Bobby Short

Bobby Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer known for his interpretation of songs by early 20th century composers such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, and George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. He also championed African-American composers of the same period such as Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, and Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, presenting their work not in a polemical way, but as simply the obvious equal of that of their paler contemporaries. 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 instumental in spearheading the construction of the Ellington Memorial in his beloved New York City.

External links

• "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)
• "Bobby Short" - on All Music Guide