Fess: The SongByrd of N.O.

As a vinyl .45 record that reads ‘Atlantic’ flips onto a record player, the piano in the background grows louder and more energetic, punctuated by drums and horns.

Then here comes the signature whistling that every New Orleans kid recognizes — it’s from the Professor Longhair song, “Go to the Mardi Gras.”

Longhair died in 1980. He never achieved real stardom in the lifetime. And his legacy hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, family members say.