Beegie Adair
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.
Bobbe Gorin Long was born in Cave City, Kentucky, on December 11, 1937. Her parents, Bobbe (Martin) Long and Arthur Long, owned a gas station. Adair began playing the piano at the age of five. She graduated from Caverna High School in 1954. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Adair lived in Franklin, Tennessee. She was married to Billy Adair for 38 years until his death in February 2014. He was an associate professor of jazz studies at the Blair School of Music.
Adair died at her home in Franklin on January 23, 2022, at the age of 84.
Beegie Adair's website
Beegie Adair discography at Discogs
Beegie Adair at IMDb
Appearance on NPR's Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz
Nashville Jazz Workshop
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