Professor Longhair | |
|---|---|
 Professor Longhair at the 1975New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Fess |
| Born | Henry Roeland Byrd (1918-12-19)December 19, 1918 Bogalusa, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | January 30, 1980(1980-01-30) (aged 61) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1948–1980 |
Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980),[1] better known asProfessor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performedNew Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday of earlyrhythm and blues and later in the resurgence of interest intraditional jazz after the founding of theNew Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970. His piano style has been described as "instantly recognizable, combiningrumba,mambo, andcalypso".[1][2]
Music journalist Tony Russell (in his bookThe Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray) wrote that "The vivaciousrhumba-rhythmed piano blues and choked singing typical of Fess were too weird to sell millions of records; he had to be content with siring musical offspring who were simple enough to manage that, likeFats Domino orHuey "Piano" Smith. But he is also acknowledged as a father figure by subtler players likeAllen Toussaint andDr. John."[3][4]
Byrd was born on December 19, 1918, inBogalusa, Louisiana,[3] the son of Ella Mae (née Rhodes) and James Byrd. His distinctive style of piano playing was influenced by learning to play on an instrument that was missing some keys.[3]
He began his career in New Orleans in 1948. Mike Tessitore, owner of the Caldonia Club, gave Longhair his stage name.[5] Longhair first recorded in a band called the Shuffling Hungarians in 1949, creating four songs (including the first version of his signature song, "Mardi Gras in New Orleans") for the Star Talent record label. Union problems curtailed their release, but Longhair's next effort forMercury Records the same year was a winner.[5] Throughout the 1950s, he recorded forAtlantic Records,Federal Records and local labels.
Professor Longhair had only one national commercial hit, "Bald Head", in 1950, under the name Roy Byrd and His Blues Jumpers.[5] He also recorded his favorites, "Tipitina" and "Go to the Mardi Gras".[3] He lackedcrossover appeal among white and wide audiences.[3] Yet, he is regarded (and was acknowledged) as being a musician who was highly influential for other prominent musicians, such asFats Domino,Allen Toussaint andDr. John.[6][7][8]
After suffering a stroke, Professor Longhair recorded "No Buts – No Maybes" in 1957.[5] He re-recorded "Go to the Mardi Gras" in 1959.[5] He first recorded "Big Chief" with its composer,Earl King, in 1964. In the 1960s, Professor Longhair's career faltered.[3] He became a janitor to support himself and fell into a gambling habit.[9]
After a few years during which he disappeared from the music scene, Professor Longhair's musical career finally received "a well deserved renaissance" and wide recognition. He was invited to perform at theNew Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1971 and at theNewport Jazz Festival and theMontreux Jazz Festival in 1973.[3] His albumThe London Concert showcases work he did on a visit to the United Kingdom. That significant career resurrection saw the recording of the albumLive on the Queen Mary,[10] which was recorded on March 24, 1975, during a private party hosted byPaul McCartney andLinda McCartney on board the retiredRMS Queen Mary.[11][12]
By the 1980s his albums, such asCrawfish Fiesta onAlligator Records andNew Orleans Piano onAtlantic Records, had become readily available across America.[9] In 1974 he appeared on thePBS seriesSoundstage (with Dr. John, Earl King, andThe Meters).[13] In 1980 he co-starred (withTuts Washington andAllen Toussaint) in the film documentaryPiano Players Rarely Ever Play Together which was produced and directed by filmmaker Stevenson Palfi.[5] That documentary (which aired on public television in 1982 and was rarely seen since), plus a long interview with Fess (which was recorded two days before his sudden death), were included in the 2018 released project "Fess Up".[14][15]
Professor Longhair died in his sleep of a heart attack while the filming of the documentary was under way (and before the live concert, which was planned to be its climax).[5][9] Footage from his funeral was included in the documentary.[5] He was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New Orleans.[16]
Professor Longhair's manager through those renaissance years of his career wasAllison Miner, of which jazz producerGeorge Wein was quoted saying: "Her devotion to Professor Longhair gave him the best years of his life."[17][18][19]
Professor Longhair was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame in 1981.[20] In 1987, he was awarded a posthumousGrammy Award for a collection of recordings produced by Quint Davis in 1971 and 1972 released asHouse Party New Orleans Style.[21] He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.[22]
Professor Longhair was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2016 at his former home in New Orleans.
His song "Tipitina" was covered byHugh Laurie on the 2011 CD albumLet Them Talk. Laurie is a long-time fan, having used Longhair's "Go to the Mardi Gras" as the theme for the pilot episode ofA Bit of Fry & Laurie. Laurie used to perform these two songs regularly during his world concert tours of 2011–2014 with The Copper Bottom Band, and in March 2013 paid tribute to Professor Longhair in a special concert on boardRMS Queen Mary.[23][24]
The New Orleans music venueTipitina's is named after one of Longhair's signature songs, and was created specifically as a venue for Longhair to perform in his aged years. A bust of Professor Longhair, sculpted by bluesmanCoco Robicheaux, greets visitors upon entering the venue.[25]
In the 1940s, Professor Longhair was playing with Caribbean musicians, listening a lot toPerez Prado'smambo records, and absorbing and experimenting with it all.[26] He was especially enamored with Cuban music. Longhair's style was known locally as "rumba-boogie".[27] Alexander Stewart stated that Longhair was a key figure bridging the worlds of boogie-woogie and the new style of rhythm and blues.[28] In his composition "Misery", Professor Longhair played ahabanera-like figure in his left hand. The deft use of triplets in the right hand is a characteristic of Longhair's style.
Tresillo, the habanera, and related African-based single-celled figures have long been heard in the left hand-part of piano compositions by New Orleans musicians, such asLouis Moreau Gottschalk ("Souvenirs from Havana", 1859) andJelly Roll Morton ("The Crave", 1910). One of Longhair's great contributions was the adaptation of Afro-Cuban two-celled,clave-based patterns in New Orleans blues. Michael Campbell stated, "Rhythm and blues influenced by Afro-Cuban music first surfaced in New Orleans. Professor Longhair's influence was ... far reaching. In several of his early recordings, Professor Longhair blended Afro-Cuban rhythms with rhythm and blues. The most explicit is 'Longhair's Blues Rhumba', where he overlays a straightforward blues with a clave rhythm."[29] Theguajeo-like piano part for the rumba-boogie "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" (1949) employs the2-3 clave onbeat/offbeat motif.[30] The 2–3 clave time line is written above the piano excerpt for reference.
According toDr. John, the Professor "put funk into music ... Longhair's thing had a direct bearing I'd say on a large portion of thefunk music that evolved in New Orleans."[31] This is the syncopated, but straight subdivision feel of Cuban music (as opposed toswung subdivisions). Alexander Stewart stated that the popular feel was passed along from "New Orleans—throughJames Brown's music, to the popular music of the 1970s," adding, "The singular style of rhythm & blues that emerged from New Orleans in the years after World War II played an important role in the development offunk. In a related development, the underlying rhythms of American popular music underwent a basic, yet generally unacknowledged transition from triplet or shuffle feel to even or straight eighth notes.[32] Concerning funk motifs, Stewart stated, "This model, it should be noted, is different from atime line (such as clave and tresillo) in that it is not an exact pattern, but more of a loose organizing principle."[33]
Source: Professor Longhair discography,AllMusic[35]
Black or white, local or out-of-town, they all had Longhair's music in common. Just that mambo-rhumba boogie thing.
