Eric Grate
Published Author. Semi-Retired Photographer. Successful Barista.
Ralph May will write the forward for The Notorious Adams Boys!
I am pleased to announce that acclaimed country / rock vocalist, and Ohio Country Music Hall Of Fame member, Ralph May has agreed to write the Forward for my upcoming book, "The Notorious Adams Boys!"
Ralph is well known in country music, having performed in the mid 1970s, along side the Adams Boys, with the legendary Johnny Paycheck, as well as on his own with country music superstar Tammy Wynette.
Ralph fronted his first band, Ralph and the MGs, while still in high school and went on to form several other bands over the years, performing in venues all over the country.
Ralph has recorded with major music labels including Ovation, AMI, and Oak Records while landing on the Billboard Country Music Top 100 chart five times between 1981 and 1987 with the songs "Cajun Lady," "In A Stranger's Eyes," "Here Comes That Feeling Again," Angels Get Lonely Too, and "Memory Attack." In 1985, Ralph moved to California where he formed the Ohio River Band, signed with Five Star Productions, and opened shows for major recording artists all over Southern California.
Like the Adams Boys and Johnny Paycheck, Ralph is a native of Greenfield, Ohio. He has known the Adams Boys since the mid 1960s, and while still in high school took guitar lessons from legendary guitarist Gary Adams. He has performed literally hundreds of shows with the Adams Boys over the course of six decades. It is impossible to talk about the Adams Boys without talking about Ralph, because there is no one in the world that knows the Adams Boys better, and understands their musical legacy more than Ralph May.
I have spent many hours with Ralph in person and on the phone discussing the Adams Boys, and I can say without reservation, that Ralph’s insight has been instrumental to this book’s pending success.
Ralph and his lovely wife, Tina, now reside in Washington Court House, Ohio, just up the road from Greenfield, where he is rightfully included among the elite within Greenfield's rich musical heritage.
Ralph, thank you very much for being a part of my book.
Cover Reveal for The Notorious Adams Boys.
I am pleased to reveal the book cover for my upcoming book, The Notorious Adams Boys! The cover was designed by Michelle Grate.
Any revisions made in the future will be minor.
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The Notorious Adams Boys!
With my latest project, I am stepping away from the hardscrabble fiction genre that defined my first two books and stepping into the world of nonfiction with my first biography.
The Notorious Adams Boys! tells the story of a trio of brothers from Greenfield, Ohio, who traveled all over North America and beyond while performing on stage and in the recording studio with some of country music’s biggest stars of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Arnie, Don, and Gary Adams were the heart and soul of the backing bands for two country music legends. From 1962 to 1966, and again from 1979 to 1980, they played with George Jones as "The Jones Boys", and from 1972 to 1976 with Johnny Paycheck as "The Lovemakers".
In a career that spanned from 1960 into the 1990s, the boys also played with Ray Price, Little Jimmy Dickens, Merle Haggard, Ferlin Husky, Stonewall Jackson, Barbara Fairchild, and Marty Robbins.
I am currently doing research for the book by way of interviews with Don Adams, his family, and friends, as well as a multitude of performers, country music insiders, DJs, and fans, and by combing through years’ worth of news articles, videos of their performances, studio recordings, and photo albums. I can’t estimate how many hours I will devote to this book, but I know it will be worth it. The story of The Notorious Adams Boys is a story that needs to be told.
I invite you to stay up-to-date with my progress by checking this page regularly and following me on Facebook and Instagram.
