Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”, which was written for him by his keyboardist Joe Zawinul and became a major crossover hit on the pop charts. A cover version by the Buckinghams also reached #5 on the charts. Adderley worked with Miles Davis, first as a member of the Davis sextet, appearing on the seminal records "Milestones" (1958) and "Kind of Blue" (1959), and then on his own 1958 album "Somethin' Else". He was the elder brother of jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley, who was a longtime member of his band.