2010 New Orleans Nine: Professor Longhair House

The Edwardian style two story double shotgun at 1738-1740 Terpsichore Street was the final residence of New Orleans rhythm & blues legend Professor Longhair. The building stands within the Central City Historic District and was nominated for local landmark status first in 2005 and then in early 2010 as one of one hundred Central City properties being submitted for listing as a group by the Historic District Landmarks Commission. Professor Longhair, born Henry Roeland Byrd in 1918, purchased the house in 1979 during a major resurgence in his more than fifty-year musical career and lived there until his death a year later. It ranks among the former homes of Kid Ory, Buddy Bolden, King Oliver, and Jelly Roll Morton in Central City’s rich musical heritage.

Byrd was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, though his mother soon relocated to New Orleans. As a child, he learned to play the piano on a throw-away instrument in an alley, and after World War II began playing in night clubs around the city. It was during this time that he earned the stage name “Professor Longhair,” or “Fess,” which he held onto for the rest of his career. Over the course of the 1950s he recorded for Mercury and Atlantic Records along with a number of other independent studios, penning a string of rhythm & blues singles. Though “Bald Head” in 1950 was his only major hit outside of New Orleans, songs such as “Tipitina,” “Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” and “Big Chief” defined his “rhumba-boogie” style. His unique blend of Latin rhythms, lilting piano riffs, and dissonant major and minor chords had an incredible influence on the local music scene, defining what is now widely acknowledged as the essential sound of New Orleans rhythm and blues.

Professor Longhair dropped out of the music industry in 1964.  He worked various jobs ranging from janitor to card dealer and lived in relative obscurity before organizers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival orchestrated his return to performing in 1971. This sparked an almost decade-long era of new recordings and extensive touring through the United States and Europe. New audiences flocked to Professor Longhair’s work while his innovation and influence gained international appreciation.

In 1977 his deteriorating health prompted a group of local fans to establish the now-legendary Tipitina’s at Tchoupitoulas and Napoleon so that he could have a venue in which to comfortably perform. Two years later, Professor Longhair purchased the house at 1738-1740 Terpsichore and made it his home. In 1980 he passed away at age sixty-two at the height of his musical fame.

Professor Longhair was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Those who openly proclaim his influence on their work include such iconic performers as Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. John, and his impact on New Orleans rhythm & blues cannot be overestimated. The Terpsichore house is a tangible connection his life and work and its preservation will ensure that his physical presence within the city will endure. The building is currently exposed to the elements with broken windows and missing doors, and weathering the New Orleans climate without siding. Professor Longhair’s daughter currently owns the house and has plans for its rehabilitation – hopes for her success are running high from fans and interested parties city wide.