American jazz pianist and bandleader (1937–2022)
Musical artist
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.
[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
In 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
Adair 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
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
^
"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 .
External links
International National Artists