Remembering Professor Longhair, born Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd on December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, Louisiana – he died on January 30, 1980. He was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist. Professor Longhair is noteworthy for having been active in two distinct periods, both in the heyday of early rhythm and blues, and in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The music journalist Tony Russell, in his book The Blues – From Robe