Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair, born Henry Roeland Byrd on December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, Louisiana, is a pivotal figure in the evolution of New Orleans music, blending blues, rhythm and blues, and Caribbean influences into a unique style. His early life was marked by hardship, with his family relocating to New Orleans after his father's departure. There, he developed his musical talents, initially making instruments from household items and playing on the streets for money. Discovering an abandoned piano in his youth spurred his interest in piano playing, leading him to perform in local venues.
Despite a tumultuous career affected by personal challenges and a brief hiatus from music after his military service, Professor Longhair gained significant recognition in the 1940s for his energetic piano style characterized by a powerful left hand and distinctive vocal delivery. He adopted the stage name "Professor Longhair" during a performance, reflecting his long hair and unique persona. His music, particularly songs like "Go to the Mardi Gras" and "Tipitina," became integral to the New Orleans sound and culture.
Though his initial success was limited, a revival in the 1970s brought him back into the spotlight, culminating in a celebrated performance at the Jazz and Heritage Festival. Despite passing away on January 30, 1980, his influence has continued to grow posthumously, earning him a place in both the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, solidifying his legacy as a foundational artist in American music.
Subject Terms
Professor Longhair
Singer
- Born: December 19, 1918
- Birthplace: Bogalusa, Louisiana
- Died: January 30, 1980
- Place of death: New Orleans, Louisiana
Rhythm-and-blues musician
Professor Longhair was a legendary New Orleans rhythm-and-blues pianist whose sound influenced blues, jazz, and rock and roll. His music combined Caribbean and African rhythms associated with the city’s jazz and blues heritage. His raucous style influenced pianists such as Fats Domino, Little Richard, Dr. John, Huey “Piano” Smith, and Allen Toussaint, who called Professor Longhair “the Bach of rock and roll.”
Areas of achievement: Music: blues; Music: Latin, Caribbean, and reggae; Music: rhythm and blues; Music: rock and roll
Early Life
Henry Roeland Byrd was born on December 19, 1918, in the small town of Bogalusa, Louisiana, fifty miles north of New Orleans. After his father left the family, he and his mother and older brother moved to New Orleans, where young Henry danced on the streets for money. Too poor to buy musical instruments, the children made their own drums out of orange crates and fashioned cymbals out of film reel canisters. Professor Longhair’s mother taught him to play the guitar, but it was too hard on his fingers.
One day, Professor Longhair found an abandoned piano in an alley. It had several broken strings and several keys were missing, but he rewired it. During the early to mid-1930’s, when he was not making a living as a gambler, Professor Longhair played in the barrelhouses (so called because they had barrels of beer for thirsty workers) of the lumber camps and turpentine camps in rural southern Louisiana. His early influences were boogie-woogie piano players such as Kid Stormy Weather, Sullivan Rock, and Tuts Washington. During the Depression years, Professor Longhair worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps, building roads and levees. After hours, Professor Longhair would entertain at the recreation center’s piano. He was drafted to serve in World War II but spent most of his time recovering from a burst appendix. He still found an audience for his music, even in a military hospital.
Life’s Work
After World War II, Professor Longhair returned to his gambling and piano playing in and around New Orleans. During the mid- to late 1940’s he began to attract attention for his raucous style of playing.
One night, while he was performing in the club New Caldonia under the name Roy Byrd and the Shuffling Hungarians (one member of the band apparently claimed to be Hungarian), Professor Longhair received his well-known stage name. He was wearing his hair unusually long for that time period, and the club owner dubbed his group Professor Longhair and the Four Hairs. Afterward, Professor Longhair performed and played under a variety of names. His earliest successful recordings for Mercury Records were under the name Roy Byrd and His Blues Jumpers. Professor Longhair preferred to play with a big band, but he found it hard to keep young musicians.
Professor Longhair’s style was distinctive. Displaying a powerful left hand, he played a different rhythm with each hand and then added an extra beat by kicking the piano with his foot. Kicking pianos wore them out quickly, however, and club owners sometimes refused to pay Professor Longhair because of the damage he did to their pianos. Often, a kick plate had to be installed to protect the piano, and Professor Longhair sometimes wore special shoes meant to soften the blows.
Professor Longhair’s sound was described as strange. It was best experienced live and in New Orleans, which was fine with Professor Longhair. He hated to travel and was afraid of boats and airplanes. One of the main reasons he was not more successful in his career was his own unwillingness to live up to his contracts.
With two gold front teeth, dark sunglasses, a slim build, and a plantation hat, Professor Longhair had a unique look to match his sound. His vocals consisted of hollering out throaty, rasping lyrics that complemented his raunchy, raw, and energetic piano playing.
Professor Longhair had two distinct careers: one from the early 1940’s through the mid-1950’s and then a second, even more successful career from the early 1970’s until his death in 1980. Professor Longhair’s earliest release, in 1949, was for the record label Star Talent, but the copies were recalled because of a conflict with the musician’s union. During the mid-1950’s he suffered a minor stroke. For more than a decade, Professor Longhair kept a low profile musically and made his living by playing cards instead of pianos. It seemed the musical world had moved on without him.
When Professor Longhair was rediscovered, he was sweeping out a record store. English jazz enthusiast Mike Leadbitter went looking for Professor Longhair in 1970. Quint Davis and Allison Miner Kaslow, who would successively be his last two managers, recruited Professor Longhair to play at the new Jazz and Heritage Festival. Professor Longhair’s performance literally stopped the show as other musicians halted their own performances to watch his. He died January 30, 1980, in New Orleans.
Significance
A member of both the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Professor Longhair sold more records and enjoyed a greater popularity after his death than during his lifetime. More than any New Orleans musician since Jelly Roll Morton, Professor Longhair epitomized the New Orleans sound. His most popular recordings, “Go to the Mardi Gras,” “Tipitina,” and “Baldhead,” became staples of carnival time in his hometown. His final album, Crawfish Fiesta (1980), which was released the day he died, was the winner of the first W. C. Handy Award for best traditional blues album.
Bibliography
Giddins, Gary. Riding on a Blue Note: Jazz and American Pop. New York: Da Capo Press, 2000. Discusses the incorporation of Latin rhythms in music, a key element of Professor Longhair’s style.
Goldman, Albert. “Satchel Paige of the Piano.” Esquire, March 28, 1978, 32. Laudatory article comparing Professor Longhair’s virtuosity on the piano with the pitching skills of ageless baseball legend Paige.
Lichtenstein, Grace, and Laura Danker. Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans. New York: W. W. Norton, 1993. Corrects biographical inconsistencies about Professor Longhair in other sources and gives detailed descriptions of his music and his performances.
Welding, Pete, and Toby Byron. Bluesland: Portraits of Twelve Major American Blues Masters. New York: Dutton, 1991. Discusses Professor Longhair as a player of Deep South piano and the barrelhouse blues.