|
Singer and lounge impresario Bobby Short was born in Danville, Ill., on Sept. 15, 1924. He grew up during the height of the depression, the ninth of ten children. |
Thanks to what Bobby Short referred to as his parent's "middle-class pretensions," there was an upright piano in the house, and by age 4, Short was playing tunes he heard on the radio. By age 9, Short was performing in Saloons in Danville, earning extra money for the family. Two years later, Short was playing in clubs around Chicago and shortly thereafter, he joined the Vaudeville circuit -- where he was dubbed the "Miniature King of Swing."
Short was, by this time, a full-time performer, and after a brief return to his home in Danville to complete high school, Short returned to the music business. After engagements in major nightclubs across the country, including a three-year engagement at LA's Café Gala, Short left for Europe to play in clubs in London and Paris. His success there led to an album for Atlantic records. A series of albums on Atlantic followed upon his return from Europe.
In 1968, Short landed a gig at the Café Carlyle, the bastion of New York's sophisticate nightlife. A two-week booking turned into a 36-year engagement at the club. This was to be his last year at the Café Carlyle - his farewell show was scheduled for New Year's Eve.
Short also performed at the White House for numerous presidents, with symphony orchestras, and in the best concert halls around the world. He also appeared in several movies (Splash, Hannah and Her Sisters) and the television show, "In The Heat of The Night."
Bobby Short devoted his life to American popular song, especially the music of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Noel Coward, and the Gershwins. Despite his tuxedoed performances at one of the swankiest clubs in Manhattan, and a list of fans that included Norman Mailer, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , Short always referred to himself as a saloon singer.
Short was diagnosed with leukemia on Wednesday, March 16. He died less than a week later on March 21, at the age of 80.
Set List for Bobby Short on Piano Jazz:"Just One Of Those Things" (Porter)
"Lotus Blossom" (Strayhorn)
"Back Home Again In Indiana" (Tatgenhorst)
"Twilight World" (McPartland)
"Where Are You" (Adamson, McHugh)
"Looking At You" (Porter)
"I Can't Get Started" (Gershwin, Duke)
"Portrait of Bobby Short" (McPartland)
"When Lights Are Low" (Carter, Williams)
Bobby Short at the Danville Library
Short was, by this time, a full-time performer, and after a brief return to his home in Danville to complete high school, Short returned to the music business. After engagements in major nightclubs across the country, including a three-year engagement at LA's Café Gala, Short left for Europe to play in clubs in London and Paris. His success there led to an album for Atlantic records. A series of albums on Atlantic followed upon his return from Europe.
In 1968, Short landed a gig at the Café Carlyle, the bastion of New York's sophisticate nightlife. A two-week booking turned into a 36-year engagement at the club. This was to be his last year at the Café Carlyle - his farewell show was scheduled for New Year's Eve.
Short also performed at the White House for numerous presidents, with symphony orchestras, and in the best concert halls around the world. He also appeared in several movies (Splash, Hannah and Her Sisters) and the television show, "In The Heat of The Night."
Bobby Short devoted his life to American popular song, especially the music of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Noel Coward, and the Gershwins. Despite his tuxedoed performances at one of the swankiest clubs in Manhattan, and a list of fans that included Norman Mailer, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , Short always referred to himself as a saloon singer.
Short was diagnosed with leukemia on Wednesday, March 16. He died less than a week later on March 21, at the age of 80.
Set List for Bobby Short on Piano Jazz:
Related Links