Beegie Adair

Bobbe Gorin "Beegie" Adair was an American jazz pianist and bandleader, whose career spanned more than 60 years.

WWW beegieadair.com 𝕏 beegieadair FB Beegie.Adair.Music

Early life

Bobbe Gorin Long was born in Cave City, Kentucky, on December 11, 1937. Her parents, Bobbe 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.

Career

In 1961, Adair moved to Nashville, where she played in Printer's Alley and became a member of a jazz band led by Hank Garland. Over the course of her career, Adair accompanied a wide range of performers, including Dinah Shore, Peggy Lee, Ray Stevens, Steve Allen, Chet Atkins, Cass Elliot, Vince Gill and Dolly Parton. She played at various times for the Noon Show on WSM-TV and on The Johnny Cash Show and other programs.
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. 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.

Personal life

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.

Discography

1997 Frank Sinatra Collection: A Musical Tribute
1998 Nat King Cole Collection: A Jazz Piano Tribute
1998 Escape to New York
1999 Jazz Piano Christmas
2000 Love, Elvis
2001 Dream Dancing: Songs of Cole Porter
2002 I'll Take Romance
2002 Centennial Composers Collection
2003 Days of Wine and Roses
2004 Embraceable You
2004 Quiet Christmas
2004 Sentimental Journey
2004 The Way You Look Tonight: The Romantic Songs of Jerome Kern
2005 An Affair to Remember: Romantic Movie Songs of the 1950s
2005 The Nearness of You
2005 Sinatra on Sax
2006 Cheek to Cheek
2008 Dream Dancing
2008 Dancing in the Dark: A Tribute to Fred Astaire
2008 Dinner Music: Light Jazz
2008 In a Sentimental Mood
2008 My Romance: Romantic Songs of Richard Rodgers
2008 Yesterday: A Solo Piano Tribute to the Music of the Beatles
2009 Moments to Remember: Timeless Pop Hits of the 1950s
2009 Parisian Café
2009 Winter Romance
2009 Jazz Piano Christmas
2010 Swingin' with Sinatra
2010 Christmas Jazz: Instrumental Jazz for the Holidays
2011 Cocktail Party
2011 I Love Being Here with You: A Jazz Piano Tribute to Peggy Lee
2011 Into Somethin'
2011 Love Letters: The Beegie Adair Romance Collection
2011 Piano Music for Quiet Moments
2012 After the Ball
2012 Christmas and Cocktails
2012 Christmas Elegance: Elegant Holiday Instrumentals Featuring Piano and Violin
2012 Cocktail Party Piano: Elegant
2012 Jazz and the Movies
2012 Jazz for the Road
2012 Trav'lin' Light: Instrumental Jazz for the Open Road
2012 Days of Wine and Roses: Songs of Johnny Mercer
2012 Piano Music for Moms: Mother's Day Music Collection
2012 Piano Music for Weddings
2012 Save the Last Dance for Me: A Jazz Trio Salute to Timeless Pop Hits of the 1960s
2012 The Real Thing: Live
2013 As Time Goes By: Silver Screen Classics From The Golden Age Of Cinema
2013 A Time for Love: Jazz Piano Romance
2013 Jazz on Broadway
2013: Sentimental Journey: Saluting the Greatest Generation With Classic Gems of the World War II Era
2014 The Good Life: A Jazz Piano Tribute to Tony Bennett
2014 Vintage Jazz
2014 By Myself
2015 Too Marvelous for Words
2015 Quiet Christmas: Solo Piano
2016 Some Enchanted Evening
2016 Jazz Romance
2017 By Request
2018 Gershwin on Sax
2019 Grover's Hat Project
2020 Beegie Adair Collection
2020 Best of Beegie Adair: Solo Piano Performances
2020 Best of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Christmas Performances
2021 Valentine's Day Jazz
2021 Best of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Performances
2021 Beegie Adair: The Collection
2021 Winter Wonderland
2021 Christmas Fireplace
2022 ''Deep Cuts''