Oleta Adams

Oleta Adams is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist whose career has been shaped by her Christian faith and her early training in the church. Born Oleta Angela Adams on May 4, 1953, in Seattle, Washington, she was raised in Yakima, Washington, where her father served as a minister at a Baptist church. Her musical foundation was laid in that setting, and by age eleven she was directing and accompanying four choirs.

In the 1970s, Adams moved to Los Angeles to pursue music before relocating to Kansas City, Missouri, on the advice of her vocal coach. Her international breakthrough came through a collaboration with the band Tears for Fears, appearing on their 1989 album The Seeds of Love and on the song "Woman in Chains." Her debut solo album, Circle of One, was released in 1990 and reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It included the hit single "Get Here" and achieved Platinum certification.

Adams released several albums throughout the 1990s, including Evolution (1993), Moving On (1995), and Come Walk with Me (1997). The latter featured the song "Holy Is the Lamb," which earned her a Grammy Award nomination in 1997. Across her career she has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. She married drummer John Cushon in 1994.

Adams has received recognition for her musical contributions, including the Legends Award at the Black Music Honors in 2017 and induction into the American Jazz Walk of Fame in 2019. Her work has also included songs such as "Window of Hope," reflecting the consistent thread of faith that has run through her life and music from her earliest days in the church.