Table of Biography
Beegie Adair was a popular American jazz pianist and bandleader. Beegie Adair contributed to over 100 recordings throughout a 60-year career.
Early Life and Education
Beegie Adair was born Bobbe Gorin Long on December 11, 1937, in Cave City, Kentucky, U.S. Her age was 85 years old at the time of her death. She was born to her father Bobbe (Martin) Long and her mother Arthur Long.
Likewise, her parents had a gas station. She holds American nationality but her ethnicity is unknown. According to her birth date, she was born under the sun sign Sagittarius. At the age of five, Adair started learning to play the piano. Adair worked as a children’s music instructor for three years before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1961.
As for her educational qualification, she was a graduate student. In 1954, she received her high school diploma from Caverna High School. At Western Kentucky University, Adair graduated with a Bachelor of Science in music education in 1958.
Career and Professional Life
Professionally, Beegie was a jazz pianist. Adair joined the jazz group that Hank Garland was leading in 1961 while performing in Printer’s Alley. The Noon Show on WSM-TV and The Johnny Cash Show both used her as a session musician from 1969 to 1971. On the Cash show, Adair accompanied artists like Dinah Shore, Peggy Lee, Ray Stevens, Steve Allen, Chet Atkins, Cass Elliott, Vince Gill, and Dolly Parton.
The Adair-Solee Quartet, which later evolved into the sextet Be-Bop Co-Op, was founded by her and Denis Solee in 1982. Escape to New York, an album by Adair served as the singer’s debut self-titled album. With more than 1.5 million albums sold, she founded the Beegie Adair Trio.
Caption: Beegie Adair posing for a photo with her piano
Source: The New York Times
In her 60-year career, Adair appeared in more than 100 recordings. Of these, her eponymous trio which featured Adair, bassist Roger Spencer, and percussionist Chris Brown recorded 35 of them. George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner were among Adair’s influences.
The Great American Songbook Collection, a six-CD centennial compilation by Adair, was released in 2002. It features songs by American composers like Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, and Irving Berlin.
Moreover, Adair taught jazz studies as an adjunct at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. She frequently gave performances at the Nashville Jazz Workshop, where she served on the faculty and board. Adair was recognized as a Steinway Artist in 2002. Both the Cave City and Western Kentucky University Halls of Fame inducted her. She received the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Heritage Award for the first time.
Personal Life and Death
Beegie Adair held straight sexuality. As for her marital status, she was a widow. She had tied the knot with Billy Adair. They were together for 38 years until her husband’s death in February 2014. Her husband was an associate professor of jazz studies at the Blair School of Music.
Unfortunately, she took her last breath at her home in Franklin on January 23, 2022, at the age of 85 years old.
Caption: Beegie Adair with her husband
Source: Pinterest
Beegie Adair – Net Worth 2023
This professional pianist had earned a decent amount of money throughout her career. She had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death.
Social Media
Talking about her social media activity, she was active on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Her Facebook page ‘Beegie Adair’ has gained more than 13K followers. Likewise, her Instagram account ‘@beegieadairofficial’ has more than 2.7K followers and has shared 802 posts. Similarly, she joined Twitter in February 2012 and has more than 996 followers on her account ‘@BeegieAdair’.
Beegie Adair – Body Measurements
However, there are no details about her physical stats like height, weight, body size, dress size, shoe size, and so on. But looking at her pictures we can assume that she has a pair of brown eyes with golden colored hair.