Professor Longhair

Fifteen years after his passing, Roy "Professor Longhair" Byrd earned well-deserved recognition as a foundational figure in New Orleans R&B, although earlier stretches of his career had brought such severe hardship that he once swept floors inside a record shop previously capable of selling his releases in bulk quantities.

His eventual resurgence highlighted the enduring strength of this late master, whose piano approach blended Latin rhythms with rhumba-infused rock energy while his vocals combined croaks and yodels in a manner as distinctive and flavorful as the second-line rhythms driving his city's musical pulse. Every Crescent City keyboardist absorbed his rolling embellishments, with Fats Domino, Huey Smith, and Allen Toussaint acknowledging the influence repeatedly from early on.

Byrd's upbringing unfolded on the streets of the Big Easy, where he and his companions tap-danced for change along Bourbon Street. Although local piano masters Sullivan Rock, Kid Stormy Weather, and Tuts Washington shaped his early development, he arrived at the bench with an independent vision. A born gambler and card player, he turned serious about performing in 1948 and secured work at the Caldonia Club, where owner Mike Tessitore gave him the nickname Professor because of his unkempt hair.

He first recorded in 1949, cutting four sides for the Dallas-based Star Talent label—including the initial rendition of his signature "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" with its whistled introduction—backed by the Shuffling Hungarians, whose name origin remains unknown. Labor disputes kept those tracks from circulation, yet a Mercury session later that year proceeded without interference and yielded his sole national R&B hit, the comedic "Bald Head," issued in 1950 under the name Roy Byrd & His Blues Jumpers.

Further sessions followed for Atlantic in 1949, Federal in 1951, Wasco in 1952, and Atlantic once more in 1953, producing the enduring "Tipitina," the lively "In the Night," and the lyrically opaque boogie "Ball the Wall." After recovering from a mild stroke, he returned in 1957 on Lee Rupe's Ebb label with the vigorous "No Buts - No Maybes," then revisited "Go to the Mardi Gras" for Joe Ruffino's Ron imprint in 1959; that take still appears annually during New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations.

Beyond the elaborately arranged "Big Chief" for Watch Records in 1964, the decade offered scant opportunity, leading him to set aside the piano until a 1971 booking at the newly established Jazz & Heritage Festival restarted his ascent. During his final ten years he issued numerous albums, culminating in the excellent Crawfish Fiesta on Alligator.

He delivered a memorable Soundstage appearance on PBS-TV alongside Dr. John, Earl King, and the Meters, shared the spotlight in the documentary Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together (which turned into a tribute after his death midway through filming, incorporating funeral scenes), and benefited when admirers purchased a neighborhood bar in 1977 and renamed it Tipitina's in honor of his celebrated song. He performed there regularly between tours, and the venue continues to thrive.

On the night of January 30, 1980, Byrd went to sleep and did not awaken; a heart attack claimed one of New Orleans' pioneering R&B figures, yet his music echoes so regularly and with such deep respect in his hometown that his presence still feels tangible.