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.
Beegie Adair | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bobbe Gorin Long |
| Born | December 11, 1937 Cave City, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 2022 (aged 84) Franklin, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Labels | Adair Music Group, Green Hill, Village Square Music |
| Website | www |
Early life
editBobbe Gorin Long was born in Cave City, Kentucky, on December 11, 1937.[1][2] Her parents, Bobbe (Martin) Long and Arthur Long, owned a gas station.[3] Adair began playing the piano at the age of five.[4][5] She graduated from Caverna High School in 1954.[6] Adair earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music education at Western Kentucky University in 1958.[2]
Adair worked as a children's music teacher for three years before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1961.[4][7]
Career
editIn 1961, Adair played in Printer's Alley and became a member of a jazz band led by Hank Garland.[4] She was employed as a session musician at the Noon Show on WSM-TV and on The Johnny Cash Show from 1969 to 1971.[4][7][8] 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.[8]
She partnered with Denis Solee in 1982 to establish the Adair–Solee Quartet, which became the sextet Be-Bop Co-Op.[7] Adair released her first solo album in her name with Escape to New York (1998).[4][7] She formed the Beegie Adair Trio, which has sold more than 1.5 million albums.[9][10]
Adair appeared on more than 100 recordings throughout her 60-year career.[5] Of these, 35 were recorded by her eponymous trio which included Adair, bassist Roger Spencer and percussionist Chris Brown.[5][8] Among Adair's influences were George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner.[7] 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.[11]
Adair was an adjunct professor of jazz studies at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music.[6] She was a faculty and board member of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, where she often performed.[5][8]
In 2002, Adair was named a Steinway Artist.[7][8] 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.[8]
Personal life
editAdair lived in Franklin, Tennessee. She was married to Billy Adair for 38 years until his death in February 2014.[4][12] He was an associate professor of jazz studies at the Blair School of Music.[12][13]
Adair died at her home in Franklin on January 23, 2022, at the age of 84.[3][2][8]
Discography
edit- 1997 Frank Sinatra Collection: A Musical Tribute (Green Hill)[14]
- 1998 Nat King Cole Collection: A Jazz Piano Tribute (Spring Hill)[14]
- 1998 Escape to New York (Cap Records)[14]
- 1999 Jazz Piano Christmas (Green Hill)[14]
- 2000 Love, Elvis (Beegie Adair Trio) (Spring Hill)[14]
- 2001 Dream Dancing: Songs of Cole Porter (Spring Hill)[14]
- 2002 I'll Take Romance (Spring Hill)[14]
- 2002 Centennial Composers Collection (Green Hill)[14]
- 2003 Days of Wine and Roses (Village Square)[14]
- 2004 Embraceable You (Green Hill)[14]
- 2004 Quiet Christmas (Village Square)[14]
- 2004 Sentimental Journey (Village Square)[14]
- 2004 The Way You Look Tonight: The Romantic Songs of Jerome Kern (Green Hill)[14]
- 2005 An Affair to Remember: Romantic Movie Songs of the 1950s (Green Hill)[14]
- 2005 The Nearness of You (Spring Hill)[14]
- 2005 Sinatra on Sax (Beegie Adair Trio and Denis Solee) (CD Baby re-release 2012)[15]
- 2006 Cheek to Cheek (Spring Hill)[14]
- 2008 Dream Dancing (Spring Hill)[16]
- 2008 Dancing in the Dark: A Tribute to Fred Astaire (Green Hill)[14]
- 2008 Dinner Music: Light Jazz (Green Hill)[14]
- 2008 In a Sentimental Mood (Green Hill)[14]
- 2008 My Romance: Romantic Songs of Richard Rodgers (Green Hill)[14]
- 2008 Yesterday: A Solo Piano Tribute to the Music of the Beatles (Green Hill)[14]
- 2009 Moments to Remember: Timeless Pop Hits of the 1950s (Green Hill)[14]
- 2009 Parisian Café (with David Davidson) (Green Hill)[14]
- 2009 Winter Romance (Green Hill)[14]
- 2009 Jazz Piano Christmas (Chordant Music Group)[14]
- 2010 Swingin' with Sinatra (Green Hill)[14]
- 2010 Christmas Jazz: Instrumental Jazz for the Holidays (Green Hill)[15]
- 2011 Cocktail Party (Green Hill)[14]
- 2011 I Love Being Here with You: A Jazz Piano Tribute to Peggy Lee (Green Hill)[14]
- 2011 Into Somethin' (Green Hill)[14]
- 2011 Love Letters: The Beegie Adair Romance Collection (Green Hill)[14]
- 2011 Piano Music for Quiet Moments (Spring Hill)[15]
- 2012 After the Ball (with Jaimee Paul) (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Christmas and Cocktails (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Christmas Elegance: Elegant Holiday Instrumentals Featuring Piano and Violin (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Cocktail Party Piano: Elegant (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Jazz and the Movies (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Jazz for the Road (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Trav'lin' Light: Instrumental Jazz for the Open Road (Denis Solee and the Beegie Adair Trio) (Burton Avenue Music)[17]
- 2012 Days of Wine and Roses: Songs of Johnny Mercer (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Piano Music for Moms: Mother's Day Music Collection (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Piano Music for Weddings (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 Save the Last Dance for Me: A Jazz Trio Salute to Timeless Pop Hits of the 1960s (Green Hill)[14]
- 2012 The Real Thing: Live (Green Hill/Adair Music Group)[14]
- 2013 As Time Goes By: Silver Screen Classics From The Golden Age Of Cinema (Green Hill)[14]
- 2013 A Time for Love: Jazz Piano Romance (Green Hill)[14]
- 2013 Jazz on Broadway (Beegie Adair Trio with Jack Jezzro) (Green Hill)[15]
- 2013: Sentimental Journey: Saluting the Greatest Generation With Classic Gems of the World War II Era (Green Hill)[14]
- 2014 The Good Life: A Jazz Piano Tribute to Tony Bennett (Green Hill)[14]
- 2014 Vintage Jazz (Green Hill)[14]
- 2014 By Myself (Green Hill)[14]
- 2015 Too Marvelous for Words (with Don Aliquo) (Adair Music Group)[14]
- 2015 Quiet Christmas: Solo Piano (Green Hill)[14]
- 2016 Some Enchanted Evening (with Monica Ramey) (Green Hill)[14]
- 2016 Jazz Romance (Green Hill)[14]
- 2017 By Request (Green Hill)[14]
- 2018 Gershwin on Sax (Beegie Adair Trio and Denis Solee) (Green Hill)[14]
- 2019 Grover's Hat Project (CD Baby)[14]
- 2020 Beegie Adair Collection[14]
- 2020 Best of Beegie Adair: Solo Piano Performances[14]
- 2020 Best of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Christmas Performances[14]
- 2021 Valentine's Day Jazz[14]
- 2021 Best of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Performances[14]
- 2021 Beegie Adair: The Collection [2021][14]
- 2021 Winter Wonderland[14]
- 2021 Christmas Fireplace[14]
- 2022 Deep Cuts[14]
References
edit- ^ "Beegie Adair – Albums, titres, listes de lecture & articles". QUB Musique. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c Collins, Michael J. "Beegie Adair, jazz musician and distinguished WKU alumna, passes away at 84". WKUHerald.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Risen, Clay (January 28, 2022). "Beegie Adair, a Jazz Master in Country Music's Capital, Dies at 84". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Paulson, Dave (January 24, 2022). "Nashville jazz great Beegie Adair dies at 84". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Hall, Kristin M. (January 26, 2022). "Bobbe 'Beegie' Adair, jazz pianist, dies in Tennessee". Associated Press. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Hall of Distinguished Alumni – Ms. Beegie Adair (Inducted in 2006)". Western Kentucky University Alumni Association. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Ruhlmann, William. "Beegie Adair – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wynn, Ron (January 25, 2022). "Bobbe 'Beegie' Long Adair, a formative center of Nashville's jazz scene, dies at 84". NPR. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Hoover, Carl (January 23, 2019). "Jazz pianist Beegie Adair brings new life to the standards". Waco Tribune-Herald. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "JazzTrenzz : Between Sets with Beegie Adair :: EJazzNews.com : The Number One Jazz News Resource on the Net :: Jazz News Daily". Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
- ^ "The Great American Songbook Collection – The Great American Songbook Collection: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Patterson, Jim. "Blair School of Music stalwart Billy Adair has died". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "The Tennessean". Blogs.tennessean.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk "Beegie Adair – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Beegie Adair – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "Beegie Adair – Albums". QUB Musique. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Trav'lin Light: Instrumental Jazz for the Open Road – Beegie Adair Trio, Denis Solee: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2022.