Adderley was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s.

Adderley is probably best remembered for his 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", written by Joe Zawinul and also a major crossover hit on the pop charts (it was covered by the Buckinghams). He worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, on his own 1958 Somethin' Else album, and on the seminal Davis records Milestones (1958) and Kind of Blue (1959). He was the elder brother of jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley, a longtime member of his band.