award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album).[citation needed]
In 2000, Adams released a Christmas album, and in 2001 she released a live album (The Experience). The Experience netted Adams a second Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Believe, released later in 2001, was featured in the independent film Honey.
Day By Day, released in 2005, featured the singles This Too Shall Pass and Victory. Victory was prominently featured in the movie The Gospel.
Atlantic Records released a greatest hits collection entitled The Best of Me.
Adams signed with Columbia Records in 2007. Columbia released What a Wonderful Time, a holiday collection produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and James "Big Jim" Wright, in October 2007.
There are reports of a 2008 studio release entitled Intimacy. [6]
| The Yolanda Adams Morning Show | |
| Genre | Comedy, Talk, Urban contemporary gospel |
| Running time | 4 hours (approximately) |
| Country |  United States |
| Starring | Yolanda Adams |
Adams is the host of The Yolanda Adams Morning Show which currently airs on Urban Gospel stations owned by Radio One.
| City | Station | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk, Virginia | WXEZ | FM 94.1 | |
Adams sang the national anthem at the 2007 AFC Championship game and made an appearance on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[citation needed] She also recently appeared on NBC’s talent show America's Got Talent practicing with Bianca Ryan.[citation needed]
In 1997, Adams married former NFL player Tim Crawford, however, in August 2004, the couple divorced. They had one daughter, Taylor Ayanna, in 2001.
Adams' served as a spokesperson for the FILA Corporation's Operation Rebound, a program that addressed the concern of inner city schoolchildren.
In 2007, she will also debut her new clothing line.
''Just As I Am''
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''Through The Storm''
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''Save the World''
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''More Than A Melody''
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''Yolanda... Live In Washington''
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''Songs from the Heart''
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''Mountain High... Valley Low''
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''Christmas With Yolanda Adams''
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The Experience''
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| ''Believe'' |
''Day By Day''
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''What a Wonderful Time''
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''The Best of Yolanda Adams''
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- Won Four Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards
| Year | Category | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Traditional Gospel Album of the Year | "Through The Storm" |
| 1992 | Traditional Gospel Song of the Year | "Through The Storm" |
| 1999 | Traditional Gospel Song of the Year | "Is Your All on the Altar" |
| 2005 | Special Event CD of the Year | The Passion of the Christ (song: "How Many Lashes") |
- Won Seven NAACP Image Awards
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Outstanding Gospel Artist, Contemporary |
| 2001 | Outstanding Song for "Open My Heart" |
| 2001 | Outstanding Gospel Artist, Contemporary |
| 2001 | Outstanding Female Artist |
| 2001 | Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series or Special - Soul Train Awards |
| 2002 | Outstanding Gospel Artist, Contemporary |
| 2006 | Outstanding Gospel Artist |
- Won Four Grammy Awards
| Year | Category | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | Mountain High... Valley Low |
| 2001 | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | The Experience |
| 2005 | Best Gospel Song | "Be Blessed" from Day By Day |
| 2006 | Best Gospel Performance | "Victory" from Day By Day & The Gospel Soundtrack |
- Won One American Music Award
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Contemporary/Inspirational Artist Note: first artist to win in this category |
- Won One Soul Train Music Award
| Year | Category | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Best R&B Soul Single, Female | "Open My Heart" |
- Won Three BET Awards
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Best Gospel Artist |
| 2002 | Best Gospel Artist |
| 2003 | Best Gospel Artist |
- ^ Distinguished Alumni. Houston Independent School District.
- ^ About TSU > TSU Administration > Office of the President > Welcome. Texas Southern University (June 29, 2006).
- ^ Yolanda Adams - The Experience. GospelCity.com (April 23, 2001).
- ^ Yolanda Adams. CBN Music. Retrieved on February 20, 2008.
- ^ Yolanda Adams: Mountain High... Valley Low Review. GospelFlava.com. Retrieved on February 20, 2007.
- ^ BET's Celebration of Gospel Takes You Higher. The Urban Network (January 26, 2007).
- ^ a b c www.riaa.com
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since November 2007 | 1961 births | Living people | American Christians | Performers of Christian music | American gospel singers | Columbia Records artists | People from Houston | Grammy Award winners | The First Cathedral | American radio personalities | Texas Southern University alumni