gary mcadams

Blessed with a 3 1/2 octave vocal range, Gary McAdams is considered one of the finest indie vocalists in the country.  A unique God-given talent, combined with 30+ years of performing experience allows Gary to sing with an astonishing combination of range, power, versatility and soulful emotion.  His diverse influences and exposure enable him to authentically perform in a wide variety of musical styles, including Country, Blues, R&B, Rock, Jazz, Gospel and Choral.

Gary’s performance credits include numerous appearances on radio and television as well as Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Billy Bob’s Texas in Ft Worth, TX, Buddy Guy’s Blues Legends, House of Blues & Kingston Mines Blues Club in Chicago, along with several venues in Las Vegas and New Orleans.  He has shared the stage with such artists as Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakum, LeAnn Rimes, Huey Lewis, Ronnie Milsap, Josh Turner & Kansas.

Gary has sung many advertising jingles for regional and national ad campaigns, as well as recording numerous songwriting demos for Nashville and Texas songwriters.  He has appeared on recording projects of his own and other artists.

He is also an accomplished songwriter as well as being an acoustic guitarist.

Biography

Gary was raised in rural Freestone County, Texas, first learning to sing & perform with his musical family and also in the Baptist church.  The incredibly diverse cultural environment of Texas in general, and of Gary's upbringing in particular, greatly influenced his tastes, style and abilities, and not just musically.

Gary's earliest musical influences were his mother, Dorothy McAdams and his older brother David McAdams.  Later, a good friend, Bodie Posey, had a big influence on him as far as performing with confidence and with individuality. 

Gary would consider his biggest vocal influences to be Merle Haggard, George Strait, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Robert Plant, George Jones and Alison Krause. 

Another huge influence of Gary's vocal abilities comes from his experience as an acclaimed young trumpet player. He was trained from an early age in Classical, Choral and Jazz trumpet and became very accomplished.  But, he experienced an accident - requiring dental surgery in his late teens - that made it impossible for him to play ever again.  At that point, he became primarily a vocalist.  However, he began to, and continues to this day, utilize scales and horn-like phrasing/breathing techniques that can be directly traced to his trumpet background. 

Some of Gary's other musical influences include Louis Armstrong, Vince Gill, Tony Rice, Bob Wills, B.B. King, The Beatles, Duke Ellington and Chet Baker.