Professor Longhair

Professor Longhair

Infobox musical artist
Name = Professor Longhair


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Henry Roeland Byrd
Alias = Fess
Born = birth date|1918|12|19|mf=y
Died = death date and age|1980|1|30|1918|12|19|mf=y
Origin = New Orleans, Louisiana
Instrument = vocals, piano
Genre = Blues, New Orleans
Occupation = musician, songwriter
Years_active = 1930s-1980
Label =
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.professorlonghair.com professorlonghair.com]
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Professor Longhair (born Henry Roeland Byrd, also known as Roy "Bald Head" Byrd and as Fess) (December 19, 1918 - January 30, 1980) was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist. He was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana. He was noted for his unique piano style, which he described as "a combination of rumba, mambo, and Calypso", and his unusual, expressive voice, described once as "freak unique". He was called the Bach of Rock and Roll for the clarity, varied and extremely accurate and "funky" syncopation, and the beautiful tone of his piano playing.Fact|date=June 2008 Byrd is noteworthy for having been active in two distinct periods, both in the heyday of early rhythm and blues, and in the resurgence of interest in various forms of traditional jazz after the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was created. At that time Byrd became a New Orleans icon.

Professor Longhair had only one national commercial hit, "Bald Head" in 1950, and he lacked the crossover appeal for the white audience of Fats Domino. But his rollicking, idiosyncratic, rumba-based piano and exuberant singing made him one of New Orleans biggest rock stars. [cite web
url=http://www.history-of-rock.com/indx.html
title=Introduction
publisher=www.history-of-rock.com
accessdate=2008-06-23
last=
first=
]

Musical career

Professor Longhair began his career in New Orleans near the end of the 1940s but was not well known outside of the city at that time. Throughout the 1950s he recorded for Atlantic Records, Federal Records and other, local labels. In the 1960s his career faltered and he became a janitor and gambled. But he was rediscovered in 1969 as the large white blues audience began to appreciate him and he was referred to as the "Father of New Orleans R&B". During this period his albums, such as "Crawfish Fiesta" on Alligator Records and "New Orleans Piano" for Atlantic became readily available. In 1980, Professor Longhair died.cite book| last = Oliver (ed.)| first = Paul| title = The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Blues| publisher = Blackwell Publisher
date = 1989| location = Cambridge, MA| pages = pp. 280-281| isbn =0-631-18301-9
]

Discography

*"New Orleans Piano" (1953)
*"House Party New Orleans Style"
*"Rock 'N' Roll Gumbo" (1974)
*"Crawfish Fiesta" (1980)
*"Fess: The Professor Longhair Anthology"
*"Fess' Gumbo"
*"The Last Mardi Gras"
*"Ball the Wall", a live album of solo piano
*"London Concert", a live album with conga player Alfred "Uganda" Roberts
*"Collector's Choice", a greatest hits album
*"Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together," award-winning 76-minute documentary featuring Fess, Tuts Washington, and Allen Toussaint (1982).

Quotations

* "The best thing that ever happened to the piano in New Orleans." James Booker
* "Professor Longhair put 'funk' into music; he's the father of the stuff." Dr. John
* "He's the Satchel Paige of the piano." Albert Goldman
* "He's the Bach of rock." Allen Toussaint
* "He's a seminal force, a guru, an original creator of the New Orleans piano style ... the teacher of great players like Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, Mac Rebbenack, James Booker, and Huey Smith. All acknowledge him as The Great Master." Jerry Wexler

Footnotes

External links

* http://www.professorlonghair.com
* [http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=173 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:ilu36jph71w0~T1 All Music Guide]
* [http://www.myspace.com/professorlonghair1 Professor Longhair At Myspace]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2703 Henry Roeland Byrd] at Find-A-Grave


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Professor Longhair — Professor Longhair, eigentlich Henry Roeland Byrd (* 19. Dezember 1918 in Bogalusa, Louisiana; † 30. Januar 1980 in New Orleans, Louisiana), war ein US amerikanischer Musiker, der als Sänger, Komponist und Pianist dem Rhythm and Blues New Orleans …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Professor Longhair — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Professor Longhair Información personal Nombre real Henry Roeland Byrd Nacimiento 19 de diciembre de 1918 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Professor Longhair — Henry Roeland Byrd dit Professor Longhair (Bogalusa (Louisiane) 19 décembre 1918 30 janvier 1980) est un musicien légendaire de blues de la Nouvelle Orléans. Il a un style de piano unique, que l on décrit comme une combinaison de rumba, mambo et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Professor Longhair — ▪ American singer and musician byname of  Henry Roeland (Roy) Byrd  born Dec. 19, 1918, Bogalusa, La., U.S. died Jan. 30, 1980, New Orleans, La.  American singer and pianist who helped shape the sound of New Orleans rhythm and blues from the mid… …   Universalium

  • Professor Longhair — Roy Byrd …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • Longhair (disambiguation) — Longhair may be:* A nickname for a person ** Leung Kwok hung, also known as Long Hair , a political activist in Hong Kong, China **Professor Longhair, New Orleans musician* A slang term for a type of person seen as typically having long hair,… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Roeland Byrd — Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd dit Professor Longhair (Bogalusa (Louisiane) 19 décembre 1918 30 janvier 1980) est un musicien légendaire de blues de la Nouvelle Orléans. Il a un style de piano unique, que l on décrit comme une combinaison… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alfred "Uganda" Roberts — Infobox Musical artist Name = Alfred Uganda Roberts Landscape = Background = non vocal instrumentalist Birth name = Alfred Roberts, Jr. Alias = Uganda Born = Birth date and age|1943|4|8 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Instrument =… …   Wikipedia

  • New Orleans Piano — Studio album by Professor Longhair Released 1972 Recorded …   Wikipedia

  • Crawfish Fiesta — Studio album by Professor Longhair Released 1980 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”