Oleta Adams: From Gospel Roots to Pop Stardom with Tears For Fears
Seattle-born Oleta Adams began her career like many soul singers of her generation, singing gospel throughout the ’60s and ’70s.
Her self-financed, self-titled debut album was released in 1982, when she was in her early 30s, followed by Going On Record a year later.
This second album, recorded live, predominantly featured her own compositions, with just two covers: If I Had A Hammer (Peter, Paul and Mary) and The Greatest Love Of All (originally by George Benson, later made famous by Whitney Houston).
Despite her talent, these early records didn’t gain much traction, and Oleta spent the next few years contributing background vocals for other artists.
In 1989, she appeared on Tears For Fears’ most successful album, The Seeds of Love, having been discovered by the band performing at a Kansas City hotel back in 1985.
Joining the band on keyboards and vocals, she sang a duet on Woman In Chains, which became her first hit. Phil Collins played drums on the track, beginning a collaborative relationship that would continue.
During the subsequent world tour, Oleta opened as a solo act before joining the band on stage for the main set.
Roland Orzabal of Tears For Fears went on to produce her next solo album, 1990’s Circle of One.
From this record came her biggest hit, a cover of Brenda Russell’s Get Here, which earned a Grammy nomination.
Interestingly, Get Here became an anthem during the Gulf War, as U.S. soldiers were deployed to Iraq. Many wives back home bought the single and flooded radio stations with requests.
Following the peak of her solo career with Get Here, Oleta Adams continued working as a session singer for numerous acclaimed artists.
Oleta Adams: Post Get Here and a Return to Her Roots
Her next major appearance came in 1991, singing background vocals on Elton John and George Michael’s iconic duet Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.
Two years later, Adams released Evolution (1993), which featured interpretations of classics like Billy Joel’s New York State Of Mind and James Taylor’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight. In 1995, she explored contemporary R&B, combining her own writing with material contributed by others. Though it included Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me in the European edition, the album didn’t match the success of her earlier work.
That same year, a Greatest Hits collection was released, highlighting Get Here, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, and Woman In Chains. It saw modest success, charting at #46 in the Netherlands. She also appeared on Raoul and the Kings of Spain, reuniting with Tears For Fears.
In 1997, Adams returned to her Gospel foundation with Come Walk with Me, which peaked at #4 on the Gospel charts. She continued to release solo albums into the 2000s, including a Christmas record in 2006 and covers like Nina Simone’s Feelin’ Good in 2009.
In 2013, she released Moon River as a single, followed by her final album Third Set in 2017, featuring classics such as Joni Mitchell’s The River and Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In The Wind.
Oleta Adams Tunes | Related Pages
Get Here | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Get Here by Oleta Adams using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, the original recording and covers.
| Csus2 | G/B Amadd2/E |
You can reach me by railway, you can reach me by railway…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Get Here (Oleta Adams) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Oleta Adams on the web
