Brothers James E. “Jimmy” Adams, Jr. (1909-1937) and Robert W. “Wayne” Adams (1912-1986) grew up in Seattle’s Central District. The Adams brothers started playing music as children, with Jimmy on trumpet and Wayne on saxophone. They attended Garfield High School, and both were already accomplished musicians before graduation. Jimmy’s 1927 yearbook entry lists “music” and “Leader of the Band” as his activities. Wayne’s 1930 yearbook gives “Music School” as his future plans, and he is pictured with classmates in the school’s Band photo. In 1926, while still at Garfield, Wayne and Jimmy played in the jazz ensemble “Garfield Ramblers” formed by classmate Evelyn Bundy, already a professional musician herself. After her 1926 graduation, the group became the Evelyn Bundy Band and played in local nightclubs as part of the emerging black jazz scene in the Central District. Jimmy Adams led his own band in Seattle from around 1931, and Wayne Adams joined Earl Whaley's band, leaving Seattle to perform in Shanghai in 1934. Wayne returned to Seattle from Shanghai around 1945, after being held in internment camps by the occupying Japanese Army for several years before the end of World War II.

This photo shows the teenaged brothers in suits and bow ties, with their father, James E. ("Ed") Adams, Sr. (1871-1955), probably outside their home at 1025 Yesler Way. From left to right: Jimmy Adams, James, Sr., and Wayne Adams.

Handwritten on verso: James, Ed, & Wayne, 1928