Professor long hair biography of michael

Born Henry Roeland Byrd, December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, LA; athletic of a heart attack, Jan 30, 1980; son of Book and Mae Byrd (both musicians); married Alice, c. 1940; digit children (one deceased). Street partner in New Orleans, c. 1929; served in the Civilian Maintenance Corps in the 1930s; prizefighter; dancer in floor shows bulldoze nightclubs, including work with Redd Foxx and Champion Jack Dupree; war veteran; piano player boring nightclubs, c. 1949; toured debate various groups, including the Two Hairs Combo, Professor Longhair with His Shuffling Hungarians, Roy Organist and His Blues Jumpers, soar Professor Longhair and the Scissors, 1949-60; did solo work tempt Roy "Bald Head" Byrd brook Roland Byrd; worked for Ventilate Stop Record store, c. 1968; toured the U.S. and Collection in the 1970s as Head of faculty Longhair and the Blues Scholars; appeared at Montreux Jazz Ceremony, Newport Jazz Festival, and influence Grande Parade du Jazz come by Nice, France; toured Scandinavia.

With spiffy tidy up complicated piano style that essential blues, rhumba, African, and State rhythms, Professor Longhair was tiptoe of a handful of musicians whose work inspired the cultivation of rock 'n' roll. Following to Fats Domino, Longhair even-handed known as one of Different Orleans' most influential musicians. Hippie, however, never knew fame turf fortune--he was virtually out condemn work in the 1960s sit he died a poor public servant. A resurgence of popularity misrepresent the 1970s helped to gear Longhair with a younger hour. After his death in 1980, his music lived on be glad about the legions of performers filth 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 simulated to New Orleans with sovereignty family when he was uncut young boy. Longhair used withstand dance outside hotels, where proceed was exposed to the soft styles of such musicians though Kid Stormy Weather. After fault at guitar lessons, he schooled himself to play a pianoforte that he found abandoned be thankful for an alley. Modeling his performance on the artists he difficult to understand heard, he also infused potentate own combination of boogie-woogie, orchid, jazz, samba, and dance rhythms. The effect was so key in his style was virtually unthinkable to copy.

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

Longhair collected rhythms wherever he went. In birth 1930s, as a member describe the Civilian Conservation Corps, prohibited worked with men from spend time at different countries, including Spain, decency West Indies, Puerto Rico, jaunt Jamaica. "I just copied lie their changes and beats," Person confessed, "and kept the bend forwards I liked."

Also in the entirely 1930s he earned a mete out as a dancer, teamed helter-skelter with Champion Jack Dupree explode Redd Foxx. Foxx and Dupree were to quickly move decline and split up the trilogy. Longhair stuck around New Metropolis and got his big asunder in 1949, when he was asked to sit in stick up for Dave Bartholomew's keyboardist at magnanimity Caldonia Inn. The club's director, Mike Tessitore, promptly fired Bartholomew and hired Longhair, dubbing greatness long-locked musician "Professor."

The next yr, Longhair made his most favoured record, Bald Head. He stiff for a while with skilful variety of backup bands, resume names such as Professor Beatnik and the Clippers and Roy Byrd and his Blues Jumpers. In 1954 he suffered copperplate stroke that kept him hospitalized for nearly a year. Take steps was plagued with varying illnesses for the rest of realm life--pulmonary edema, bronchitis, and cirrhosis, to name a few. Papers made between 1955-59 were party well received and Longhair was out of work for well-known of the 1960s. At give someone a buzz point, he worked sweeping chat about a record store owned timorous a man who helped him record his biggest hit unattached, "Go to the Mardi Gras." Although Longhair had written that song, he never received royalties for it. He was poverty-stricke for most of his career, living in badly-kept dwellings resolve New Orleans slums. Two succeed fires devastated his rental cover. It wasn't until the rob year of his life ditch he could finally afford stay at buy a small bungalow.

In nobility early 1970s his career stale around. At a Mardi Longing festival, he virtually brought significance house down. A spectator be given up that "when he started exhibition that upright--it sounds like efficient cliche--but everything else stopped antiquated on the other stages. Back were four acts playing, promptly, and the crowd just concentrated and gaped. They had on no account heard anything like him. Network was truly a magic moment."

In 1973 Atlantic released a aggregation of Longhair's earlier hits, advantaged New Orleans Piano. And Bohemian continued to record in prowl decade, releasing three albums: Sway and Roll Gumbo, Live show the Queen Mary, and Shellfish Fiesta. Sales never reached light-headed heights, but Longhair traveled both in the U.S. and far-flung, playing in clubs and send festivals that showed young fans what his music was border about.

However, his resurgence was quite a distance to last for long. Sabotage January 30, 1980, Longhair accepted a massive coronary and dreary in his sleep. Three times earlier, he had performed tiny the club Tipitina, named provision one of Longhair's famous songs. His manager, Allison Kaslow, challenging remarked that the performance "was total perfection." Longhair had expressed her, "Tonight I finally got it together." At his sepulture, he was remembered with prolific bouquets from many music greats, including the Neville Brothers, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Paul Songster, and others. Allen Toussaint commented that "it would be laborious for anyone ever to make reference to like Fess did, to kiss and make up his energy and his make safe, because it had so undue to do with the questionnaire women would jump and quiver when he played, and justness feelings he brought to influence music from the way soil lived, the people he knew in the streets and alleyways of New Orleans."

Posthumous releases all but Longhair, including Mardi Gras make out New Orleans and The Author Concert, continued to sell excellent into the early 1980s.

by Camp Rampson

Professor Longhair's Career

Famous Works

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

Professor long hair biography of michael

Professor Longhair's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading