GUITAR SHORTY:
Wildman Of Rhythm & Blues
By Jerry Clayworth
(Originally published in Action Magazine)
Guitar Shorty's professional career began some 50+ years ago, when, after catching the blues bug via the powerful sounds of BB King, Earl Hooker & T-Bone Walker, a 17-years old David Kearney moved to Tampa, FL from his birthplace of Houston, TX, and immediately won a spot in Walter Johnson's 18-piece blues orchestra. Being the youngest & smallest of the group, he was nicknamed "Guitar Shorty" by the other members, and it stuck. He would soon catch the ear of Willie Dixon, who took Shorty into the studio to record his first 45 sides for the famed Cobra Records label. And so began an incredible journey.
Soon, Shorty would begin earning his stripes on a grand level, as a guitarist in Ray Charles' touring band, as well as through touring as the opening act for one of his childhood heroes, Guitar Slim. It was due to the inspiration of Guitar Slim that Shorty began to incorporate wild stage acrobatics & showmanship into his performances. As the road miles clicked by, Shorty's stock as a performer went through the roof.
Working the road steadily through the late-50's & 60's, his resume read like a Who's-Who of the blues world.... Working with the likes of Lowell Fulson, Little Milton, Sam Cooke, BB King, Johnny Copeland, and T-Bone Walker solidified his place in the hearts (and ears) of rhythm & blues fans throughout the land.
Taking up residence in Seattle, Shorty married Marsha Hendrix, the older stepsister of a young Jimi Hendrix. A burgeoning guitarist himself, Jimi would take every opportunity to sneak into the nightclubs & study Shorty's style & techniques. Hendrix was especially intrigued by the flashy tricks & backflips that Shorty executed during his shows, which soon led to developing his own stage flare... Literally! Shorty often recalls the time he asked Jimi why he would set his guitar on fire, and Hendrix told him that since he couldn't do the flips, this would be something that would catch peoples' attention!
Shorty relocated to Los Angeles in 1971, where like so many blues musicians during that period, his career went through a series of ups & downs. During the low points he would work part-time as a mechanic to suplement his income, but by 1975 he was back to being a fulltime musician. While working the L.A. club scene, Shorty would make a historic appearance on the Gong Show, where he won over the celebrity judges by doing a flip & playing guitar standing on his head.
After recovering from serious injuries sustained during a 1984 car accident, Guitar Shorty bounced back to record for numerous labels over the years that followed, including three albums for the New Orleans-based Black Top Records (home of Anson Funderburgh & Grady Gaines among others). He toured the US & England constantly during the 1990's, winning over a whole new generation of fans. That touring included memorable stopovers at San Antonio's Billy Blues BBQ in 1994 & '95. At one of those SA gigs, an imposing figure walked up to the doorman & requested a table near the stage -- it was former Heavyweight Boxing Champ Larry Holmes, who said that Shorty was "one of the best entertainers he'd ever seen"! How many guitar players can say that they "knocked out" Larry Holmes?
The late-90's were filled with appearances at some of the most prestigious blues festivals in the country, including The Monterey Bay Blues Festival, The San Francisco Blues Festival, and the 1998 Chicago Blues Festival (where he opened for his former boss, Ray Charles, and deliveres a jaw-dropping performance for the thousands on hand).
Jump forward to 2004, as Guitar Shorty began a relationship with Alligator Records. He released his first CD for the label, "Watch Your Back" in which Living Blues called Shorty "a blues rock original [who plays] screaming, empowered guitar and sings with streetwise defiance."
His latest CD, "We The People" has burned it's way up the blues radio & retail charts. Aside from being one of the most in-demand blues performers in the business today (Shorty regularly plays to Sold Out audiences in the US, Canada, Mexico, and abroad), he also just won a 2007 Blues Foundation Music Award (aka the W.C. Handy Award), the highest honor the industry has to offer!
Whether he's standing on his head, leading a parade of fans out into the streets as he tears through an extended guitar solo, or soaking the crowd in blues & soul, you can be assured that Mr. Guitar Shorty is a true one-of-a-kind rhythm & blues master!
