Any Time, Any Place: Interviste with Gary Adkins
Japan has long been a place of good taste – a bastion where music scenes and subcultures often live their strongest lives outside their country of origin. Throughout the early 2000s, as vinyl collections were being dumped en masse across the world, Japanese dealers and archivists frequently travelled to musical meccas like New York City and London, buying entire sections of record stores for as little as fifty cents a piece. While most of the world moved on, Japan's used record market became the antithesis of an industry in decline – preserving historical music at staggering scale on what is, in our admittedly biased view, its most faithful medium.
But there wasn’t just preservation on the demand side. There were still people fighting the good fight on the supply side too – labels insistent on putting new music onto vinyl in a world increasingly dominated by CDs and, later, purely digital listening. In the 1990s alone, this protest took many forms: Warp Records documenting emerging Electronica movements; Strictly Rhythm continuing a steady supply of club-ready 12”s; Rawkus keeping Hip-Hop paired to its native format under the Jive umbrella; and Sub Pop ensuring regional scenes like Seattle’s Grunge still had a vinyl footprint, even when industry trends said otherwise.
Image: Ralph Tee of Expansion Records with Quincy Jones (circa 1990)
It was through this formula that I discovered Gary Adkins and his Rockin’ You Tonight EP. Four tracks lifted from a US CD album, pressed by Expansion, and still quietly circulating decades later: it was the kind of release that immediately made me want to find out more.
I suspected that Gary’s journey had been anything but straightforward, with movement acting as a consistent force throughout. From the voice that carried him across the globe to recordings that have resonated across decades, it’s a pattern familiar to anyone who follows artists over the long term – and one that carries particular weight in an Australian context, where distance has long shaped how and where musicians work.
Rather than speculate any further, the time felt right to go directly to the source. Without further ado, Gary Adkins is our next 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞.
Thanks for speaking with us Gary. Can you talk about your early life and the musical environment you came up in? What are some key memories for you?
After Star Search, I got signed with Gene Griffin (Guy, Basic Black, Teddy Riley, etc.). I wasn’t happy with the contract and couldn’t get out of it, which is why I went to Japan for the first time while waiting to be released. During that time, Ernie Singleton – President of Black Music at MCA Records – called me and wanted to sign me, but Gene wouldn’t let go of the contract.
Eventually, someone sent my demos to Joseph Isgro. He was able to get me out of the contract, became my manager, and made the deal for my first CD release.
Several tracks from that CD were later released on vinyl by Expansion in the UK. How did that connection happen and do you recall your response?
Everything was done through my manager, Joseph Isgro. It was a very exciting time.
After going the first time while waiting to get out of my record contract, I continued to go back and forth, even while waiting for my release date, because I enjoyed it and the money was decent. A series of events led to me staying in Japan – the premature birth of my daughter, music business opportunities, and other things. It was never my plan, but I guess this is the way it was meant to be.
Joining Japan's music ecosystem led you to some uniquely Japanese opportunities. When did your work with Anri begin, and have collaborations like that helped you feel musically at home?
I enjoy working with Anri. Before I started living in Japan, on one of my trips here to sing, I was asked to join her tour, and I’ve been singing for her ever since, with the exception of a few years here and there.
Japan is not the same as America, but music is music – and there are so many international singers and musicians here.
In recent times, Japanese Pop has found a huge new audience in the West. From inside Japan, does that renewed interest change how the music is seen locally?
I wouldn’t say so. The Japanese people have always been very devoted and loyal to the music and artists they like. K-Pop is also very popular here.
Your records are still surfacing far from where they were made. Looking back on a career shaped by movement, how do you reflect on that journey? And is there anything still ahead you’d like to explore creatively?
It feels good 😊 Just continuing to love what I do and being thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given. I do have some original music that hasn’t been heard, but I’m not sure what will happen with it. Right now, I’m just performing and sometimes recording for other people’s projects – and enjoying the ride.
Image: Gary - Rockin' You Tonight EP on Expansion Records (1995)
At its heart, the record is refined mid-90s R&B, pairing crisp electronic drums, wavy basslines, and subtle brass flourishes that circle Gary's smooth, layered vocals. It features a mix of writing credits, with notable contributions from Cirocco Jones – known for his work with Howard Hewett and Johnny Gill – and Adkins himself co-writing my pick from the set, Mind Over Matter, a reflective song about moving on. Interestingly, the EP's title track was later re-recorded by Ray, Goodman & Brown, another friendly nod between Soul generations.
In the present, Gary's website reveals that he has lived in Japan for many years, where he maintains a busy performance schedule, works extensively in commercial audio, and regularly tours with Anri, one of the leading ladies of Japanese City Pop – an easygoing genre influenced by American Soul, Jazz, and Soft Rock. Some deeper digging on his Snikda Music Group socials confirms that his musical life in Japan is far from isolated – he’s also part of a blue-chip American expat scene, working alongside musicians like SOS Band co-founder Jason "TC" Bryant and Philip Woo, whose keyboard credits read like a roll call of essential R&B listening.
Image: Anri's Timely!! is widely viewed as a defining City Pop LP (1983)
I suspected that Gary’s journey had been anything but straightforward, with movement acting as a consistent force throughout. From the voice that carried him across the globe to recordings that have resonated across decades, it’s a pattern familiar to anyone who follows artists over the long term – and one that carries particular weight in an Australian context, where distance has long shaped how and where musicians work.
Rather than speculate any further, the time felt right to go directly to the source. Without further ado, Gary Adkins is our next 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞.
Image: Gary Adkins (00s)
I started singing when I was seven and told my family then that I wanted to be a singer when I grew up. No one in my family sang. I was involved in local vocal groups and bands throughout high school, made All-State Chorus every year, and was a member of the boys’ choir, mixed choir, and show choir.
I was offered a music award to Morehouse College, but chose Berklee College of Music in Boston instead. I attended Berklee for two years, but didn’t really apply myself, so I wasted that opportunity. After that, I joined the United States Air Force for a chance to sing all over with the Air Force Band, which had visited my high school years earlier. I didn’t audition before entering the military – I was misguided by my recruiter – and was assigned work as a dental assistant.
I was offered a music award to Morehouse College, but chose Berklee College of Music in Boston instead. I attended Berklee for two years, but didn’t really apply myself, so I wasted that opportunity. After that, I joined the United States Air Force for a chance to sing all over with the Air Force Band, which had visited my high school years earlier. I didn’t audition before entering the military – I was misguided by my recruiter – and was assigned work as a dental assistant.
My only way back to music was to place in the top three of a talent show at my permanent base in Hahn, Germany. I won first place and was asked to join Tops in Blue, but when that was blocked by my Master Sergeant, I applied for separation the next day. It took time, but I was able to get out with a general discharge, upgraded to an honorable discharge six months later. I eventually returned home, started singing again – and then Star Search came to Atlanta.
Star Search arrived at a pivotal moment. How did that experience shape your early career?
It gave me national exposure, and I was contacted by many people all over the US, so it was a blessing for me.
It gave me national exposure, and I was contacted by many people all over the US, so it was a blessing for me.
Images: Gary Adkins on Star Seach (1990)
Your debut album Inner City Blues was released on C-Four Records. Can you tell us how that came together?
After Star Search, I got signed with Gene Griffin (Guy, Basic Black, Teddy Riley, etc.). I wasn’t happy with the contract and couldn’t get out of it, which is why I went to Japan for the first time while waiting to be released. During that time, Ernie Singleton – President of Black Music at MCA Records – called me and wanted to sign me, but Gene wouldn’t let go of the contract.
Eventually, someone sent my demos to Joseph Isgro. He was able to get me out of the contract, became my manager, and made the deal for my first CD release.
Video: Mind Over Matter, from Gary's debut album and subsequent EP (1994)
Several tracks from that CD were later released on vinyl by Expansion in the UK. How did that connection happen and do you recall your response?
Everything was done through my manager, Joseph Isgro. It was a very exciting time.
Japan is a special place for musicians. How did those early visits evolve into something more permanent?
After going the first time while waiting to get out of my record contract, I continued to go back and forth, even while waiting for my release date, because I enjoyed it and the money was decent. A series of events led to me staying in Japan – the premature birth of my daughter, music business opportunities, and other things. It was never my plan, but I guess this is the way it was meant to be.
Image: Performing in Japan (00s)
I enjoy working with Anri. Before I started living in Japan, on one of my trips here to sing, I was asked to join her tour, and I’ve been singing for her ever since, with the exception of a few years here and there.
Japan is not the same as America, but music is music – and there are so many international singers and musicians here.
Image: Gary with Anri (centre) and band (2023)
In recent times, Japanese Pop has found a huge new audience in the West. From inside Japan, does that renewed interest change how the music is seen locally?
I wouldn’t say so. The Japanese people have always been very devoted and loyal to the music and artists they like. K-Pop is also very popular here.
Your records are still surfacing far from where they were made. Looking back on a career shaped by movement, how do you reflect on that journey? And is there anything still ahead you’d like to explore creatively?
It feels good 😊 Just continuing to love what I do and being thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given. I do have some original music that hasn’t been heard, but I’m not sure what will happen with it. Right now, I’m just performing and sometimes recording for other people’s projects – and enjoying the ride.
Gary's latest single The Mirror can be purchased at garyadkins.com.
Words and research by Benny Badge.