GREENFIELD — A memorial concert for country music guitarist Gary Adams will be held Greenfield’s McClain High School Auditorium at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 18.
Adams passed away Jan. 7, 2022, at the age of 78 at Adena Greenfield Medical Center following a bout with COVID-19.
Adams, who played with his brothers Don and Arnie in The Adams Boys, was best known as a founding member of George Jones’ touring band, The Jones Boys, and as a member of Johnny Paycheck’s touring band, The Lovemakers. He also played with a number of other country greats including Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins and Ray Price.
“He was a musician in the true sense of the word, and that’s all he has ever done,” his brother, Arnie Adams, said Tuesday. “I tried to get him to work with me before, and it was fun just watching him try because he couldn’t grasp that manual labor.”
The concert will consist of the remaining Adams brothers and other musicians Adams played with throughout his career. Musicians from Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia will perform.
Along with Don and Arnie, Gary Adams was featured on two episodes of “Tales From the Tour Bus”, an animated documentary by Mike Judge that premiered on Cinemax in 2017. In the episodes, Adams and his brothers were animated through a technique known as rotoscoping, and they were featured recounting anecdotes about Johnny Paycheck and George Jones.
Gary Adams was a co-writer, along with Don Adams, of “Baby That’s Love” by Marty Robbins. He also wrote “I’m Getting Tired of Loving You” that was performed by Tony Booth and Darrell McCall. Additionally, he wrote “All American Man” with Johnny Paycheck.
Following his career playing and recording music, Adams settled down in his hometown of Greenfield and started a family with his wife, Barbara, who passed away in 2008. In his later years he played live music regularly with The Southern Memories Band and other artists.
Adams and his brothers will be inducted with Johnny Paycheck into The Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Free tickets for the June 18 memorial concert are available at Sitterle Insurance at 315 Jefferson St. in Greenfield or by messaging Don or Arnie Adams on Facebook.
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
