Carr's Beach in Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Hoppy Adams & WANN
"Tonight! Tonight! Tonight!"
- Hoppy Adams Tagline on WANN, 1190 AM
Born in 1926 to Ruby Loretta Queen Adams and Charles Walter Adams, Sr. in Parole, Charles "Hoppy" Adams was a DJ on radio station WANN (1190-AM) for four decades.
According to Rev. John T. Chambers, Hoppy Adams got his nickname from a "bum leg." Early on, Chambers took Adams under his wing and trained him to cut hair. Adams quickly moved from the barber shop to driving a cab and eventually owned a taxicab company.
But it was Morris Blum, son of Jewish immigrants, who started the WANN radio station in 1946, who hired Adams in 1951 to spin records on Blum's station.
Blum's radio format, "Bach to Bee-bop" wasn't initially successful. After Blum turned to gospel and, in service to a large and underserved African-American audience, played what was then known as "race music," including James Brown, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, the Drifters, the Coasters and the Shirelles, Blum's WANN found huge success.
On Sunday afternoons, DJ Hoppy Adams would host weekly events at Carr's Beach, drawing thousands of African-American listeners in person and
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Unlike the rest of American society in the Jim Crow era, radio signals weren't segregated, solidifying a broad audience that included young white kids who would adapt the style of music into rock-n-roll.
With 50,000 watts of power, the station's influence was felt in an area that stretched from the Eastern Shore to Baltimore and Washington and sometimes as far west as Ohio.
Adams died in 2005 at the age of 79 but his work continues today through the Hoppy Adams Foundation (www.hoppyadams.org), offering scholarship to students "to fulfill the vision of Hoppy Adams, which is to ensure that a positive atmosphere is created where students experience a sense of belonging, positive self esteem and inspiring them to see the positive impact they can have on their community with our assistance."
[Captions:]
Hoppy Adams in studio. WANN Radio Station Archives/Smithsonian Institution
WANN beach broadcast with Hoppy Adams. Courtesy Thomas Baden Collection, Banneker-Douglass Museum.
Four women in front of Hoppy Adams' car, 1956. WANN Radio Station Archives. Smithsonian Institution.
At WANN (undated): Morris Blum with Richard Sims.
An undated advertising prospectus
"The Teenagers" performed in August 1956. Courtesy Banneker-Douglass Museum.
Hoppy Adams (left) with two musicians at Carr's Beach c. 1950s Photo courtesy Thomas Baden Collection, Banneker-Douglass Museum.
Hoppy Adams warms up the crowd during Sunday broadcast at Carr's Beach.
"Bandstand on the Beach," Carr's Beach was a stop on the Chitlin' Circuit that catered to African American artists and audiences. Courtesy Thomas Baden Collection, Banneker-Douglass Museum.
Topics.
Location. 38° 57.717′ N, 76° 28.481′ W. Marker is in Annapolis, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. It is in Carr's Beach. It is on Bembe Beach Road south of Bay Front Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7131 Bembe Beach Rd, Annapolis MD 21403, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A History of 'The Beach' (a few steps from this marker); Carr's and Sparrow's Beach (a few steps from this marker); Chitlin' Circuit (a few steps from this marker); CBOS Buoy - Smart Buoys to Save the Bay (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Skipjack Lydia D (about 700 feet away); Carr's Beach (approx. half a mile away); From this spot, you can see 1998 - Annapolis: America's Sailing Capital (approx. half a mile away); Oysters: Vital to the Lifeline of the Chesapeake (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Annapolis.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 86 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
