Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), also called Professor Longhair or "Fess," was an American singer and pianist known for playing New Orleans blues. He was active during two separate times: first during the peak of early rhythm and blues, and later during the growing interest in traditional jazz after the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival began in 1970. His piano style is described as easy to recognize, blending elements of rumba, mambo, and calypso.

In a book titled The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, music journalist Tony Russell wrote that Fess's lively, rhumba-style piano blues and unique singing were too unusual to sell many records. Instead, he influenced musicians like Fats Domino or Huey "Piano" Smith, who made simpler music. However, more skilled musicians, such as Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, also recognized him as an important teacher and inspiration.

Biography

Professor Longhair was born on December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, Louisiana. He was the son of Ella Mae (née Rhodes) and James Byrd. His unique way of playing the piano was shaped by learning on a keyboard that was missing some keys.

Around 1921, he and his mother moved to New Orleans. As a child, he learned to play piano on old upright pianos he found in alleyways. He began his career in New Orleans in 1948. Mike Tessitore, the owner of the Caldonia Club, gave him the stage name "Longhair." In 1949, Longhair first recorded music with a band called the Shuffling Hungarians. He created four songs, including the first version of his famous song, "Mardi Gras in New Orleans," for the Star Talent record label. Union issues limited the release of these songs, but his next recordings for Mercury Records the same year were successful. Throughout the 1950s, he recorded for Atlantic Records, Federal Records, and local labels.

Professor Longhair had only one national hit, "Bald Head," in 1950, under the name Roy Byrd and His Blues Jumpers. He also recorded songs like "Tipitina" and "Go to the Mardi Gras." He was not widely popular with many white audiences. However, he was respected as a musician who greatly influenced others, such as Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John.

After suffering a stroke, Professor Longhair recorded "No Buts – No Maybes" in 1957. He re-recorded "Go to the Mardi Gras" in 1959. In 1964, he first recorded "Big Chief" with its composer, Earl King. During the 1960s, his career slowed. He worked as a janitor to support himself and developed a gambling habit.

After a few years of being away from the music scene, Professor Longhair's career experienced a new beginning and gained recognition. He performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1971 and at the Newport Jazz Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival in 1973. His album The London Concert features music from a visit to the United Kingdom. A significant moment in his career was the recording of Live on the Queen Mary, made on March 24, 1975, during a private party hosted by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney on the retired RMS Queen Mary.

By the 1980s, his albums, such as Crawfish Fiesta on Alligator Records and New Orleans Piano on Atlantic Records, which collected recordings from 1949 and 1953, became widely available in the United States. In 1974, he appeared on the PBS series Soundstage with Dr. John, Earl King, and The Meters. In 1980, he co-starred in the film documentary Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together, produced and directed by filmmaker Stevenson Palfi. The documentary (which aired on public television in 1982 and was rarely seen afterward) and a long interview with Fess (recorded two days before his sudden death) were included in the 2018 project "Fess Up."

Professor Longhair died of a heart attack while the documentary was being filmed (before a planned live concert). Footage from his funeral was included in the documentary. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New Orleans.

During the time his career revived, his manager was Allison Miner. Jazz producer George Wein once said, "Her devotion to Professor Longhair gave him the best years of his life."

Accolades

Professor Longhair was added to the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1987, he received a Grammy Award for a music collection made by Quint Davis in 1971 and 1972, which was released under the name House Party New Orleans Style. He was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

In 2016, Professor Longhair was added to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame at his old home in New Orleans.

In popular culture

Hugh Laurie performed the song "Tipitina" on the 2011 CD album Let Them Talk. Laurie has been a longtime fan of Professor Longhair, using Longhair's song "Go to the Mardi Gras" as the main theme for the first episode of A Bit of Fry & Laurie. During his world concert tours from 2011 to 2014 with The Copper Bottom Band, Laurie regularly performed "Tipitina" and "Go to the Mardi Gras." In March 2013, Laurie honored Professor Longhair with a special concert on the RMS Queen Mary.

The New Orleans music venue Tipitina's was named after one of Longhair's most famous songs. It was established specifically so Longhair could perform in his later years. A sculpture of Professor Longhair, created by blues musician Coco Robicheaux, is displayed at the entrance of the venue.

Afro-Cuban elements

In the 1940s, Professor Longhair played music with Caribbean musicians and listened to many records by Perez Prado, who played a style called mambo. He was especially interested in Cuban music. His style was known locally as "rumba-boogie." Alexander Stewart said Longhair was an important person who connected the styles of boogie-woogie and rhythm and blues. In his song "Misery," Longhair used a left-hand pattern similar to a musical style called habanera. His right hand used a musical technique called triplets, which is a common feature of his playing style.

A musical pattern called tresillo, along with the habanera and other African-based rhythms, was often used in the left-hand parts of piano music by New Orleans musicians, such as Louis Moreau Gottschalk ("Souvenirs from Havana," 1859) and Jelly Roll Morton ("The Crave," 1910). One of Longhair's major contributions was introducing Afro-Cuban rhythms based on a pattern called clave into New Orleans blues. Michael Campbell said, "Rhythm and blues influenced by Afro-Cuban music first appeared in New Orleans. Professor Longhair's influence was… far reaching. In several of his early recordings, Longhair combined Afro-Cuban rhythms with rhythm and blues. The clearest example is 'Longhair's Blues Rhumba,' where he added a clave rhythm to a simple blues." The piano part in his rumba-boogie song "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" (1949) uses a pattern called the 2-3 clave, which follows an onbeat/offbeat rhythm. A diagram showing the 2–3 clave rhythm is included above the piano music for reference.

Dr. John said that Professor Longhair "put funk into music… Longhair's style had a direct influence on much of the funk music that later developed in New Orleans." This refers to the rhythm of Cuban music, which has a steady, syncopated beat (different from a swung rhythm). Alexander Stewart said the popular rhythm style spread from "New Orleans—through James Brown's music, to the popular music of the 1970s," adding, "The unique style of rhythm & blues that developed in New Orleans after World War II played an important role in the creation of funk." In a related change, the basic rhythms in American popular music shifted from a triplet or shuffle feel to even or straight eighth notes. About funk rhythms, Stewart said, "This model is different from a time line (like clave and tresillo) because it is not a strict pattern, but more of a general guide for organizing the music."

Discography

• Rock 'n' Roll Gumbo (1974)
• Live on the Queen Mary (1978)
• Crawfish Fiesta (1980)
• The London Concert, with Alfred "Uganda" Roberts (1981) (also called The Complete London Concert)
• The Last Mardi Gras (1982)
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans: Live 1975 Recording (1982)
• House Party New Orleans Style: The Lost Sessions, 1971–1972 (1987)
• Ball the Wall! Live at Tipitina's 1978 (2004)
• Live in Germany (1978)
• Live in Chicago (1976)

• New Orleans Piano (1972) (also called New Orleans Piano: Blues Originals, Vol. 2)
• Mardi Gras 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), half of an album featuring popular songs
• Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (1997)
• All His 78's (1999)
• The Chronological Professor Longhair 1949 (2001)
• Tipitina: The Complete 1949–1957 New Orleans Recordings (2008)
• The Primo Collection (2009)
• Rockin' with Fess (2013)

Source: Professor Longhair discography, AllMusic

Filmography

• Dr. John's New Orleans Swamp (1974)
• Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together (1982), a 76-minute documentary film that won an award and includes Professor Longhair, Tuts Washington, and Allen Toussaint
• Fess Up (2018), a full-length interview with Professor Longhair