Bobby Short

Robert Waltrip Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer and pianist, who interpreted songs by popular composers from the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Richard A. Whiting, Vernon Duke, Noël Coward and George and Ira Gershwin.

Short also championed African-American composers of the same period such as Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, presenting their work not in a polemical way, but as simply the obvious equal of that of their white contemporaries.

Short's 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 (And a Bottle of Beer)" or Gershwin and Duke's " I Can't Get Started". Short stated his favorite songwriters were Ellington, Arlen and Kern, and he was instrumental in spearheading the construction of the Ellington Memorial in New York City. He was a friend of Tom Jobim and was present during the composer's final days in New York City.

Early life

He was born in Danville, Illinois, United States, where two of his school classmates were Dick Van Dyke and Donald O'Connor. He began performing piano in dance halls and saloons, and as a busker, after leaving home at the age of 11, for Chicago, with his mother's permission.

Career

Short began his adult musical career in clubs in the 1940s. 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 more than 35 years. Short often performed impromptu all-night sets at his various favorite cafes and restaurants. He was a regular patron at Ted Hook's Backstage, located at Eighth Avenue and Forty-Fifth Street.

In 1971 Short published ''Black and White Baby'', a brilliant description of his childhood upbringing
in the dance halls and saloons of Chicago and New York, and his family's fight for survival after the death of his father. He followed with ''Bobby Short: The Life and Times of a Saloon Singer'' in 1995, chronicling his career into the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

Short continued his career in the 1970s and 1980s singing for films and television. In 1972, he performed the theme song to James Ivory's film ''Savages''. In 1976, Short sang and appeared in a commercial for Revlon's perfume "Charlie". In 1979 he performed a 25-song set that was released on DVD in 2004 as ''Bobby Short at the Cafe Carlyle''. In 1981, he made a cameo appearance on '' The Love Boat'' in a two-part episode. In 1985, he sang part of the opening theme for the NBC television show '' Misfits of Science''. Short continued working in films when, in 1986, he appeared in the Woody Allen film ''Hannah and Her Sisters''. Allen later used Short's recording of " I Happen to Like New York" for the opening title of '' Manhattan Murder Mystery'' (1993).

In 1991, Short made a guest appearance as blues musician Ches Collins on the TV series '' In the Heat of the Night'' in the episode " Sweet, Sweet Blues". He also performed the theme song for the episode. He reprised the role in the 1994 episode "Ches and the Grand Lady". In 1993, he made an appearance in the Michael J. Fox comedy film, '' For Love or Money'', performing the song "In Your Eyes" (written by Marc Shaiman). Short appeared in his final film role, in '' Man of the Century'', in 1999.

Later years

In 2000, the Library of Congress designated Short a Living Legend, a recognition established as part of its bicentennial celebration. The following year, Short's voice was featured in the 200th episode of the sitcom '' Frasier''. In 2004, Short announced plans to end his regular appearances at the Café Carlyle by the end of the year. He continued to tour and travel until the end of his life.

Awards

Bobby Short was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1983 in the area of Performing Arts.

Personal life

Short adopted Ronald Bell, of San Francisco, who was the son of Short's older brother William.

Although Short never publicly declared that he was gay, it was well known among his friends, fellow musicians, and even among some of his fans. When asked by a friend why he hadn't taken part in any of the gay pride marches of the 1970s and 1980s, Short's response was, "I have a living to make! I can't afford to march in the Gay Pride Parade."

Death

On March 21, 2005, Short died of leukemia at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He is buried in Atherton Cemetery in Danville, Illinois, the city of his birth.

Discography

* ''Songs by Bobby Short'' (1955, Atlantic)
* ''Bobby Short'' (1956, Atlantic)
* ''Speaking of Love'' (1957, Atlantic)
* ''Sing Me A Swing Song'' (1958, Atlantic)
* ''The Mad Twenties'' (1959, Atlantic)
* ''Bobby Short on the East Side'' (1960, Atlantic)
* ''My Personal Property'' (1963, Atlantic)
* ''Jump for Joy'' (1969, Atlantic)
* ''Nobody Else But Me'' (1971, Atlantic)
* ''Bobby Loves Cole Porter'' (1971, Atlantic)
* ''Bobby Short is Mad About Noël Coward'' (1972, Atlantic)
* ''Bobby Short is K-RA-ZY for Gershwin'' (1973, Atlantic)
* ''Live at the Cafe Carlyle'' (1974, Atlantic)
* ''Bobby Short Celebrates Rodgers & Hart'' (1975, Atlantic)
* ''Personal'' (1977, Atlantic)
* ''Moments Like This'' (1982, Elektra/Asylum)
* ''Guess Who's in Town: Bobby Short Performs the Songs of Andy Razaf'' (1987, Atlantic)
* ''Late Night at the Cafe Carlyle'' (1992, Telarc)
* ''Swing That Music'' (1993, Telarc)
* ''Songs of New York (Live)'' (1995, Telarc)
* ''Celebrating 30 Years of the Cafe Carlyle'' (1998, Telarc)
* ''You're the Top: The Love Songs of Cole Porter'' (1999, Telarc)
* ''Piano'' (2001, Surroundedby Entertainment)Bobby Short discography
at allmusic.com.

As guest vocalist

With Benny Carter
*'' Benny Carter Songbook'' (MusicMasters, 1996)

Filmography

* ''Call Me Mister'' (1951)
* '' Roots: The Next Generations'' (1979)
* ''Hardhat and Legs'' (1980)
* ''You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story'' (1983)
* ''Hannah and her Sisters'' (1986)
* '' For Love or Money'' (1993)
* '' Blue Ice'' (1993)
* '' Man of the Century'' (1999)
* ''Always At The Carlyle'' (2018)

Television

* '' The Love Boat'' (2 episodes, 1981)
* '' In the Heat of the Night'' (2 episodes, 1991, 1994)
* '' Frasier'' (1 episode, 2001)
* '' 7th Heaven'' (1 episode 2003)

References

External links

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Music Legend Bobby Short's Jazz Legacy
- an appreciation from National Public Radio (spoken commentary with brief musical excerpts; requires RealPlayer or Windows Media Player)

Google Music: Bobby Short

Bobby Short Music


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Bobby
1924 births
2005 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century American singers
21st-century American musicians
21st-century American singers
African-American jazz musicians
African-American jazz pianists
African-American male actors
20th-century African-American male singers
American street performers
American male film actors
American male television actors
Atlantic Records artists
Burials in Illinois
Cabaret singers
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
Deaths from leukemia
Jazz-blues pianists
Nightlife in New York City
Singers from Illinois
People from Danville, Illinois
Traditional pop music singers
20th-century American pianists
Jazz musicians from Illinois
American male pianists
Gay musicians
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers
American male jazz musicians
21st-century African-American male singers