Robert
Waltrip "Bobby" Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an
American cabaret singer and pianist, best known for his interpretations of
songs by popular composers of the first half of the 20th century such as
Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Noel
Coward and George and Ira Gershwin.
His
dedication to his great love – what he called the "Great American
Song" – left him equally adept at performing the witty lyrics of Bessie
Smith's "Gimme a Pigfoot" or Gershwin and Duke's "I Can't Get
Started with You." Short always said his favorite songwriters were
Ellington, Arlen and Kern, and he was instrumental in spearheading the
construction of the Ellington Memorial in his beloved New York City.
Bobby
Short was one of New York's greatest cabaret singers; his piano-playing and
singing were as immaculate as his appearance. He excelled in the intimate Café
Carlyle and he loved the great songs of the 1930s and 1940s. Cole Porter's
family gave him a special award on the centenary of Porter's birth in 1991 for
maintaining his legacy.
Robert
Waltrip Short was born into a poor black family in Danville, Illinois in 1924.
He was ninth of 10 children and he taught himself to play the piano by copying
the songs he heard on the radio. By the age of nine, he was performing in clubs
around Danville and was even performing Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated
Lady". His mother took him to Chicago and he became known as the
"Miniature King of Swing". He played on stage with Louis Armstrong
and worked at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Because he wore white tie and
tails, he acquired a second sobriquet, the "Black and White Baby",
which became the title of his childhood memoir in 1971.
Completing
his schooling, he played in clubs in Danville and then in 1948 he moved to Los
Angeles for a residency. He appeared in London and Paris and then signed with
Atlantic Records in New York, making the albums Songs by Bobby Short (1955) and
Speaking of Love (1956). He said that his criterion for selecting material was
that "first a song has to be beautiful." His clear enunciation
brought out the best in the lyrics and he would add some Harlem vaudeville
licks to his sophisticated playing.
Here's "Gimme A Pigfoot" from above 1955 album
In 1968 he performed in concert with the highly respected
singer Mabel Mercer in Manhattan's Town Hall, which led to two popular albums,
Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short at Town Hall (1968) and Mercer and Short: Second
Town Hall Concert (1969).
Also
in 1968 he was offered a two-week stint at the Café Carlyle in New York City,
to fill in for George Feyer. Short (accompanied by Beverly Peer on bass and
Dick Sheridan on drums) became an institution at the Carlyle, as Feyer had been
before him, and remained there as a featured performer for over 35 years.
There, a combination of traits – his seemingly-effortless elegance; his vocal
phrasing (perfected, as was that of Frank , at the feet of Miss Mabel
Mercer, with perhaps also some help from Ethel Waters); his talent for
presenting unknown songs worth knowing while keeping well-known songs fresh;
his infectious good cheer; and his resolute, self-disciplined professionalism –
earned him great respect and made him tremendously popular. Bobby Short was
generous with his impromptu all-night performances at his various favorite
cafes and restaurants. He was a regular patron at Ted Hook's Backstage, located
at Eight Avenue and Forty-Fifth Street.
Woody
Allen loved his work, featuring him in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and using
his version of Cole Porter's "I Happen To Like New York" on the
credits of Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). Short appeared in the films Splash
with Tom Hanks (1984), Blue Ice with Michael Caine (1992) and For Love or Money
with Michael J. Fox (1993). In 2000 the Library of Congress designated Short a
Living Legend as part of its bicentennial celebration.
Short
announced his retirement from the Cafe Carlyle with his final appearance on New
Year's Eve 2004. He died of leukemia at the age of 80 on March 21, 2005. He once joked, "One day I might learn to
read music properly, but Erroll Garner once told me, 'Man, who's gonna pay to
hear you read?' (Info
edited from Wikipedia & www.Independent.co.uk)
4 comments:
For Bobby Short – Songs By (1955) go here:
http://uploaded.net/file/rq724mi3
01. I Like The Likes Of You
02. Now
03. Island In The West Indies
04. Suddenly
05. You’re Not My First Love
06. Sweet Bye And Bye
07. From This Moment On
08. Dinah
09. You Make Me Feel So Young
10. Manhattan
11. I Can’t Get Started
12. Autumn In New York
13. Gimme A Pigfoot
Hey BB,
Can you do a re-up on Bobby Short and maybe, do you have any other
albums/ CDs compilations on him?
Many thanks,
D
Hello Denis, I cannot find the “Songs By” album and it’s no longer in my database. But do not despair for I found this on the digital sites.
For “Bobby Short – 50 By Bobby Short (1986 Atlantic)” go here:
https://www.imagenetz.de/foydY
Disc: 1
1 I Like The Likes Of You
2 Manhattan
3 You Make Me Feel So Young
4 You Are Not My First Love
5 Gimme A Pigfoot
6 Sweet Bye And Bye
7 Autumn In New Yourk
8 Frim This Moment On
9 Down Wit Love
10 I've Got Five Dollars
11 Sand In My Shoes
12 At The Moving Picture Ball
13 Bye Bye Blackbird
14 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
15 Easy Come Easy go
16 So Near And Yet So Far
17 Bedelia
18 I Love Yo Samantha
19 Hooray For Love
20 Down In Mexico
21 This Is What I Call Love
22 Dream Dancing
23 It's Bad For Me
24 From Now On
25 Lydia The Tatooed Lady
26 Be My Host
Disc: 2
1 Some Fine Day
2 Wake Up Chillun Wake Up
3 Sweet So And So
4 Changes
5 Don't Bring Lulu
6 Delia's Gone
7 Just For Today
8 Romance I The Dark
9 Simon Smith & His Dacing Bear
10 I Love To Rhyme
11 Don't Mention Love To Me
12 The Best Is Yet To Come
13 Bojangles Of Harlem
14 Something To Live For
15 And Her Mother Came Too
16 On The Amazon
17 I Can't Get Started
18 Rap Tap In Wood
19 A Room Wit A View
20 If Love Were All
21 I'll See You Again
22 Losing My Mind
23 Spring Is Here
24 Our Love Is Here to Stay
This is a terrific collection that defines Bobby Short over his long career. Hand picked by Mr. Short himself. Recordings made between 1955 to 1975. I have reconstructed this playlist with most of the original mp3 and rest from other digital albums
That's perfect. Thanks so much BB.
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