Indians legendary drummer John Adams dies at 71
Jan. 30—John Adams, who for nearly 50 years faithfully pounded his bass drum in the bleachers of two stadiums to rally the Indians and their fans, has died.
The Guardians made the announcement on Twitter the morning of Jan. 30. By late afternoon, the message and accompanying video had been viewed more than 1.7 million times.
"It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of John Adams," the tweet reads. "John has been with us since our time at Cleveland Municipal (Stadium), banging his drum for nearly 50 years, bringing joy to our fans and players alike. John, you will be missed, but your legacy lives on forever."
Adams was 71. He had been battling health issues for more than two years and finally lost the fight. His ailments left him confined to a wheelchair and prevented him from attending games in 2021 or 2022. But even as his condition deteriorated, he never gave up hope that he would get a chance to bang his drum again at Progressive Field. He never had the chance to see his team as the Guardians in person.
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of John Adams.
John has been with us since our time at Cleveland Municipal, banging his drum for nearly 50 years, bringing joy to fans and players alike.
John, you will be missed but your legacy will live on forever. pic.twitter.com/GQ9sUt2L6f
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) January 30, 2023
On Aug. 24 of last year, 49 years to the day he first took his drum to old Cleveland Stadium, the Guardians inducted Adams into the franchise's Distinguished Hall of Fame — a tribute reserved for non-uniform personnel only. Adams is one of only 12 people to receive the honor. The Guardians surprised him with the announcement during a visit to the healthcare center in Fairview Park where Adams resided.
"It doesn't seem real, because it's me," Adams said in a phone interview with The News-Herald that day. "I was truly surprised. I thought they were just going to make a video of me talking about my anniversary. Instead, it was an incredible event. I was astonished.
"I'm working on getting my strength up. My goal is to get back down there and be back in the bleachers as soon as I can."
Adams liked to tell the story of how he and his drum became part of the legacy of Cleveland Indians baseball. He wanted to sit in the bleachers, but he knew he would miss banging the chipped yellow empty seat next to him.
"Every kid in Cleveland grew up a seat banger when the seats were iron and wood, not plastic," Adams said in the interview last summer. "There were no seats to bang in the bleachers. I wasn't going to use my drums, so I bought a drum set for $25. I took the bass drum to the game.
"I always sat at the bottom of the bleachers. This group of students from East Tech showed up on Date Night. They said, 'You're not going to hit that, are you?' I thought, 'Oh well, I guess, I won't be able to use it.'
"A guy was making a beer and food run to the top of the bleachers in section 55. He said, 'Come on up with us. You won't bother anybody up here.' I went up and played."
It might have been a one-night stand had a Cleveland Press photographer not snapped a picture of Adams and Bob Sudyk, the Indians beat writer for The Press, tracking Adams down for a story.
The attendance on Aug. 24, 1973, the night Adams made his first of what would turn out to be more than 3,700 appearances, was 5,736 fans (side note: without gimmicks to speed up play, the game duration was 2 hours, 37 minutes). The Indians won, 11-5, behind a complete game by starting pitcher Tommy Timmermann and two two-run home runs by Frank Duffy.
Despite winning, the Indians were left in the AL Central cellar at 53-75. Sudyk was happy Adams provided him an opportunity to write about something unique rather than rehash the 130th game of a last-place team.
"He asked me, 'Are you going to be at the game Tuesday night?' I said, 'I don't think so.' So he wrote in the Tuesday paper, 'If you want to hear the drum, come down tonight.' I didn't want him to make me look like a liar, so I showed up. And I was there the next night, the next night and the next night."
Adams said he missed only 47 games in 48 years. He banged his drum during Len Barker's perfect game in 1981, three World Series, 11 playoff series and three All-Star games.
The Guardians organization commissioned local sculptor David Deming to create a bronze replica drum affixed to Adams' actual Progressive Field bleacher bench. The John Adams drum bench is a permanent installation on the top level of Heritage Park.
