Beegie Adair
{{Short description|American jazz pianist and bandleader (1937–2022)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Beegie Adair
| image =
| caption =
| image_size = 4.4.2
| birth_name = Bobbe Gorin Long
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|12|11|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Cave City, Kentucky, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|1|23|1937|12|11|mf=y}}
| death_place = Franklin, Tennessee, U.S.
| origin =
| instrument = Piano
| genre = Jazz
| occupation = Musician
| years_active =
| label = Adair Music Group, Green Hill, Village Square Music
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|http://www.beegieadair.com/}}
}}
Bobbe Gorin "Beegie" Adair ({{née}} Long, December 11, 1937 – January 23, 2022) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader, whose career spanned more than 60 years.
Early life
Bobbe Gorin Long was born in Cave City, Kentucky, on December 11, 1937.{{cite web|url=https://www.qub.ca/musique/artiste/beegie-adair-73141|title=Beegie Adair – Albums, titres, listes de lecture & articles|access-date=January 26, 2022|publisher=QUB Musique}}{{Cite web|last=Collins|first=Michael J.|title=Beegie Adair, jazz musician and distinguished WKU alumna, passes away at 84|url=https://wkuherald.com/63307/news/beegie-adair-jazz-musician-and-distinguished-wku-alumna-passes-away-at-84/|access-date=January 24, 2022|website=WKUHerald.com}} Her parents, Bobbe (Martin) Long and Arthur Long, owned a gas station.{{Cite news|last=Risen|first=Clay|date=2022-01-28|title=Beegie Adair, a Jazz Master in Country Music's Capital, Dies at 84|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/28/arts/music/beegie-adair-dead.html|access-date=2022-01-29|issn=0362-4331}} Adair began playing the piano at the age of five.{{cite news|title=Nashville jazz great Beegie Adair dies at 84|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/01/24/nashville-jazz-great-beegie-adair-dies-84/9200198002/|first=Dave|last=Paulson|date=January 24, 2022|access-date=January 26, 2022|newspaper=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee}}{{cite news|title=Bobbe 'Beegie' Adair, jazz pianist, dies in Tennessee|url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-tennessee-nashville-music-178bc549272a3d54677dfeea56ab8067|first=Kristin M.|last=Hall|date=January 26, 2022|access-date=January 26, 2022|work=Associated Press}} She graduated from Caverna High School in 1954.{{cite web|title=Hall of Distinguished Alumni {{ndash}} Ms. Beegie Adair (Inducted in 2006)|website=Western Kentucky University Alumni Association|url=http://alumni.wku.edu/s/808/media.aspx?sid=808&pgid=1786|accessdate=September 27, 2016}} Adair earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music education at Western Kentucky University in 1958.
Adair worked as a children's music teacher for three years before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1961.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/beegie-adair-mn0000149265/biography|title=Beegie Adair – Biography|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|work=AllMusic|access-date=January 26, 2022}}
Career
In 1961, Adair played in Printer's Alley and became a member of a jazz band led by Hank Garland. She was employed as a session musician at the Noon Show on WSM-TV and on The Johnny Cash Show from 1969 to 1971.{{cite news|title=Bobbe 'Beegie' Long Adair, a formative center of Nashville's jazz scene, dies at 84|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/25/1075588275/bobbe-beegie-long-adair-a-formative-center-of-nashvilles-jazz-scene-dies-at-84|first=Ron|last=Wynn|date=January 25, 2022|access-date=January 26, 2022|publisher=NPR}} On the Cash show, Adair accompanied performers such as Dinah Shore, Peggy Lee, Ray Stevens, Steve Allen, Chet Atkins, Cass Elliot, Vince Gill and Dolly Parton.
She partnered with Denis Solee in 1982 to establish the Adair–Solee Quartet, which became the sextet Be-Bop Co-Op. Adair released her first solo album in her name with Escape to New York (1998). She formed the Beegie Adair Trio, which has sold more than 1.5 million albums.{{cite news|title=Jazz pianist Beegie Adair brings new life to the standards|url=https://wacotrib.com/entertainment/accesswaco/jazz-pianist-beegie-adair-brings-new-life-to-the-standards/article_70c0b4c1-61fe-56e7-8e29-e5e020fa982d.html|first=Carl|last=Hoover|date=January 23, 2019|access-date=January 26, 2022|newspaper=Waco Tribune-Herald|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127073730/https://wacotrib.com/entertainment/accesswaco/jazz-pianist-beegie-adair-brings-new-life-to-the-standards/article_70c0b4c1-61fe-56e7-8e29-e5e020fa982d.html|archivedate=January 27, 2022|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ejazznews.com/modules.php?op%3Dmodload%26name%3DNews%26file%3Darticle%26sid%3D4423%26mode%3Dthread%26order%3D0%26thold%3D0 |title=JazzTrenzz : Between Sets with Beegie Adair :: EJazzNews.com : The Number One Jazz News Resource on the Net :: Jazz News Daily |accessdate=January 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006022035/http://www.ejazznews.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4423&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 |archivedate=October 6, 2009 }}
Adair appeared on more than 100 recordings throughout her 60-year career. Of these, 35 were recorded by her eponymous trio which included Adair, bassist Roger Spencer and percussionist Chris Brown. Among Adair's influences were George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner. In 2002, Adair released a six-CD centennial collection, The Great American Songbook Collection, with tunes by American composers such as Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael and Irving Berlin.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-great-american-songbook-collection-mw0001782890|title=The Great American Songbook Collection – The Great American Songbook Collection: Songs, Reviews, Credits|work=AllMusic|access-date=January 26, 2022}}
Adair was an adjunct professor of jazz studies at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music. She was a faculty and board member of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, where she often performed.
In 2002, Adair was named a Steinway Artist. She was inducted into Western Kentucky University's Hall of Fame and Cave City's Hall of Fame. She was the inaugural recipient of Nashville Jazz Workshop's Heritage Award.
Personal life
Adair lived in Franklin, Tennessee. She was married to Billy Adair for 38 years until his death in February 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2014/02/18/billy-adair/|title=Blair School of Music stalwart Billy Adair has died|last=Patterson|first=Jim|website=Vanderbilt University|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2019}} He was an associate professor of jazz studies at the Blair School of Music.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2014/02/18/musician-jazz-advocate-billy-adair-dies-at-age-66 |title=The Tennessean |website=Blogs.tennessean.com |date= |accessdate=September 27, 2016}}
Adair died at her home in Franklin on January 23, 2022, at the age of 84.
Discography
{{Div col|colwidth=40em}}
- 1997 Frank Sinatra Collection: A Musical Tribute (Green Hill){{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/beegie-adair-mn0000149265/discography/all|title=Beegie Adair – Album Discography|work=AllMusic|access-date=January 25, 2022}}
- 1998 Nat King Cole Collection: A Jazz Piano Tribute (Spring Hill)
- 1998 Escape to New York (Cap Records)
- 1999 Jazz Piano Christmas (Green Hill)
- 2000 Love, Elvis (Beegie Adair Trio) (Spring Hill)
- 2001 Dream Dancing: Songs of Cole Porter (Spring Hill)
- 2002 I'll Take Romance (Spring Hill)
- 2002 Centennial Composers Collection (Green Hill)
- 2003 Days of Wine and Roses (Village Square)
- 2004 Embraceable You (Green Hill)
- 2004 Quiet Christmas (Village Square)
- 2004 Sentimental Journey (Village Square)
- 2004 The Way You Look Tonight: The Romantic Songs of Jerome Kern (Green Hill)
- 2005 An Affair to Remember: Romantic Movie Songs of the 1950s (Green Hill)
- 2005 The Nearness of You (Spring Hill)
- 2005 Sinatra on Sax (Beegie Adair Trio and Denis Solee) (CD Baby re-release 2012){{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/beegie-adair-mn0000149265/credits|title=Beegie Adair – Credits|work=AllMusic|access-date=January 25, 2022}}
{{Div col end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.beegieadair.com/ Beegie Adair's website]
- {{Discogs artist|Beegie Adair}}
- {{IMDb name|13275078}}
- [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121337570 Appearance on NPR's Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz]
- [http://www.nashvillejazz.org Nashville Jazz Workshop]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adair, Beegie}}
Category:20th-century American pianists
Category:20th-century American women pianists
Category:21st-century American pianists
Category:21st-century American women pianists
Category:People from Barren County, Kentucky
Category:Jazz musicians from Kentucky
Category:American jazz pianists
Category:Western Kentucky University alumni