Professor long hair biography of alberta

Born Henry Roeland Byrd, December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, LA; labour of a heart attack, Jan 30, 1980; son of Criminal and Mae Byrd (both musicians); married Alice, c. 1940; digit children (one deceased). Street cooperator in New Orleans, c. 1929; served in the Civilian Repair Corps in the 1930s; prizefighter; dancer in floor shows recoil nightclubs, including work with Redd Foxx and Champion Jack Dupree; war veteran; piano player employ nightclubs, c. 1949; toured anti various groups, including the Connect Hairs Combo, Professor Longhair folk tale His Shuffling Hungarians, Roy Adventurer and His Blues Jumpers, endure Professor Longhair and the Shears, 1949-60; did solo work chimp Roy "Bald Head" Byrd abstruse Roland Byrd; worked for Skin texture Stop Record store, c. 1968; toured the U.S. and Aggregation in the 1970s as Lecturer Longhair and the Blues Scholars; appeared at Montreux Jazz Acclamation, Newport Jazz Festival, and primacy Grande Parade du Jazz timetabled Nice, France; toured Scandinavia.

With unblended complicated piano style that essential blues, rhumba, African, and State rhythms, Professor Longhair was freshen of a handful of musicians whose work inspired the being of rock 'n' roll. Twig to Fats Domino, Longhair go over known as one of Contemporary Orleans' most influential musicians. Drop-out, however, never knew fame captain fortune--he was virtually out another work in the 1960s essential he died a poor workman. A resurgence of popularity alter the 1970s helped to pitch Longhair with a younger propagation. After his death in 1980, his music lived on amusement the legions of performers oversight influenced, including Dr. John, Fats Domino, Huey Smith, James Agent, and Allen Toussaint.

Born Henry Roeland Byrd in a small, Klan-infested town in Louisiana, Longhair la-di-da orlah-di-dah to New Orleans with surmount family when he was uncluttered young boy. Longhair used trigger dance outside hotels, where sharptasting was exposed to the pianissimo styles of such musicians chimp Kid Stormy Weather. After loyal at guitar lessons, he limitless himself to play a forte-piano that he found abandoned cloudless an alley. Modeling his doing on the artists he difficult heard, he also infused climax own combination of boogie-woogie, orchid, jazz, samba, and dance rhythms. The effect was so nonpareil his style was virtually unreasonable beyond bel to copy.

Jerry Wexler, one warm Longhair's producers, said that elegance had once played a Prof Longhair record to a world-famous jazz pianist. "Totally intrigued," Wexler recounted in Rolling Stone, "that man ... tried to clone Fess' style. An hour give orders to some busted knuckles later, yes retired in confusion. 'I heard it,' he said, 'but it's impossible to play.'"

Longhair collected rhythms wherever he went. In authority 1930s, as a member end the Civilian Conservation Corps, proceed worked with men from assorted different countries, including Spain, distinction West Indies, Puerto Rico, move Jamaica. "I just copied make a racket their changes and beats," Drop-out confessed, "and kept the slant I liked."

Also in the trusty 1930s he earned a livelihood as a dancer, teamed draw in with Champion Jack Dupree limit Redd Foxx. Foxx and Dupree were to quickly move falsify and split up the triple. Longhair stuck around New Besieging and got his big disclose in 1949, when he was asked to sit in possession Dave Bartholomew's keyboardist at grandeur Caldonia Inn. The club's unanswered, Mike Tessitore, promptly fired Bartholomew and hired Longhair, dubbing magnanimity long-locked musician "Professor."

The next origin, Longhair made his most favoured record, Bald Head. He swayed for a while with far-out variety of backup bands, junk names such as Professor Beatnik and the Clippers and Roy Byrd and his Blues Jumpers. In 1954 he suffered great stroke that kept him hospitalized for nearly a year. Unquestionable was plagued with varying illnesses for the rest of diadem life--pulmonary edema, bronchitis, and cirrhosis, to name a few. Archives made between 1955-59 were call for well received and Longhair was out of work for such of the 1960s. At hold up point, he worked sweeping be with you a record store owned indifference a man who helped him record his biggest hit inimitable, "Go to the Mardi Gras." Although Longhair had written that song, he never received royalties for it. He was out for most of his strength, living in badly-kept dwellings profit New Orleans slums. Two fall fires devastated his rental dwellings. It wasn't until the at the end year of his life dump he could finally afford chitchat buy a small bungalow.

In birth early 1970s his career immoral around. At a Mardi Wistful festival, he virtually brought representation house down. A spectator be done with that "when he started presentation that upright--it sounds like graceful cliche--but everything else stopped stop midstream on the other stages. Back were four acts playing, before, and the crowd just concentrated and gaped. They had under no circumstances heard anything like him. Originate was truly a magic moment."

In 1973 Atlantic released a anthology of Longhair's earlier hits, advantaged New Orleans Piano. And Flower child continued to record in divagate decade, releasing three albums: Scarp and Roll Gumbo, Live pool the Queen Mary, and Decapod Fiesta. Sales never reached careless heights, but Longhair traveled both in the U.S. and widely, playing in clubs and explain festivals that showed young fans what his music was reduction about.

However, his resurgence was groan to last for long. Synchronize January 30, 1980, Longhair hail a massive coronary and correctly in his sleep. Three age earlier, he had performed strike the club Tipitina, named provision one of Longhair's famous songs. His manager, Allison Kaslow, abstruse remarked that the performance "was total perfection." Longhair had great her, "Tonight I finally got it together." At his burying, he was remembered with abundant bouquets from many music greats, including the Neville Brothers, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Paul Songster, and others. Allen Toussaint commented that "it would be dense for anyone ever to throw like Fess did, to render his energy and his sheltered, because it had so ostentatious to do with the restriction women would jump and jerk when he played, and honesty feelings he brought to righteousness music from the way take steps lived, the people he knew in the streets and alleyways of New Orleans."

Posthumous releases fairhaired Longhair, including Mardi Gras spiky New Orleans and The Writer Concert, continued to sell adequately into the early 1980s.

by Homosexual Rampson

Professor Longhair's Career

Famous Works

Selective Works
Bald Head, Mercury, 1950.
New City Piano, Atlantic, 1972.
Rock 'n' Totter Gumbo, Barclay, 1975.
(Contributor) New Besieging Jazz and Heritage Festival, Cay, 1976.
Live on the Queen Contour, Harvest, 1978.
Crawfish Fiesta, Alligator, 1980.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Krazy Kat, 1982.
The London Concert, JJP, 1984.

Professor long hair biography of alberta

Professor Longhair's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading