Louis Marullo was born in Auburn, New York, United States. He first showed interest in music when he was nine years old, playing the guitar and forming his own garage band in 1965, which was called The Kids. This group, formed by him and his classmates, performed shows in the mid-1960s, with songs generally focusing on childhood love. The band released a song in 1965 entitled "Lovin' Everyday", which was released as a single for their 1966 album Class of '66. In 1980, Marullo joined the newly founded band Manowar and has been the lead vocalist since. His stage name is a combination of the names of his sons, Eric and Adam.
Personal life and relationships
Adams is a passionate fan of hunting. In an interview with Metal Rules, he stated, "I'm a big time bow hunter and I'm a New York State instructor for bow hunting." When asked about the band's relationships with present and former band members, he remarked that previous band members remain on good terms with the band, sometimes even contributing instruments to new albums. When asked about his musical training, he said, "I took one voice lesson in my life. He taught me the correct way to breathe, and from there I took off and I went to "the school of hardknocks" and took the rest of my lessons myself!"
Eric Adams can hold high note screams for 30 seconds at Manowar shows. Adams's main vocal influence is Ian Gillan. Adams declared in an interview that he used to go to every Deep Purple show as a young man because he loved Gillan's voice. However, he also worked to create his own, personal style. His voice covers more than 4 octaves from bass G1 to the soprano C6. As Adams has aged, his vocal high end has decreased, so recent Manowar albums are tuned lower than earlier albums. Adams can also play guitar and drums; in his hunting DVD, Wild Life and Wild Times, he plays guitar in the soundtrack. In July of 2011, Adrien Begrand wrote about him: "They have one of the most likeable, charismatic frontmen in the genre".
Adams confirmed in various interviews about his musical influences. His strongest influence was Ian Gillan, stating that it was his screaming that made him what he was in his early days. He was mostly recognizably influenced by Gillan in Manowar's first few albums, until creating his own stage style. When asked about Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne, he said that "they are great too, but for me it was definitely Gillan. I was the guy sitting in the tents all night and waiting for Purple to appear." He has also made it clear how when Gillan sang "Child in Time", it "blew his mind away".
