Known affectionately as TV Mama (the one with the big wide screen), by her colleagues in the Johnny Otis band, singer Marie Adams never aspired to sing professionally. She had to be coaxed by her husband to audition for Houston entrepreneur Don Robey at his record shop. Robey put a copy of Dinah Washington's "Harbor Lights" on the turn- table. "Betcha' can't sing that sonofabitch", Robey playfully goaded his visitor. Not only did Marie convince Robey she could sing "Harbor Lights", she went on to give Robey's label, Peacock, one of its earliest national chart records with "I'm Gonna Play the Honky Tonks" (# 3 R&B). Thus began the recording career of Marie Adams in 1952. Initially she was being billed as Ollie Marie Adams, but by April 1952 she had dropped the Ollie and was simply Marie Adams. Altogether she had seven singles released on Peacock between 1952 and 1955. On her earliest recordings she was backed by the bands of Bill Harvey and Pluma Davis, but starting 1953 she was produced and accompanied by Johnny Otis, who was also contracted to Peacock at that time. Her final Peacock 45 was a tribute to the recently deceased Johnny Ace, "In Memory" (1955). Marie joined the Johnny Otis Revue and relocated to Los Angeles where she recruited sisters Sadie and Francine McKinley to form The Three Tons Of Joy, an appropriate name as the three women weighed around 800 pounds together.
Marie soon became a mainstay of the revue and toured extensively with Otis. But she did not record throughout 1956.
In the summer of 1957 the Johnny Otis Show (as the band was now called) got its first major label deal, when they were signed to Capitol Records. The label showed the strength of its commitment by issuing no less than four singles simultaneously in October 1957, making sure that the various individuals of the revue were all highlighted. Capitol certainly got the reaction they were looking for, albeit not on home territory. By January of 1958, Marie Adams and the Three Tons of Joy found themselves at # 2 on the UK charts, with their version of the oldie "Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me)", overdubbed (by producer Tom Morgan) with some of the wild audience reaction that the Otis Revue had received at the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. As a follow-up to "Ma", EMI rushed out a duet between Marie and Johnny Otis entitled "Bye Bye Baby", which also made the British Top 20. But another hopped-up oldie, "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?" (coupled with the excellent "A Fool In Love"), met with indifference in both the USA and the UK and by the spring of 1960, Marie Adams and the Three Tons of Joy left the Johnny Otis Show to work in and around Los Angeles, managing to pull a good crowd on the strength of their name.
Marie did two solo sessions for small L.A. labels (Sure Play, Encore Artists) in 1962-63. The resulting records went unnoticed. In 1958 there had been attempts to make arrangements for a Johnny Otis tour of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately the draconian rulings then applied to work permits for musicians prevented any chance of a British visit. But in the summer of 1972 Johnny Otis finally visited the UK, with Marie Adams back in the fold. The visit was a triumph for both Otis and Adams. She remained with Johnny Otis for most of the 1970s and then drifted into obscurity. It is unclear how she spent the last two decades of her life, which ended on February 23, 1998. Marie Adams made enough recordings for Peacock (18) to fill a whole CD, but at present (June 2012) such a release does not exist. "I'm Gonna Play the Honky Tonks" is available on several compilations and "I'm Gonna Latch On" was included on the 2-CD Various artists release "Men Are Like Streetcars" (1999), but that's about it where the Peacock material is concerned. Ace Records in the UK released the 26-track CD "The Greatest Johnny Otis Show" in 1998, annotated by Stuart Colman (Ace CDCHD 673). It features eight Capitol tracks by Marie. Three live tracks from a 1958 TV show are available on the CD "The Johnny Otis Show" (Ace 981, 2003). A more recent Ace compilation, "The Johnny Otis Story : Midnight At the Barrelhouse, Vol. 1 1945-57" (2011), has "Ma" and "Bye Bye Baby" among its 25 tracks.
Ma
Marie Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all the fellows knew,
She wouldn't bill and coo:
Ev'ry single night some smart fellow would try
o cuddle up to her, but she would cry:
"Ma, he's making eyes at me!
Ma he's awful nice to me!
I'm beside him, Mercy!
Let his conscience guide him!
Ma, he wants to marry me,
Be my honey bee.
Ev'ry minute he gets bolder,
Now he's leaning on my shoulder,
Ma, he's kissing me!"
Lilly was so good, ev'ry body could tell.
You'd never see her roam,
She'd always stay at home;
All the neighbors knew little Lilly too well.
For when the boys would call, They'd hear her yell:
Ma, he's making eyes at me!
Ma he's awful nice to me!
Ma he's almost breaking my heart,
If you peek in, Can't you see I'm goin' to weaken?
Ma, he wants to marry me,
Be my honey bee.
Ma, I'm meeting with resistance,
I shall holler for assistance,
Ma, he's kissing me!"
The above lyrics are from the song "Ma" by Marie Adams & The Three Tons of Joy. The song describes a young girl named Lilly who is very shy and doesn't like to talk to boys. However, every night, some smart fellow tries to make advances towards her, but she always says no and runs to her mother, asking for help. She is afraid that the boy might break her heart and wants her mother to intervene and stop him. Meanwhile, Lilly's neighbors also know about her reluctance to talk to boys, and whenever a boy comes to visit, they hear her shouting for her mother.
The song highlights the innocence and youthfulness of Lilly, who is not ready for a romantic relationship or to take advances from boys. The lines "Let his conscience guide him" and "Can't you see I'm goin' to weaken?" suggest that Lilly is unsure about how to deal with the boy's advances and needs her mother's guidance. The song also portrays the mother as a protector and guide for her daughter, who will not let anyone come between them.
Overall, "Ma" is a sweet and innocent song that captures the essence of youthfulness and the protective nature of a mother.
Line by Line Meaning
Little Lilly was oh! So silly and shy
Lilly was a timid person who lacked confidence.
And all the fellows knew, She wouldn't bill and coo:
Everyone knew that Lilly would not engage in flirtatious behavior.
Ev'ry single night some smart fellow would try o cuddle up to her, but she would cry:
Every night, a confident man tried to cuddle with Lilly, but she would refuse and cry out for help.
Ma, he's making eyes at me!
Lilly alerts her mother of a man who is showing romantic interest in her.
Ma he's awful nice to me!
Lilly acknowledges that the man is kind to her, but she is still uncomfortable with his advances.
Ma he's almost breaking my heart, I'm beside him, Mercy!
Lilly is torn between her desire for affection and her discomfort with the man's behavior.
Let his conscience guide him!
Lilly urges the man to act based on his moral compass.
Ma, he wants to marry me, Be my honey bee.
The man is proposing marriage to Lilly, but she remains hesitant.
Ev'ry minute he gets bolder, Now he's leaning on my shoulder,
The man continues to escalate his advances, now physically touching Lilly.
Ma, he's kissing me!
Lilly cries out for her mother as the man attempts to kiss her without her consent.
Lilly was so good, ev'ry body could tell.
Lilly had a reputation for being a well-behaved person that everyone in the community knew.
You'd never see her roam, She'd always stay at home;
Lilly was a homebody and did not go out much.
All the neighbors knew little Lilly too well.
Lilly lived in a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other.
For when the boys would call, They'd hear her yell:
Whenever men showed interest in Lilly, she would loudly refuse their advances.
If you peek in, Can't you see I'm goin' to weaken?
Lilly is tempted to give in to the man's advances despite her discomfort.
Ma, I'm meeting with resistance, I shall holler for assistance,
Lilly once again calls out for help as the man persists in his advances.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CON CONRAD, SIDNEY CLARE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gayebrown910
This was such a bit in the 50s we'd never heard anything like it fefore! They are Gorgeous! And those Harmonies!
@trentcooper9975
This is great music 👍
@chrislovell646
I wish this song went on longer,love it
@ddoeser5830
Fijn om te horen lang geleden muziek klonk dikwijls thuis waar ik geboren ben " GEWÉLDIG "❤🇳🇱🙏🌹👋
@tim6836
first record I had still love this an people that's long gone
@wilsalk
When this song came out, in this area of Pa, the song was not played. My brother and i would tune in to the great W.K.B.W.from Buffalo NY., and sooner or later " The Hound" would play this great song, Does anyone else remember that great radio station playing all the hits of the day during that remarkable time for radio and REAL music /
@Petemonster62
Willard Henning - Was WKBW a Rhythm & Blues station?
@Dickneeds
Johnny Otis Show. One of the best all time R&R albums.
@mikepearce8209
The first album I bought. Such memories
@randyhorne1067
What is R&R ?