Bobbe Gorin "Beegie" Adair (née Long, December 11, 1937 – January 23, 2022) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader, and a revered figure in Nashville's jazz scene, whose career spanned more than 60 years.
Bobbe Gorin Long was born in Cave City, Kentucky. Her parents, Bobbe and Arthur Long owned a gas station. To differentiate her from her mother, her father called her “B.G.,” after her first two initials, and the nickname stuck. 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 and worked as a children's music teacher for three years before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1961 where she played in Printer's Alley and became a member of a jazz band led by Hank Garland. She was employed as a session musician at the Noon Show on WSM-TV and on The Johnny Cash Show from 1969 to 1971.
During her 65-year career, she was a sought-after studio musician, Adair contributed to the recordings such legendary performers as Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Clifton Davis, Henry Mancini, Delbert McClinton, Joe Williams, Chet Atkins, Lucille Ball, Steve Allen, Dinah Shore, Mandy Barnett, Ray Stevens, Boots Randolph, Hank Garland, Mama Cass Elliott, Peggy Lee and many others. She and her husband, Billy Adair, also started a jingle company to write music for commercials. In 1982, she and saxophonist Denis Solee formed the Adair-Solee Quartet, which evolved into the Be-Bop Co-Op, a jazz sextet. She made her first album under her own name, Escape to New York, with a rhythm section consisting of Bob Cranshaw and Gregory Hutchinson.
Here's "Love Letters" from above album.
Adair has appeared on well over 100 albums, with more than 35 studio albums recorded with her trio mates, bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown over the last 25 years. The repertoire ranged from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Centennial Composers Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic upon its release. Her first live album, “The Real Thing,” spent over 12 weeks in the Top 20 on the JazzWeek charts and was named one of the “Top 100 Best Jazz Albums” of 2012. With over 2 million albums sold, the Beegie Adair Trio was one of the most successful, respected working jazz trios in the world.
In the late 80s, Beegie hosted Improvised Thoughts, a popular radio talk/music show for NPR, featuring local and international jazz artists including such greats as Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson and Helen Merrill. She has guested on McPartland’s internationally known Piano Jazz show twice and has performed with Nat Adderley, Bill Watrous, Lew Tabackin, Terry Clarke, Urbie Green and Jim Ferguson among many others. In 2002, Beegie joined one of the most exclusive rosters in the world when she became a Steinway Artist. An honor only bestowed upon 1,600 pianists in the world including Lang Lang, Diana Krall, Harry Connick, Jr., Michael Legrand, Billy Joel and the "immortals" like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Arthur Rubinstein.
Ms. Adair received many accolades over the course of her career, including being honored as an international “Jazz Hero” by Jazz Journalist Association, induction into the Western Kentucky University Hall of Fame; the Cave City, KY Hall of Fame; and was the inaugural Heritage Award recipient from the Nashville Jazz Workshop in Nashville, TN. In 2012, she was appointed a Kentucky Colonel by KY Gov. Steve Beshear. Additionally, her hometown named dedicated the Beegie Adair Community Center in her honor for her many contributions to music, education and her hometown community.
Beegie resided in Franklin, TN. She and her Trio held a residency at the Nashville Jazz Workshop, where she was also a Board Member Emeritus. Adair died at her home in Franklin on January 23, 2022, at the age of 84. Monica Ramey, her manager and frequent vocal partner, confirmed the death. She did not provide a cause but said Ms. Adair had been in failing health.
(Edited from Steinway & Wikipedia)