Gospel artist, actress and syndicated radio show host Yolanda Adams believes we are all entrepreneurs. We are all in the business of success.
Adams is known as the Queen of Contemporary Gospel, having sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. She has been nominated for 14 Grammy awards, won four Grammys, named Billboard Magazine Gospel Artist of the decade 2000-2009, made many TV appearances, and shines in the role of a gospel superstar in the internationally distributed television series, Kingdom Business. But, her talents and ambitions go beyond music and acting. She is an intellectually astute businesswoman with a heart for children, teaching and education.
Her entrepreneurial endeavors include record producing, literary publishing, distributing her personal Yolanda Adams line of jewelry, and this summer, launching the luxury lifestyle brand Lady Banneker. Partnering with the Denver-based Benjamin Banneker Watch and Clock Company, she has produced the first Lady Banneker watch, with more products planned in the future.
“Most people only know me as an artist. I’ve been in business for myself since 1993, and I take business very seriously. As a businesswoman, it is my job to find enterprises and opportunities that we can bless with more awareness and visibility,” explained Adams.
“Our philosophy and impact intent are to always bring to the market products and services that advance humanity. We always create products and services to enhance the lives of our clients,” she added.
Inspired to Share the Gospel
Born in Houston, Texas, Adams is the eldest of six siblings. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Texas Southern University, and worked briefly as a schoolteacher and part-time model.
After transitioning to a full-time career as a lead singer, her first album was recorded in 1987. She has since recorded 12 more.
Her daughter, Taylor Ayanna Crawford, was born in 2001, the same year two albums, “The Experience” and “Believe,” were released. Believe included the hit ‘‘Never Give Up’’ that Adams performed at ‘‘The Salute to Gospel Music’’ at the White House during President George W. Bush’s administration.
In 2002, Adams’ album “Mountain High… Valley Low” peaked at no. 24, remained charted for 54 weeks, and sold more than a million copies in the United States. Believe peaked at no. 42 and “Verity Presents: The Best of Yolanda Adams” sold more than 500,000.
She was dubbed by Variety magazine as the Queen of Urban Gospel, due to her pioneering blend of modern gospel and R&B, infused with a touch of jazz. Among her many accolades, in addition to her Grammy awards and nominations, are an American Music Award, two Soul Train Music Awards, four Dove Awards, 16 Stellar Awards, and seven NAACP Image Awards.
She served as a spokesperson for the FILA Corporation’s Operation Rebound program, which addresses concerns of inner-city school children.
On April 18, 2013, she gave a prayer as the guest chaplain at the U.S. House of Representatives. In introducing her, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, (D-TX) said, “I rise today to celebrate a great American artist. …As was reflected in her prayer, Yolanda Adams through her music, has taught us to embrace God’s grace and mercy, and for those who will listen, to stand in the sunlight of joy as one looks toward the hopefulness of the future.”
In 2016, President Barack Obama presented Adams with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for her volunteer service. She later received the Soul Train Music Awards Lady of Soul Award, and the Grammys on the Hill Awards for philanthropic measures and advocacy for MusiCares Foundation assisting musicians in need.
Adams became co-chair of the Recording Academy’s National Advocacy Committee in 2020.
Ventures into TV, Films, and Books
Adams’ first television appearance was performing as herself in an episode of the series, “In the House,” alongside LL Cool J in 1997. She acted in the role of Karla in an episode of “The Parkers” TV series with leading lady, Mo’Nique, in 2004, and as the voice of The Sun for three episodes of “Blue’s Clues & You” in 2020.
Adams sang and acted in music videos of “Never Give Up” in 2001 and “This Too Shall Pass” in 2005. She also performed on the “Sweating in the Spirit” video, featuring gospel aerobics, strength and Pilates training, and stretching led by Donna Richardson.
Her film career started in 2008 with a feature film musical, Hopeville, where she performed as herself. In 2016, she acted as a gospel singer in the film, The Passion, and as a preacher in the major motion picture, Ride Along 2, alongside Kevin Hart and Ice Cube.
She created “The Yolanda Adams Morning Show,” a radio program based in Philadelphia and heard on stations across the country. Joined by co-host Marcus Wiley, her show was “all about waking up in the sandbox every morning and having F-U-N!” “It’s not a gospel show or an inspirational show, but a versatile overall morning show. I wanted to create a clean alternative morning show for people of faith,” she explained.
In 2010, she authored and released “Points of Power,” a Christian book that encourages living a pure, spirit-filled Christian life. Inspired by the Points of Power segment from The Morning Show, the book explores faith, love, forgiveness, protection, praise, and five more gifts as Adams reveals her own experiences to show how the Bible will enlighten readers and provide understanding to respond positively to life’s challenges.
And then came “Kingdom Business,” a TV series across two seasons, 2022-2023, where Adams is the leading lady for 16 episodes. She portrays gospel superstar Denita Jordan as she oversees a music industry empire and deals with family drama and challenges from business partners and an upstart young singer with a checkered past. The show is viewed by millions, streaming on fuboTV, Bet+ Amazon Channel, Bet+, and BET+ Apple TV channel, and available for download on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Google Play Movies.
A Longtime Banneker Fangirl
This year, as Adams prepares to release a new album and plans a concert tour, she is flexing her entrepreneurial muscles with the launch of Lady Banneker watches. This new venture has its roots in not only her personal history but also Black history.
The products of the Benjamin Banneker Watch and Clock Company honor and preserve the legacy of its namesake. Banneker was a highly accomplished African American in the 1700s, who was a city planner and surveyor of Washington, D.C., astronomer, almanac author, and the first American to build a clock from wood.
Banneker’s legacy inspired company founder and CEO, Derrick M. Holmes, to develop a finely crafted watch and clock line. Each timepiece is designed to stir a sense of responsibility, family obligation, dynasty, and heritage.
“What sets us apart is that our timepieces are exclusive, no two are alike and they contain some exotic wood elements like zebra, red paddock, African maple, Egyptian tiger that come from places all over the world,” said Holmes, who had previously owned and operated an advertising firm with clients such as Coors, NBA, and TWA and founded Marquee Watch Company, featuring the signatures and likenesses of professional athletes.
NFL Hall of Famer Denver Broncos Running back Terrell Davis, Holmes’ cousin, has been with Holmes more than 25 years since Marquee, and is a Benjamin Banneker board member. NBA Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. has also been with watch entrepreneur since the Marquee days, and is president of Banneker watches
The Banneker brand, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, has been well received by diverse customers who are proud to celebrate African American excellence as well as accessorize with stylish, original watches. Celebrity watch lovers like Spike Lee, Denise Nicholas, Snoop Dogg, Brad Pitt, and Tyler Perry can be seen sporting Banneker watches at major events.
Adams happily admitted, “I am the owner and giver of many Banneker timepieces. I love the brand so much that I’ve given away 20-plus watches to my brothers, nephews, and important people in my life. I personally own 12. And I wear them proudly.”
In fact, she is so fond of the brand that she took the time to post about her Bannekers, their packaging and the namesake’s story on Instagram. Holmes and Banneker Vice President and COO Dave Herda saw the Instagram posts, and ascertained they really were from the authentic Adams, so they reached out to say hello and thank her with a few gift watches.
For the past nine years, Adams can be seen with a Banneker on her wrist during most TV appearances.
A Banneker Line for the Ladies
During those years, little did Adams know that Holmes had another watch line in the works, and someday she would have ownership in that new line.
Holmes recalled, “It’s been a little better than 18 years since I came up with the concept of Lady Banneker. It just hit me one day, the whole notion of a watch and clock line with ancillary products made specifically for women.”
“I’ve always thought that Lady Banneker could be quite bigger than Banneker itself, because the nucleus of the African American spending dollar comes mainly from women in Black churches, Greek sororities, female executives, and entertainers,” he added. Adams is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
In 2023, Holmes decided Adams was the perfect partner to bring Lady Banneker to life, so he asked their mutual friend, comedian Michael Colyar, to let her know about the potential partnership.
“She was on the set of Kingdom Business, but eventually called Michael back, saying she wasn’t ignoring him,” Holmes remembered. “He started telling me about how much she loved Banneker. Then, he said, ‘Are you sitting down?’”
Colyar reported that Adams’ answer to the Lady Banneker partnership was: yes, yes, yes, yes.
As Lady Banneker co-founder and CEO, Adams said, “Mr. Holmes could have partnered with anyone in the entertainment and sports world. To be trusted with the name, the history, and the quality of the brand is a responsibility that we take very seriously. We are dedicated to making sure that our expansion brings more respect and awareness of the great product that is Lady Banneker. It is easy to stand behind anything you believe. Lady Banneker is no exception.”
While Holmes will design and produce the watches with the trademark styling that Adams fell in love with, she will have creative control and develop the promotional program. “I’ll get to introduce designs that have been trapped inside me, dying to get out, but she has the last word. I’m here with concepts to support, but Ms. Adams will also contribute designs. It’s going to be her world,” he explained.
She added, “I have an amazing global following that allows me to travel the world experiencing cultures and humanity in various ways. I believe they will embrace Lady Banneker as the luxury brand we’re creating because I am always asked ‘What are you wearing? Who is that by?’ Also, quality is what we stand for at Lady Banneker. My family (fans) knows that we never produce anything we do not use ourselves on a daily basis.”
One of Adams’ favorite Banneker watches is the Black Eagle Baller, that Holmes developed with the late Joe Madison, a former Banneker business partner, national radio show host, and civil rights activist. So, the first Lady Banneker watch is an updated version of that style with both pink and black watch straps. Each watch is labeled as an inaugural collection, limited edition, and becomes a collectible to be handed down from generation to generation. They can be purchased online at LadyBanneker.com
The watch line will start with more affordable options, then add high-end with crystals, and ultra-luxury options with precious gems. As a lifestyle brand, other products will include sunglasses, collector writing pens, colognes, purses, luggage, clothing, and other designer items. Another line will also be developed with clothing and a goal of teaching kids how to tell time.
“Partnering with Banneker and Derrick Holmes to establish and create the luxury lifestyle brand of Lady Banneker is very important to me,” concluded Adams. “Mr. Holmes is a great man who stands wholeheartedly by the Banneker brand, and I’ve seen firsthand his passion for great products and innovations. It was important to me to collaborate with Banneker because of the historical significance of the first innovation in timepiece creation. Benjamin Banneker’s legacy should be taught worldwide to show the determination and ingenuity of what happens when you put genius and purpose together. It is vital now more than ever to share our impeccable history.”
Editor’s Note: To learn more about Lady Banneker and purchase a beautiful new timepiece, visit www.LadyBanneker.com.
