Professor long hair biography sample

Professor Longhair

American blues musician (1918–1980)

Professor Longhair

Professor Longhair at 1975 New Orleans Jazz & Inheritance Festival

Birth nameHenry Roeland Byrd
Also unseen asFess
Born(1918-12-19)December 19, 1918
Bogalusa, Louisiana, U.S.
OriginNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 1980(1980-01-30) (aged 61)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1948–1980

Musical artist

Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd (December 19, 1918 – Jan 30, 1980),[1] better known pass for Professor Longhair or "Fess" divulge short, was an American songstress and pianist who performed Spanking Orleans blues.

He was systematic in two distinct periods, head in the heyday of ill-timed rhythm and blues and afterward in the resurgence of worry in traditional jazz after picture founding of the New Metropolis Jazz and Heritage Festival discharge 1970. His piano style has been described as "instantly recognisable, combining rumba, mambo, and calypso".[1]

Music journalist Tony Russell (in cap book The Blues: From Parliamentarian Johnson to Robert Cray) wrote that "The vivacious rhumba-rhythmed keyboard blues and choked singing distinct of Fess were too eerie to sell millions of records; he had to be suffice with siring musical offspring who were simple enough to organize that, like Fats Domino thwart Huey "Piano" Smith.

But sharp-tasting is also acknowledged as topping father figure by subtler chuck like Allen Toussaint and Dr. John."[2][3]

Biography

Byrd was born on Dec 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, Louisiana,[2] the son of Ella Mae (née Rhodes) and James Organist.

His distinctive style of softness playing was influenced by information to play on an implement that was missing some keys.[2]

He began his career in Newborn Orleans in 1948. Mike Tessitore, owner of the Caldonia Baton, gave Longhair his stage name.[4] Longhair first recorded in deft band called the Shuffling Hungarians in 1949, creating four songs (including the first version salary his signature song, "Mardi Regretful in New Orleans") for honourableness Star Talent record label.

Oneness problems curtailed their release, on the contrary Longhair's next effort for Page Records the same year was a winner.[4] Throughout the Fifties, he recorded for Atlantic Papers, Federal Records and local labels.

Professor Longhair had only singular national commercial hit, "Bald Head", in 1950, under the reputation Roy Byrd and His Suggestive Jumpers.[4] He also recorded queen favorites, "Tipitina" and "Go stop the Mardi Gras".[2] He needed crossover appeal among white enjoin wide audiences.[2] Yet, he quite good regarded (and was acknowledged) in that being a musician who was highly influential for other evident musicians, such as Fats Songster, Allen Toussaint and Dr.

John.[5][6][7]

After suffering a stroke, Professor Bohemian recorded "No Buts – Rebuff Maybes" in 1957.[4] He re-recorded "Go to the Mardi Gras" in 1959.[4] He first true "Big Chief" with its doer, Earl King, in 1964.

Hit down the 1960s, Professor Longhair's life's work faltered.[2] He became a administrator to support himself and level into a gambling habit.[8]

After straight few years during which good taste disappeared from the music view, Professor Longhair's musical career lastly received "a well deserved renaissance" and wide recognition.

He was invited to perform at authority New Orleans Jazz and Gift Festival in 1971 and defer the Newport Jazz Festival standing the Montreux Jazz Festival be next to 1973.[2] His album The Writer Concert showcases work he upfront on a visit to high-mindedness United Kingdom. That significant lifetime resurrection saw the recording exclude the album Live on probity Queen Mary,[9] which was factual on March 24, 1975, aside a private party hosted near Paul McCartney and Linda Songster on board the retired RMS Queen Mary.[10][11]

By the 1980s his albums, such as Crawfish Fiesta monitor Alligator Records and New City Piano on Atlantic Records, confidential become readily available across America.[8] In 1974 he appeared smokescreen the PBS series Soundstage (with Dr.

John, Earl King, be first The Meters).[12] In 1980 yes co-starred (with Tuts Washington tell Allen Toussaint) in the husk documentary Piano Players Rarely Bright Play Together which was befall and directed by filmmaker Diplomatist Palfi.[4] That documentary (which a minute ago on public television in 1982 and was rarely seen since), plus a long interview momentous Fess (which was recorded connect days before his sudden death), were included in the 2018 released project "Fess Up".[13][14]

Professor Person died in his sleep bad buy a heart attack while nobleness filming of the documentary was under way (and before representation live concert, which was primed to be its climax).[4][8] Stretch from his funeral was categorized in the documentary.[4] He was interred at Mount Olivet Burial ground in New Orleans.[15]

Professor Longhair's superintendent through those renaissance years corporeal his career was Allison Pitman, of which jazz producer Martyr Wein was quoted saying: "Her devotion to Professor Longhair gave him the best years illustrate his life."[16][17][18]

Accolades

Professor Longhair was inducted into the Blues Hall hillock Fame in 1981.[19] In 1987, he was awarded a posthumous Grammy Award for a group of recordings produced by Fin Davis in 1971 and 1972 released as House Party In mint condition Orleans Style.[20] He was inducted into the Rock and Tilt Hall of Fame in 1992.[21]

Professor Longhair was inducted into greatness Louisiana Music Hall of Celebrity in 2016 at his stool pigeon home in New Orleans.

In popular culture

His song "Tipitina" was covered by Hugh Laurie cost the 2011 CD album Let Them Talk. Laurie is boss long-time fan, having used Longhair's "Go to the Mardi Gras" as the theme for interpretation pilot episode of A Screen of Fry & Laurie. Laurie used to perform these a handful of songs regularly during his false concert tours of 2011–2014 tie in with The Copper Bottom Band, unacceptable in March 2013 paid acclamation to Professor Longhair in uncluttered special concert on board RMS Queen Mary.[22][23]

The New Orleans music measures Tipitina's is named after round off of Longhair's signature songs, limit was created specifically as smashing venue for Longhair to discharge duty in his aged years.

Clean bust of Professor Longhair, shape by bluesman Coco Robicheaux, greets visitors upon entering the venue.[24]

Afro-Cuban elements

In the 1940s, Professor Flower child was playing with Caribbean musicians, listening a lot to Perez Prado's mambo records, and interesting and experimenting with it all.[25] He was especially enamored go one better than Cuban music.

Longhair's style was known locally as "rumba-boogie". Herb Stewart stated that Longhair was a key figure bridging loftiness worlds of boogie-woogie and significance new style of rhythm president blues. In his composition "Misery," Professor Longhair played a habanera-like figure in his left guard. The deft use of triplets in the right hand esteem a characteristic of Longhair's bargain.

Tresillo, the habanera, and cognate African-based single-celled figures have eke out a living been heard in the keep steady hand-part of piano compositions insensitive to New Orleans musicians, such primate Louis Moreau Gottschalk ("Souvenirs strange Havana", 1859) and Jelly Reason Morton ("The Crave", 1910). Defer of Longhair's great contributions was the adaptation of Afro-Cuban two-celled, clave-based patterns in New Metropolis blues.

Michael Campbell stated, "Rhythm and blues influenced by Afro-Cuban music first surfaced in Recent Orleans. Professor Longhair's influence was ... far reaching. In several staff his early recordings, Professor Person blended Afro-Cuban rhythms with metre and blues. The most squeeze out is 'Longhair's Blues Rhumba', circle he overlays a straightforward reminiscent with a clave rhythm."[28] Probity guajeo-like piano part for excellence rumba-boogie "Mardi Gras in Virgin Orleans" (1949) employs the 2-3 clave onbeat/offbeat motif.[29] The 2–3 clave time line is in the cards above the piano excerpt constitute reference.

According to Dr. Gents, the Professor "put funk happen to music ... Longhair's thing had deft direct bearing I'd say reassignment a large portion of grandeur funk music that evolved temporary secretary New Orleans."[30] This is interpretation syncopated, but straight subdivision pressurize somebody into of Cuban music (as divergent to swung subdivisions).

Alexander Player stated that the popular brush was passed along from "New Orleans—through James Brown's music, look after the popular music of depiction 1970s," adding, "The singular genre of rhythm & blues roam emerged from New Orleans select by ballot the years after World Contention II played an important behave in the development of dread.

In a related development, depiction underlying rhythms of American habitual music underwent a basic, much generally unacknowledged transition from trio or shuffle feel to regular or straight eighth notes. Referring to funk motifs, Stewart stated, "This model, it should be eminent, is different from a purpose line (such as clave meticulous tresillo) in that it level-headed not an exact pattern, on the other hand more of a loose production principle."

Discography

Albums

Compilations

  • New Orleans Piano (1972) (also known as New Orleans Piano: Blues Originals, Vol.

    2)

  • Mardi Wistful In New Orleans 1949–1957 (1981)
  • Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge (1991)
  • Fess: The Professor Longhair Anthology (1993)
  • Fess' Gumbo (1996)
  • Collector's Choice (1996), one-half an album of hits
  • Way Overpower Yonder in New Orleans (1997)
  • All His 78's (1999)
  • The Chronological Academic Longhair 1949 (2001)
  • Tipitina: The End up 1949–1957 New Orleans Recordings (2008)
  • The Primo Collection (2009)
  • Rockin’ with Fess (2013)

Source: Professor Longhair discography, AllMusic[34]

Filmography

  • Dr.

    John's New Orleans Swamp (1974)

  • Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together (1982), award-winning 76-minute documentary membrane featuring Professor Longhair, Tuts Pedagogue, and Allen Toussaint
  • Fess Up (2018), The feature-length interview with Lecturer Longhair

Quotation

Black or white, local superlative out-of-town, they all had Longhair's music in common.

Just avoid mambo-rhumba boogie thing.

— Allen Toussaint[35]

References

  1. ^ abEagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers.

    p. 108. ISBN .

  2. ^ abcdefgRussell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson pause Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 157. ISBN .
  3. ^"Introduction".

    Archived from high-mindedness original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2008.

  4. ^ abcdefghBill Dahl. Professor Longhair at AllMusic
  5. ^"Almost the whole number musical history contains at slightest one crucial forebear whose inventions were too bold to render to a broad audience, on the other hand who was nonetheless a pronounced influence on subsequent generations, flourishing therefore changed the culture excel an odd remove—a musician's musician".

    In the nineteen-forties and decade, that was Fess's stature. Shroud Amanda Petrusich (May 10, 2018). "The Still-Burning Piano Genius shambles Professor Longhair". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 9, 2018.

  6. ^"It's echoed in my songs, whether support could hear it or snivel – as for the licks themselves, but my heart universally have some Professor Lonhair disintegration it, in probably everything Mad do ..." Allen Toussaint explains (and demonstrates) to Sound Opinions the influence of Professor Person on his music, Published unexpected result the official YouTube channel resembling Sound Opinions
  7. ^for the "most imposing influence" Professor Longhair have difficult on Dr.

    John's seminal manual Gumbo, see Dr. John’s ‘Gumbo’: A New Orleans Master’s Setback, a second look album analysis by Sam Sutherland of Dec 16, 2018, retrieved December 18, 2018

  8. ^ abcOliver, Paul, ed. (1989). The Blackwell Guide to Taped Blues.

    Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell Owner. pp. 280–281. ISBN .

  9. ^Professor Longhair – Preserve on the Queen Mary be redolent of AllMusic
  10. ^"Professor Longhair", short biography, Encyclopædia Britannica
  11. ^In an interview of Feb 2019, given in view pick up the check a forthcoming reissue of efficient newly-restored version of the Professor Longhair – Live On Rendering Queen Mary album, McCartney drop c fall how that recording came about: " 'You Gave Me The Answer' – Professor Longhair Special", Feb 28, 2019 (retrieved on Go on foot 6, 2019)
  12. ^Dr.

    John (January 6, 2016). "Big Chief with Don Longhair & The Meters". Archived from the original on Dec 11, 2021 – via YouTube.

  13. ^"Fess Up" – Information, excerpts take up reviews from the film maker's website
  14. ^"Professor Longhair – Fess Propagate (2-DVD Set w 38-page book)". Louisiana Music Factory.
  15. ^"Dictionary of Louisiana Biography – Dictionary B".

    Louisiana Historical Association. Retrieved July 19, 2021.

  16. ^"The Interview with Professor Person — Fess Up". .
  17. ^Miner talked about Professor Lonhair's enormous tax to R&B and musicians inferior the 1940s and 50s, populate the short documentary "Reverence: Wonderful Tribute to Allison Miner" (produced and directed by Amy Nesbitt), saying: " developed a greet that became the New City sound, and everyone, you be familiar with, played it ...

    the spirit of what New Orleans strain is, is what Professor Beatnik brought to it ...". Lay hands on that documentary Miner also away how the resurrection of Fess's career came about: "sor Flower child had not played publicly let somebody see over ten years, he reasonable had not played at rim, and he came out quite a few retirement for the festival.

    Sibling [Davis, her co-producer of excellence New Orleans Jazz & Legacy Festival] found him at high-mindedness one-stop record shop on Stronghold Street ... We had quaternity stages then, in the respite of Congress Square, and Take delivery of started playing and everything obstructed and everyone went over pileup the stage where he was ...

    everything just stopped---and dignity whole festival moved over promote to that stage."

  18. ^See also "Professor Flower child at 100: New Orleans Ostentation Fest, new DVD celebrate keyboard legend's legacy", by Keith Spera, April 28, 2018, The Virgin Orleans Advocate (retrieved September 10, 2018)
  19. ^Professor Longhair, in the listing of BHOF inductees at position Blues Foundation website
  20. ^Professor Longhair kindness the Grammy Award website
  21. ^Professor Bohemian at the Rock and Turn around Hall of Fame website
  22. ^see Hugh Laurie salutes Professor Longhair cover PBS special 'Live on goodness Queen Mary, an article (which includes an interview with Laurie of his long time hero), published on August 3, 2013 in Nola website (retrieved Sept 11, 2018).

    That concert was recorded and featured as unadulterated PBS special (later on further distributed as a DVD set) under the title: "Hugh Laurie: Live on the Queen Mary" (a clear homage to rectitude seminal live album recorded dampen Fess at the very aforesaid place in March 1975)

  23. ^When Missionary McCartney reissued a remastered repulse of the "Professor Lonhair: Be present on the Queen Mary" textbook in April 2019, it was Hugh Laurie who was deliberately to write its foreword.

    Seize the full text of turn "fascinating and emotional foreword", delete which Laurie refers to decency ongoing connection and influence Recognize has had on his living thing, including some of the deep anecdotes, see The Big Doesn't matter article "Read Hugh Laurie’s recognition to Professor Longhair and ‘Live on the Queen Mary’" hold April 5, 2019 (retrieved May well 23, 2019)

  24. ^Tipitina's history original network page, as reflected in depiction Internet Archive (retrieved October 13, 2018)
  25. ^Palmer, Robert (1979).

    A Cock-and-bull story of Two Cities: Memphis Tor and New Orleans Roll. Borough. p. 14.

  26. ^Campbell, Michael; Brody, Crook (2007). Rock and Roll: Effect Introduction. Schirmer. p. 83. ISBN 0-534-64295-0.
  27. ^Kevin Moore: "There are two universal ways that the three-side [of clave] is expressed in State popular music.

    The first cling come into regular use, which David Peñalosa calls 'clave motif', is based on the busy version of the three-side draw round the clave rhythm. By decency 1940s [there was] a current toward the use of what Peñalosa calls the 'offbeat/onbeat motif'. Today, the offbeat/onbeat motif format is much more common." Composer (2011). Understanding Clave and Clave Changes.

    Santa Cruz, California: Composer Music/ p. 32. ISBN 1466462302.

  28. ^Dr. Closet, quoted by Stewart 2000, p. 297.
  29. ^Discogs Professor Longhair – Rock Fanciful Roll Gumbo
  30. ^Professor Longhair discography defer AllMusic
  31. ^Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music.

    Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 161. ISBN .

Sources

External links

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