Jess Kellie Adams: From the 'table to the stage

In the home of Jess Kellie Adams' grandparents sits a table. It is fairly nondescript to the untrained eye, but in Adams' memories the table is a vivid reminder of her grandfather. "Grandpa, even before I believed in myself as a singer/songwriter, him and Grandma, their belief in me never waivered," said the Texas-born, Ohio-raised, Nashville musician. The table in the Findlay kitchen was a place where Adams' family would gather for breakfast every morning. Her grandfather would say, "Jess, you can write about anything you want! You can write about the fence in the backyard, or you can write about this kitchen table." So she did. Adams is one of three acts set to perform at the Hancock County Fair tonight. The event has been dubbed the Three Home Grown Bands concert. That table, and many other pieces of her life, are the touchstones of the songs Adams creates. She recited an excerpt from a yet-to-debut song: "Bring your worries, bring your doubt, all your days, all your praises. If you're ever in and out, there's a chair with your name. There's space for all of us, cut from maple, made with love. It's never been about what you bring, it's always been about what we share. It's at the heart of everything, all our roots have grown from there, at the table." Telling stories through music Adams said her songs are story driven, in the same vein as Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Reba McEntire and Earl Thomas Conley — country artists she lists as some of her inspirations. Her grandfather would always tell her all the "good old country (songs), they are storytelling." "I'm a storyteller, and a lot of them are Grandpa's stories," she said, crediting him as the reason she is a musician today. "I want everybody to know his heart through my music, I want to carry out his legacy." Eugene "Gene" Adams, locally known as "Hillbilly," died Aug. 2, 2020, before he could see his granddaughter take the stage at the Hancock County Fair. Adams had been scheduled to play the fair that year, before it was canceled due to the pandemic. "It's always been a dream of his to get me on the Hancock County Fair stage," Adams said. "They booked me when he was still with us in 2020, so he at least knows that it was going to happen." Her grandfather's plan was to take out a full page ad in The Courier, announcing to all of his family — as well as his golf and Cooper buddies — that his granddaughter would be performing at the fair. To that end, Adams' family has put up a celebratory sign in their backyard facing the Hillcrest Golf Course. Eugene spent a portion of his youth in Preston, Kentucky, before moving to Portsmouth, Ohio. On Memorial Day weekends he, along with the family, would travel to Kentucky to put flowers on graves. The trip would take them down U.S. 23, also known as the "Country Music Highway," a road famous for the stars who live just off of the various exits. Adams fondly remembers her grandfather telling the whole family, as they transitioned from Ohio to Kentucky, to roll down their windows and "smell that fresh Kentucky air." The chorus of Adams' song of the same name, "Fresh Kentucky Air," goes: "Fresh Kentucky air holds memories I've been needing. ... Where my heart takes time to clear my mind, get back to me dreaming. It's all there, in that fresh Kentucky air." Adams brings a lot of energy and positivity to the stage, saying she likes to get the crowd "yee-hawing." But beyond the hype, she also tries to instill a sense of intimacy. She wants the audience to feel like they are in the Jess Kellie Adams (JKA) family, a term she uses for everyone from her family to her band, the people who follow her on social media, and the crowds she entertains. "I just want to spread love, 'cause that's what Grandpa gave to everybody,'" she said. The concert The other acts performing in the Three Home Grown Bands concert are The Original Reunion Band, a group formed in 1991 to perform at their high school reunion; and Josh Melton, a "preacher's boy" from Findlay. Adams is excited to play the same event as Melton, citing the help he gave her when she first moved to Nashville eight years ago. "It's kind of, like, full circle" she said, now that the two are playing in concert together at the fair. The Three Home Grown Bands concert will begin at 5 p.m. today, starting with The Original Reunion Band. Adams will play at 7 p.m., and Melton will play at 9 p.m. Gates open at 3 p.m., and tickets are $15 per person, in addition to general fair admission. Tickets for both the fair and the concert can be found at the Hancock County TicketSpice web portal or at the gate. Look for a new single from Adams, "Saving Grace," premiering on CMT.com on Tuesday. Bean: 419-427-8420