Roger Adams tribute

ROGER ADAMS, THEATRICAL AGENT AND FRIEND
OF GLEN CAMPBELL, DIES AT 69

Roger Rex Adams, the highly respected theatrical agent and well-loved friend who traveled the world with Glen Campbell for 30 years, died on August 10 in Santa Fe, N.M. Mr. Adams had been battling cancer for a number of years. He was born in Warren, Ohio, and would have turned 70 on August 16th.

Jud Strunk, GC and Roger, mid 70s, Click for a larger image.

Mr. Adams is survived by his wife, Joanne Adams; daughter Bridget Adams and her two sons, David Case Tanner and Evan Anthony Bento; son Roger Rex Adams, Jr., his wife Janice Adams and their two daughters, Melissa Adams and Rebecca Adams; son Norman Whitlesey Adams, III and his wife, Laura Adams; Josephine Adams and her son, Ambrose Starr Tuite-Adams; daughter Dora Meza, her husband Oscar Meza and their son, Luis Meza, and daughter, Mayan Meza; the Adams’ beloved housekeeper and friend of 30 years, Maria Huerta; one brother, Norman Whitlesey Adams II; and a sister, Nancy Adams. Another sister, Lucinda Adams, preceded him in death.

Arriving in Hawaii on Glen's first tour, 1968, Click for a larger image.

Mr. Adams’ ancestors were among the earliest settlers of the New World. The family business, Adams Insurance, was established in Warren, Ohio, in 1857. Childhood sweethearts Roger and Joanne Adams met in kindergarten and grew up together. They married in 1952, after Mr. Adams finished basic training in the Army. The young couple lived in Germany for several years, traveling throughout Europe while Mr. Adams served his country. Theirs was a storybook marriage born of a deep love that only strengthened through the years.

Mr. Adams attended Choate School in Wallingford, Conn., and Dennison University in Granville, Ohio. He followed his family tradition in the insurance industry initially, moving his family to California in the late 1950s. He won numerous awards for his success as an insurance agent before a chance meeting with an old friend changed his life and that of his family forever.

The Mardi Gras with Governor Edwin Edwards, 1972, Click for a larger image.

“We were in London and Roger went to get some ice,” Joanne Adams recalls. “He met Jerry Perenchio — who’d gone to college with my brother — on the elevator. Jerry had started his own booking agency and wanted Roger to join him as an agent. That was a huge step for Roger to even contemplate, but eventually Jerry brought him around. We often talked about it through the years. Roger would laugh and say, ‘Thank God some of my ancestors had the kind of spirit that made them get on that big boat and come to America.’ Roger definitely had a pioneer spirit.”

Mr. Adams joined the Jerry Perenchio Agency in 1968 and immediately was assigned to a new artist named Glen Campbell. Three months after they began working together, Campbell celebrated his first number one hit song. From that moment on, Campbell wanted Mr. Adams with him everywhere he went.

Lake Tahoe at Bill Harrah's house, Click for a larger image.

"Roger and Joanne and the kids were like family to me,” Campbell says. “I love Roger like a brother and will miss him every day.”

Campbell, his manager, Stan Schneider, and Mr. Adams became inseparable. They traveled the world together as Glen toured Europe and The Orient, Australia and New Zealand over the years. When the Perenchio Agency and subsequent booking agencies sold or merged, Campbell followed his friend from company to company, eventually landing at the William Morris Agency.

On a Qantas 747 heading for Australia 1986, Click for a larger image.

“Roger and Glen had a symbiotic relationship,” Schneider comments. “He made Glen comfortable. Roger was the funniest man I ever knew. He could make the best of any situation. I think Roger could have gotten along with the devil himself; he was just that kind of guy.”

In addition to his work with Campbell, Mr. Adams represented various other entertainers through the years, including Henry Mancini, Bob Hope, Johnny Mathis and Rich Little.

Mr. Adams lived a full and happy life surrounded by a loving family and loyal friends. He will be greatly missed, but he left behind a legacy of love, laughter and joy.

Family and friends will gather for a memorial service on Thursday, August 29th at 4:00 p.m. at Holy Faith Church, 311 East Palace Ave. in Santa Fe, N.M. “A Celebration of Roger’s Life” will follow at 5:00 p.m. at Bar B at the Paramount Lounge, 331 Sandoval Street.