Last Updated 1/25/98

Charlies' Biography

Charlie began playing drums at the age of 13 after he bought a red snare drum for fifty cents. For Adams, the drums represent both a physical and a creative instrument. There is a great power in playing an instrument that requires such physical prowess, but there is grace and delicacy involved as well. He soon went on to study with Bob Tilles and Phil Stanger of Chicago and played a concert series with Don Ellis and Stan Kenton while attending college. He also played in the college jazz band, the symphony orchestra and the marching band. With his diverse musical training and basic sense of balance and timing, Charlie knows when to add frills and when to keep it down to bare bones.

When you see him play you are reminded of a true jazz musician and a great rock-n-roll drummer.

From Chicago he headed to Minneapolis-St. Paul where he studied with Marv Dahlgren, principal percussionist for the Minnesota symphony. He formed the rock band Chameleon and developed his own record label, Platinum Records. Chameleon made Billboard charts and was renowned for Charlie's evolving, upside-down drum set, which he played in live concerts and on MTV. Chameleon toured extensively (sponsored by the Miller Brewing Co.) performing up to 280 one-nighters a year.

Adams then moved to Los Angeles where he joined his colleague and former Chameleonite, Yanni. Together they have recorded nine CD's, on which Charlie played and wrote percussion and drums, and did drum programming. In addition, he was assistant engineer for these projects. He also collaborated with Yanni as movie consultant and supervisor and drummer on the soundtracks of various motion pictures. Their music has also been used extensively by all of the major television networks' sports programming, including the Superbowl, Wide World of Sports, U.S. Open, Tour De France, World Figure Skating Championships, The Olympics, and ABC News. He wrote the drum and percussion parts, did drum programming, was assistant engineer and did all the movie research with his movie library, which consists of over 4,000 titles (Charlie loves the oldies). Also, while in Los Angeles, he studied with Ed Shaughneesy of the Johnny Carson Tonight Show fame.

Charlie has completed eight major concert tours with Yanni and they have completed their first World tour, which included Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada and Europe. Yanni's In My Time and Dare To Dream CD's have gone platinum and Reflections Of Passion and their last CD together, Live At The Acropolis have reached double platinum status. Their video Live At The Acropolis has also gone platinum and has played on PBS, where it set many pledge drive records. Their last video together, which was recorded live at The Royal Albert Hall in London in November of 1995 , was released in February 1997.

Charlie lives outside of Nashville, where he teaches drum lessons and tours doing drum clinics and seminars. "Aside from being a great musician, one of Charlie's best qualities is his loyalty and devotion to a project" says Yanni. "Charlie gives 100% of himself to whatever he does." "Music and my family are my life," says Adams,"I didn't get into this business to show up for sessions and gigs, collect my pay and go home. I got into this to play and create and experiment. I consider any of the things I do a major part of my career."

"I'm a composer, a producer, a musician, a performer, a husband, and a father. I'll never consider myself just a drummer."

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© 1997, 1998 Copyright, D,L,J & Jordan Zutski, Charlie Adams, and Plain James. All rights reserved. No reproduction without prior authorization.