Photo courtesy of Yolanda Adams Twitter
Happy birthday to Yolanda Adams, born August 27 1961!
Happy birthday to Yolanda Adams, born August 27 1961!
Raised as the oldest of six siblings in Houston, Texas, Adams grew up in a household where she was exposed to musical influences ranging from Classical to Gospel to Motown. She sang throughout her teen years and continued performing on weekends following her graduation from college even as she began a career teaching elementary school. Soon she began to garner significant note as a singer and made the decision to give up teaching to perform full-time. Her work as the lead singer of the Southeast Inspirational Choir attracted the attention of Thomas Whitfield and Sound of Gospel Records, for which she recorded her debut album Just As I Am in 1988. Her strong, soulful voice and striking beauty scored quickly with Gospel audiences, and the debut hit the Gospel top 10. She moved to Tribute Records in 1990 and began a string of top 10 Gospel albums that made her a staple on Gospel radio and awards shows, though with little crossover to pop or urban radio.