Photograph by Michael P. Smith ©The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans Jazz Museum, Professor Longhair at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1977.

Professor Longhair Exhibit To Open At New Orleans Jazz Museum

Next month, the New Orleans Jazz Museum will begin hosting an exhibit in honor of Professor Longhair and the city’s tricentennial.

Me Got Fiyo: The Professor Longhair Centennial celebrates the inimitable pianist, who was born Henry Roeland Byrd. According to organizers, this exhibit “showcases all things Fess starting with his origins and development to his early hits such as ‘Tipitinas,’ ‘Mardi Gras In New Orleans’ and ‘Big Chief’ to his 1970s comeback, his untimely death, and his continual presence in New Orleans since then.”

On Thursday, August 2, the public is invited to the free opening reception of the exhibit, beginning at 5 p.m. Tom Worrell and Uganda Roberts will perform Professor Longhair’s music, while complimentary refreshments and a cash bar will keep attendees’ thirst at bay. To RSVP, click here.