Biography
Beegie Adair stood out as a prolific, award-winning jazz pianist and arranger whose readings of jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes reached listeners worldwide, with sales surpassing two million recordings. Her melodic lines and nimble touch echoed the playing of key influences George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner.
She spent her childhood in Cave City, Kentucky, beginning piano lessons at age five and continuing her studies through college at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, where she earned a B.S. in music education. While in school and afterward she performed with jazz groups, then spent three years teaching music to children before relocating to Nashville. There she worked as a session musician for WSM-TV and The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971); she and her husband also established a jingle company to create music for commercials.
In 1982 Adair and saxophonist Denis Solee launched the Adair-Solee Quartet, which later became the jazz sextet Be-Bop Co-Op. Her first trio recording, Escape to New York, appeared in 1998 and featured bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. She moved to the fledgling Hillsboro label for 2001’s Dream Dancing: The Songs of Cole Porter, with bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown, initiating a long series of themed albums centered on songwriters and singers. In 2002 she received the designation of Steinway Artist.
The independent jazz label Green Hill Productions issued most of her recordings, among them 2008’s Yesterday: A Solo Piano Tribute to the Music of the Beatles, 2010’s Swingin’ with Sinatra, and 2012’s The Real Thing, which spent 20 weeks on the jazz charts and was selected one of the year’s best 100 jazz albums. In 2015 her trio joined saxophonist Don Aliquo for Too Marvelous for Words.
Beginning in 2011 Adair and her trio performed regularly at Birdland in New York, often collaborating there with vocalist Monica Ramey; the partnership resulted in the spring 2016 album Some Enchanted Evening. The following year she released the compilation By Request, spotlighting her most requested and personally favored pieces. Beegie Adair died at her home in Franklin, Tennessee, on January 23, 2022; she was 84 years old.
She spent her childhood in Cave City, Kentucky, beginning piano lessons at age five and continuing her studies through college at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, where she earned a B.S. in music education. While in school and afterward she performed with jazz groups, then spent three years teaching music to children before relocating to Nashville. There she worked as a session musician for WSM-TV and The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971); she and her husband also established a jingle company to create music for commercials.
In 1982 Adair and saxophonist Denis Solee launched the Adair-Solee Quartet, which later became the jazz sextet Be-Bop Co-Op. Her first trio recording, Escape to New York, appeared in 1998 and featured bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. She moved to the fledgling Hillsboro label for 2001’s Dream Dancing: The Songs of Cole Porter, with bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown, initiating a long series of themed albums centered on songwriters and singers. In 2002 she received the designation of Steinway Artist.
The independent jazz label Green Hill Productions issued most of her recordings, among them 2008’s Yesterday: A Solo Piano Tribute to the Music of the Beatles, 2010’s Swingin’ with Sinatra, and 2012’s The Real Thing, which spent 20 weeks on the jazz charts and was selected one of the year’s best 100 jazz albums. In 2015 her trio joined saxophonist Don Aliquo for Too Marvelous for Words.
Beginning in 2011 Adair and her trio performed regularly at Birdland in New York, often collaborating there with vocalist Monica Ramey; the partnership resulted in the spring 2016 album Some Enchanted Evening. The following year she released the compilation By Request, spotlighting her most requested and personally favored pieces. Beegie Adair died at her home in Franklin, Tennessee, on January 23, 2022; she was 84 years old.
Albums

Elegant Jazz
2026

Mistletoe And Holly: Peaceful Holiday Piano
2025

My Funny Valentine
2024

Deep Cuts
2022

Beegie Adair: The Collection
2021

Piano Romance 2
2021

You've Got a Friend
2021

Best Of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Performances
2021

Valentine's Day Jazz
2021

Best Of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Christmas Performances
2020

Best Of Beegie Adair: Solo Piano Performances
2020

Beegie Adair Collection
2020

Piano Christmas 2
2019

Some Enchanted Christmas: An Intimate Piano And Vocal Holiday Collection
2018

Gershwin on Sax: The Timeless Music Of George Gershwin Featuring Tenor Sax and Orchestra
2018

By Request
2017

The Ultimate Christmas Playlist
2016

The Ultimate Romance Playlist
2016

The Ultimate Playlist
2016

Some Enchanted Evening
2016

Piano Romance
2016

Jazz Romance
2016

Piano Christmas
2015

Too Marvelous for Words
2015

The Good Life: A Jazz Piano Tribute To Tony Bennett
2014

Vintage Jazz: Timeless Standards For Entertaining
2014

By Myself
2013

A Time For Love: Jazz Piano Romance
2013

Jazz And The Movies
2012

Save The Last Dance For Me
2012

Christmas Elegance: Elegant Holiday Instrumentals Featuring Piano And Violin
2012

Cocktail Party Piano: Elegant Solo Piano Music For Cocktail Parties
2012

Love Letters: The Beegie Adair Romance Collection
2011

After The Ball
2011

Piano Music For Weddings
2011

Piano Music For Moms - Mother's Day Music Collection
2011

I Love Being Here With You - A Jazz Piano Tribute To Peggy Lee
2011

Piano Music For Quiet Moments
2011

Swingin' With Sinatra
2010

Solo Sessions - EP
2010

The Great American Songbook
2009

Parisian Cafe
2009

Winter Romance
2009

Moments To Remember
2009

The Great American Songbook Collection
2009

Dancing In The Dark
2008

In A Sentimental Mood
2008

Yesterday
2008

As Time Goes By: Silver Screen Classics From The Golden Age Of Cinema
2007

Cheek To Cheek
2006

My Romance
2006

Quiet Romance: Solo Piano
2006

Sentimental Journey: Saluting The Greatest Generation With Classic Gems Of The World War II Era
2006

Dream Dancing
2005

An Affair To Remember: Romantic Movie Songs Of The 1950's
2005

The Nearness Of You
2005

Embraceable You
2004

Quiet Christmas: Solo Piano
2004

The Way You Look Tonight
2004

Days Of Wine And Roses: Songs Of Johnny Mercer
2003

I'll Take Romance
2002

Love, Elvis
2000

Jazz Piano Christmas
1999

Escape to New York
1998

The Nat King Cole Collection
1998

The Frank Sinatra Collection
1997
Singles








