Now, Professor Longhair. That can't be his real name, can it? Well, no, it isn't. His real name is Henry Roeland Byrd. Now, there won't be any exam questions asking for the real name of a performer who's known primarily by a stage name. That's pointless. His nickname, that could be an exam question, though. He is noteworthy for having been active in two distinct periods, both of which we will talk about. This song, his first and only national hit, was originally credited to Roy Byrd and His Blues Jumpers in 1949. [MUSIC] Now he is nicknamed, the Bach of Rock, because of varied and extremely accurate syncopation and because of the beautiful tone of his piano playing. In addition to jazz structure, he added rhythm and blues elements. And he used a combination of rumba, mambo, and calypso, a lot of Caribbean music traditions, and a little African thrown in, too. Longhair's rhythmic approach became a basic template for funk music later in the 70s. And his music was known in New Orleans, at the time, as Rhumba Boogie. Now he was popular in the heyday of early rhythm and blues, at first in the 1950s. And here are several songs from that early jazz and R&B period. This one's called, Tipitina. [MUSIC] Now this next song is called, Big Chief. And you might recognize it. At least, if you're a Lily Allen fan, you might recognize it. [MUSIC] Now, I mentioned that Lily Allen sampled this song. Now, you never know where some of these songs I play will end up. And most of Lily Allen's songs use samplings. But here's what, how she made it sound. [MUSIC] In the 1960s Professor Longhair's career faltered. And he became a janitor to support himself. Apparently, also did a lot of gambling. Finally, with the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz, he returned to the music scene in the 1970's by appearing in the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He recorded several come-back albums, and he toured Europe before his death in 1980. Now, this next tune, from 1979, was produced by the legendary Dr. John. And we'll talk about him in just a second. [MUSIC] Now that song was a great re-boost for Dr. Longhair's, or for Professor Longhair's career. Tipitina's, by the way, is a legendary club in New Orleans where Professor Longhair used to play until his death in 1980. And it was, of course, named after one of his songs. There's also a foundation named after this song. And it was established to encourage the heritage of music in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Dr. John, who made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, is the biggest disciple and protege of Professor Longhair. He's also from New Orleans. He almost worshiped Professor Longhair. And he worked with him many times, including the one we just heard. Now, here's one of Dr. John's more well-known songs. Some people say his music is an updated, reinterpretation of Professor Longhair. See what you think. [MUSIC] Now, let me say once again that New Orleans has made huge, everlasting contributions to rock and roll. But jazz was only half of that. And the artist with crossover appeal began to emerge in the early 1950s, that black music with fast tempo and strong beat that would be known as rhythm and blues. When we come back, New Orleans R&B. [BLANK_AUDIO]
