John Adams (drummer)
John Joseph Adams (October 9, 1951 – January 30, 2023) was an American who was regarded as a superfan of the Cleveland Guardians, a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. Adams played his bass drum in the bleacher seats during nearly every Indians (renamed the Guardians after the 2021 season) home game from late August 1973 through 2019, which brought him positive recognition from the Guardians and other organizations. He was involved in two ceremonial first pitches, the Guardians paid for two season tickets for Adams and his drum, and gave away a bobblehead depicting him.
John Adams | |
|---|---|
Adams in 2020 | |
| Born | October 9, 1951 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 30, 2023 (aged 71) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Education | Cleveland State University |
| Years active | 1973–2019 |
| Known for | Drumming at Cleveland Guardians games |
| Spouse | Kathleen Murray (m. 1978, divorced) |
Drumming
Adams first drummed at an Indians game on August 24, 1973, at Cleveland Stadium.[1] 21 years old at the time,[2] he stated that he brought his bass drum to that first game because he wanted to add to the noise of "seat banging", a tradition at Cleveland Stadium in which fans would bang the swivel seat of their chairs against the chair's base during tense moments in the game.[3] But Adams preferred to sit in the bleachers, where there were no seats to bang.[3]
During the game, Bob Sudyk, a reporter for the Cleveland Press, interviewed Adams and asked if he was going to drum again at the following game. Adams said no, but Sudyk wrote in his article that he would. According to Adams, "not to make a liar out of Bob, I showed up with my drum, and then I came to the next game and the next game and the next game."[4] The Indians' promotions director at the time, Jackie York, also approached Adams and asked him to play at every game. Adams formally declined but continued to attend games with his drum.[5]
From then on, Adams sat in the highest bleacher seat in left-center field with his bass drum; through the 2019 season, he missed only about 45 home games in 47 seasons.[6] Adams played at Cleveland Stadium until October 1993, when the Indians played their last game there.[7] The following spring he moved with the team to its new ballpark, Jacobs Field (renamed Progressive Field in 2008).[8] Adams played the drum at his 3,000th game on April 27, 2011.[4]
Adams continued to use the same 26-inch (66 cm)-wide bass drum he began with in 1973. He stated that he bought it earlier on the same day he began bringing it to games, as part of a set for $25 either at a garage sale or through a "swap-and-shop publication." It had the same head on the side of the drum that Adams does not beat, but Adams stated that he would replace the other side about twice a year and also go through about three sets of mallets each year.[9] During games, Adams tended to drum at particular moments: when the Indians took the field at the beginning of the game, if the Indians had runners in scoring position, if the Indians were tied or trailing near the end of the game, or if they were winning at the top of the ninth inning.[1] Because of his drumming, Adams became a celebrity and he was nicknamed Big Chief Boom-Boom by Indians radio announcer Herb Score.[1]
Adams drummed until the end of the 2019 season. No fans could attend any major league games during the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to health issues, Adams was unable to attend any games in 2021 or 2022, the last seasons during his lifetime.[10][11]
Recognition
Adams was recognized by the Cleveland Guardians and other organizations for his long commitment to the team. On October 4, 2007, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Indians' first game in the 2007 American League Division Series, against the New York Yankees.[12] After Adams drummed at his 3,000th game on April 27, 2011, the Indians celebrated it the following Saturday, on April 30, 2011, by incorporating Adams in the ceremonial first pitch and putting on a pregame parade featuring Adams's fellow Indians fans carrying bongos, snares, and plastic toy drums.[5][13] For the ceremonial first pitch, Adams swung at the ball with his drum from home plate after it was thrown by former Indians player Joe Charboneau.[5] On August 24, 2022, the 49-year anniversary of when he started drumming at Cleveland baseball games, the team—now renamed the Guardians—announced that Adams had been inducted into the Cleveland Guardians Distinguished Hall of Fame, and that a bronze replica of his drum, attached to his seat, would be on display in their stadium.[14]
By 2009, the team paid for two season tickets for Adams and his drum, though Adams bought two additional season tickets himself.[7] In 2006, the Indians gave out bobblehead dolls depicting Adams.[2]
In 2008, he won the Hilda Award, which is awarded annually by The Baseball Reliquary "to recognize distinguished service to the game by a baseball fan" and is named in memory of Hilda Chester, a dedicated fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers.[15][16] In April 2012, Great Lakes Brewing Company, a Cleveland-based brewery and brewpub, released a product called Rally Drum Red Ale in honor of Adams and Opening Day.[17]
Adams also had a plaque located by his seat, on which he was described as the team's "#1 Fan".[18]
Personal life and death
John Joseph Adams was born in Cleveland in 1951.[19] He attended both Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and Parma Senior High School in Parma, Ohio, where he played bass drum in band before graduating from high school in 1969.[20] In 1975, he graduated from Cleveland State University.[19][20] Three years later, he married Kathleen Murray, who he met at a game; they later divorced.[19]
Adams worked on computer systems for AT&T until being laid off in October 2016.[18] In 1978, he began volunteering at Cleveland State University, where he taught an aquatics class for people with disabilities.[9][21] Adams also volunteered his time as a member of the Kiwanis service club and the community emergency response team in his hometown and taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation and water safety.[21] He lived in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville, Ohio.[21]
Adams suffered from health issues beginning in December 2020, including emergency triple bypass surgery and thyroid issues.[10] He died in Cleveland on January 30, 2023, at age 71.[19][22]
References
- ^ a b c Caldwell, Dave (September 9, 2007). "Heart of Indians Baseball Beats From the Cheap Seats". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ a b Bare, Andrew (July 19, 2006). . MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ a b Noleff, George (April 5, 2012). . WEWS-TV. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Meisel, Zack (April 27, 2011). "Indians march to beat of Adams' drum". MLB.com. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- ^ a b c Garrett, Amanda (May 1, 2011). "Drummer John Adams doesn't miss a beat with his chance at the plate". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
- ^ McIntyre, Michael (December 6, 2016). "Cleveland Indians drummer John Adams loses day job during World Series, but keeps the beat". Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Crump, Sarah (June 6, 2009). "Pound for pound, there's no greater Tribe fan around: Sarah Crump's My Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Starkey, Mike (January 11, 2008). "Cleveland Indians formally announce naming rights sold to Progressive Insurance". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
- ^ a b Heaton, Michael (April 5, 2010). "Drummer John Adams says Cleveland Indians fans can't be beat". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ^ a b "Longtime Cleveland Indians drummer John Adams will miss start of season due to health issues". March 12, 2021.
- ^ Withers, Tom (August 24, 2022). "Guardians honor drummer Adams with Hall of Fame induction". The Middletown Press. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ Briggs, Dave (October 5, 2007). "Tribe superfan Adams throws first pitch". MLB.com. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
- ^ "John Adams drumline". MLB.com. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ Cleveland Guardians [@CleGuardians] (August 24, 2022). "The heartbeat of Progressive Field has been forever immortalized at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario" (Tweet). Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ McIntyre, Michael (June 2, 2010). "Nun Better at supporting the Tribe than Sister Mary Assumpta". Cleveland.com. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ . The Baseball Reliquary, Inc. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ Steer, Jen (April 2, 2012). . WEWSTV. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ a b McIntyre, Michael (December 6, 2016). "Cleveland Indians drummer John Adams loses day job during World Series, but keeps the beat". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Sandomir, Richard (February 1, 2023). "John Adams, Who Banged His Drum Loudly in Cleveland, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Remembering John Adams (1951-2023)". Cleveland State University. January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c Sladek, Jon (April 26, 2010). "Cleveland Indians superfan keeps beat going for 37th year". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
- ^ Hoynes, Paul (January 30, 2023). "John Adams, Cleveland Guardians drummer, passes away at 71". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
External links
- Cleveland Guardians pay tribute to John Adams in video – commemorative coverage of Adams drumming for 48 years