Editing Professor Longhair (section)

== Biography ==
[[File:CentralCityAp15 Longhair 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Former home of Professor Longhair, in 2015]]

Byrd was born on December 19, 1918, in [[Bogalusa, Louisiana]],<ref name="russell" /> the son of Ella Mae (née Rhodes) and James Byrd. His distinctive style of piano playing was influenced by learning to play on an instrument that was missing some keys.<ref name="russell" />

He began his career in New Orleans in 1948. Mike Tessitore, owner of the Caldonia Club, gave Longhair his stage name.<ref name="AMG" /> Longhair first recorded in a band called the Shuffling Hungarians in 1949, creating four songs (including the first version of his signature song, "Mardi Gras in New Orleans") for the Star Talent record label. Union problems curtailed their release, but Longhair's next effort for [[Mercury Records]] the same year was a winner.<ref name="AMG" />  Throughout the 1950s, he recorded for [[Atlantic Records]], [[Federal Records]] and local labels.

Professor Longhair had only one national commercial hit, "Bald Head", in 1950, under the name Roy Byrd and His Blues Jumpers.<ref name="AMG" /> He also recorded his favorites, "[[Tipitina]]" and "[[Go to the Mardi Gras]]".<ref name="russell" /> He lacked [[Crossover music|crossover]] appeal among white and wide audiences.<ref name="russell" /> Yet, he is regarded (and was acknowledged) as being a musician who was highly influential for other prominent musicians, such as [[Fats Domino]], [[Allen Toussaint]] and [[Dr. John]].<ref>"Almost every musical history contains at least one crucial forebear whose inventions were too bold to translate to a broad audience, but who was nonetheless a profound influence on subsequent generations, and therefore changed the culture at an odd remove—a musician's musician". In the nineteen-forties and fifties, that was Fess's stature. See {{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-still-burning-piano-genius-of-professor-longhair|title=The Still-Burning Piano Genius of Professor Longhair|author=[[Amanda Petrusich]]|date=May 10, 2018|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=September 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>"It's echoed in my songs, whether you could hear it or not – as for the licks themselves, but my heart always have some Professor Lonhair in it, in probably everything I do ..." [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afPrC0H0vNI Allen Toussaint explains (and demonstrates) to Sound Opinions the influence of Professor Longhair on his music], Published at the official YouTube channel of [[Sound Opinions]]</ref><ref>for the "most exalted influence" Professor Longhair have had on Dr. John's seminal album [[Dr. John's Gumbo|Gumbo]], see [https://bestclassicbands.com/dr-john-gumbo-review-12-16-18/ Dr. John's 'Gumbo': A New Orleans Master's Thesis], a second look album review by Sam Sutherland of December 16, 2018, retrieved December 18, 2018</ref>

After suffering a stroke, Professor Longhair recorded "No Buts – No Maybes" in 1957.<ref name="AMG" /> He re-recorded "Go to the Mardi Gras" in 1959.<ref name="AMG" /> He first recorded "[[Big Chief]]" with its composer, [[Earl King]], in 1964. In the 1960s, Professor Longhair's career faltered.<ref name="russell" /> He became a janitor to support himself and fell into a gambling habit.<ref name=recordedblues>{{cite book|editor-last=Oliver|editor-first=Paul|editor-link=Paul Oliver|title=The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Blues|publisher=Blackwell Publisher|year=1989|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=280–281|isbn=0-631-18301-9}}</ref>

After a few years during which he disappeared from the music scene, Professor Longhair's musical career finally received "a well deserved renaissance" and wide recognition. He was invited to perform at the [[New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival]] in 1971 and at the [[Newport Jazz Festival]] and the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]] in 1973.<ref name="russell" /> His album ''The London Concert'' showcases work he did on a visit to the United Kingdom. That significant career resurrection saw the recording of the album ''[[Live on the Queen Mary]]'',<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000618920|title=''Professor Longhair – Live on the Queen Mary''}}</ref> which was recorded on March 24, 1975, during a private party hosted by [[Paul McCartney]] and [[Linda McCartney]] on board the retired {{RMS|Queen Mary}}.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Professor-Longhair "Professor Longhair"], short biography, ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''</ref><ref>In an interview of February 2019, given in view of a forthcoming reissue of a newly-restored version of the ''Professor Longhair – Live on the Queen Mary'' album, McCartney recalled how that recording came about: [https://www.paulmccartney.com/news-blogs/news/you-gave-me-the-answer-professor-longhair-special "&thinsp;'You Gave Me The Answer' – Professor Longhair Special"], February 28, 2019 (retrieved on March 6, 2019)</ref>

By the 1980s his albums, such as ''[[Crawfish Fiesta]]'' on [[Alligator Records]] and ''[[New Orleans Piano]]'' on [[Atlantic Records]], had become readily available across America.<ref name="recordedblues" /> In 1974 he appeared on the [[PBS]] series ''Soundstage'' (with Dr. John, Earl King, and [[The Meters]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I09FChrTDJw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/I09FChrTDJw| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Big Chief with Professor Longhair & The Meters|last=Dr. John|date=January 6, 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 1980 he co-starred (with [[Tuts Washington]] and [[Allen Toussaint]]) in the film documentary ''Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together'' which was produced and directed by filmmaker Stevenson Palfi.<ref name="AMG" /> That documentary (which aired on public television in 1982 and was rarely seen since), plus a long interview with Fess (which was recorded two days before his sudden death), were included in the 2018 released project "Fess Up".<ref>[https://palfifilms.com/ "Fess Up"] – Information, excerpts and reviews from the film maker's website</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/shop/dvd/professor-longhair-fess-up-2-dvd-set-w-38-pg-book/|title=Professor Longhair – Fess Up (2-DVD Set w 38-page book)|website=Louisiana Music Factory}}</ref>

Professor Longhair died in his sleep of a heart attack while the filming of the documentary was under way (and before the live concert, which was planned to be its climax).<ref name="AMG">{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000369270|tab=biography|author=Bill Dahl}}</ref><ref name=recordedblues /> Footage from his funeral was included in the documentary.<ref name="AMG" /> He was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New Orleans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lahistory.org/resources/dictionary-louisiana-biography/dictionary-louisiana-biography-b/ |title=Dictionary of Louisiana Biography – Dictionary B |website=Louisiana Historical Association |access-date=July 19, 2021}}</ref>

Professor Longhair's manager through those renaissance years of his career was [[Allison Miner]], of which jazz producer [[George Wein]] was quoted saying: "Her devotion to Professor Longhair gave him the best years of his life."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://palfifilms.com/The-Interview-with-Professor-Longhair|title=The Interview with Professor Longhair — Fess Up|website=palfifilms.com}}</ref><ref>Miner talked about Professor Lonhair's enormous contribution to R&B and musicians in the 1940s and 50s, in the short documentary "Reverence: A Tribute to Allison Miner" (produced and directed by Amy Nesbitt), saying: "...He developed a style that became the New Orleans sound, and everyone, you know, played it ... the essence of what New Orleans music is, is what Professor Longhair brought to it ...". In that documentary Miner also recalled how the resurrection of Fess's career came about: "...Professor Longhair had not played publicly for over ten years, he just had not played at all, and he came out of retirement for the festival. Quint [Davis, her co-producer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival] found him at the one-stop record shop on Rampart Street ... We had four stages then, in the corners of Congress Square, and Fess started playing and everything stopped and everyone went over to the stage where he was ... everything just stopped—and the whole festival moved over to that stage."</ref><ref>See also [https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/entertainment_life/festivals/article_6e00fccc-48a4-11e8-88c8-8fd73bb70c41.html "Professor Longhair at 100: New Orleans Jazz Fest, new DVD celebrate piano legend's legacy"], by Keith Spera, April 28, 2018, ''[[The New Orleans Advocate]]'' (retrieved September 10, 2018)</ref>