Adam Wade (singer)
Patrick Henry Wade, known professionally as Adam Wade, (born March 17, 1935) is an American singer, musician and actor. Wade is perhaps most known for his stint as the host of the CBS game show "Musical Chairs" (1975), which noted him as the first Black game show host. Biography. Early life and education. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, to Pauline Simpson and Henry Oliver Wade, Jr., Wade was raised by his grandparents. Wade grew up in the East Liberty neighborhood and attended Westinghouse High School; graduating in 1952. After high school, Wade attended Virginia State University  but dropped out in his sophomore year. Career. After working for a time as a lab assistant with Dr. Jonas Salk on the polio research team, Wade began to pursue a recording career, signing with Coed Records in late 1959. He had his first hit in early 1960 (No. 58) with the song "Ruby", a cover of the hit movie song of 1953. Wade was popular in the early-1960s. In 1961 three of his recordings ("Take Good Care of Her" (No. 7), "As If I Didn't Know" (No. 10) and "The Writing on the Wall" (No. 5)) made the  Top Ten in the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. These songs also made the Top Five of "Billboard"'s Easy Listening survey. Wade released the following albums in the United Kingdom: "Adam and Evening" in 1961 and "Adam Wade One Is A Lonely Number" in 1962. Wade also released an EP in 1960, "And Then Came Adam". "Take Good Care of Her" reached No. 38 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1961. Wade's vocal style was generally compared to that of his contemporary Johnny Mathis. But it was actually a singer from an earlier period, Nat King Cole, who  was his principal influence. In a Connecticut Public Radio interview, Wade said: "My father introduced me to Nat’s music when I was a kid. He was my idol since high school." In 1975, Wade become the first African-American to host a television game show, with the premiere of "Musical Chairs". He starred in a stage production of "Guys and Dolls" in 1978, and hosted the talk show "Mid-Morning LA". In 1979, he co-starred with Della Reese in a production of "Same Time, Next Year". On TV he was seen in the soap operas "The Guiding Light  and Search for Tomorrow", and was a familiar presence on such popular black-oriented sitcoms as "Sanford & Son", "The Jeffersons", "What's Happening!!" and "Good Times". His handsome face lit up the room and allowed his natural mannerism to take over the scene. In the late–1970s and early–1980s Wade began to concentrate on acting, and appeared in several of the so-called blaxploitation movies, including "Gordon's War". Wade briefly returned to recording, producing a self–titled album on the Kirschner record label, which was distributed by Columbia Records. This was a venture into a more soulful singing genre. It  met with moderate success but is still a favorite with his loyal fans. He appeared in one episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard". His latest theatrical appearance was with the 2008 touring company of the play "The Color Purple". Wade and his wife have a music production firm, Songbird, whose headquarters are in New Jersey. Personal life. Wade has been married twice and has three children. Wade's first marriage was to his high school sweetheart Kay A. Wade from 1956 until 1973. Together, they have three children; Sheldon (Ramel) Wade, Patrice Johnson Wade and Michael (Jamel) Wade. Wade has  been married since 1989 to Jeree Wade . They often perform together. Wade revealed in an interview that he met Jeree on the set of "Musical Chairs".