Joe Adams

Joe Adams (April 11, 1924 – July 3, 2018) was an American actor, disc jockey, businessman and manager. He was manager to Ray Charles and won a Golden Globe — the first African-American to do so. Early years Adams was a native of Los Angeles. His father was a Jewish businessman, and his mother was African-American. Career After being told that, because of his race, he should not try for a career in radio, Adams took an indirect route to reach that goal. He went from being a truck driver to being chauffeur and general assistant for Los Angeles radio personality Al Jarvis. After six months, Adams had become Jarvis' assistant producer. Adams was the first African-American announcer on NBC's radio network, handling West Coast jazz remote broadcasts and producing segments of NBC's Monitor program. In 1948, he became a disc jockey and announcer on KOWL radio in Santa Monica, California, and 10 years later he was described in a newspaper article as "the station's top personality and most valuable property".