Professor Longhair Essentials

Editors’ Notes With his croak of a voice and a rollicking style that influenced every local pianist to follow, Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd virtually defines the New Orleans sound. Recorded in the late '50s and marked by a unique rumba-boogie rhythm, tracks like "Go to the Mardi Gras," "Tipitina," and "Big Chief" are as uniquely flavored as Crescent City cuisine. The Prof's gleefully goofy cover of Fats Domino's "Whole Lotta Loving" demonstrates how the idiosyncratic local hero was a rocker as well, and his biggest hit, "Bald Head," is a regional R&B gem.