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Guitar Shorty

Blues in His Blood

Guitar Shorty was born David William Kearney on September 8, 1939 in Houston, Texas and raised in Kissimmee, Florida by his grandmother. Guitar Shorty began playing guitar as a young boy, excited by the sounds of B.B. King, Guitar Slim, T-Bone Walker and Earl Hooker. His first lessons came from his uncle, but when it became clear that the youngster was serious about his music, his grandmother hired a tutor for him. After a move to Tampa when Guitar Junior was 17, he won a slot as a featured guitarist and vocalist in Walter Johnson's 18-piece orchestra. Being younger - and shorter - than the rest of the band, the club owner bestowed the name Guitar Shorty on him, and it stuck. After a particularly strong performance in Florida, the great Willie Dixon, who was in the audience, liked what Guitar Shorty was doing and got him in the studio. A few weeks later Guitar Shorty was in Chicago and, backed by Otis Rush on second guitar, he cut his first single, Irma Lee b/w You Don't Treat Me Right, for Chicago's famed Cobra Records in 1957. After recording the Cobra single, Guitar Shorty's fortunes continued to rise, as the great Ray Charles hired the young guitar slinger as a featured member of his road band. While touring Florida, Guitar Shorty met one of his idols-guitarist/vocalist Guitar Slim. Guitar Slim's manager offered Guitar Shorty the opening slot on the guitarist's upcoming tour, and Guitar Shorty jumped at the chance, following his hero to New Orleans. Guitar Shorty gigged steadily through the late 1950's and 1960's, working with Little Milton, B.B. King, Lowell Fulson, Sam Cooke, Otis Rush, Johnny Copeland and T-Bone Walker. Settling down in Seattle, he married Marsha Hendrix, Jimi's stepsister. Guitar Shorty moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and worked as a mechanic during the day while playing gigs at night until 1975, when he again became a full-time musician. Guitar Shorty had his share of career tribulations, though, including a performance (albeit a winning one) on The Gong Show in 1978, playing guitar while standing on his head. After overcoming a serious auto accident in 1984, Guitar Shorty recorded an EP for Big J Records and a few more singles (this time for Olive Branch Records) in 1985, showcasing his fat-toned guitar licks and deep blues vocals. The strength of these recordings kept him busy on the club scene, and he eventually landed a British tour in 1990. Guitar Shorty cut his debut album for the JSP label in 1990 while on tour in England. Released in 1991, My Way Or The Highway received the Blues Music Award for Contemporary Foreign Blues Album Of The Year and revitalized Guitar Shorty's career in the U.S. With all the attention Guitar Shorty received, the New Orleans-based Black Top label signed him and released three albums during the 1990's, and in 2001 Evidence Records issued I Go Wild. All received an abundance of positive press as he barnstormed his way across the U.S. and around the world, with stops in Europe, China and Malaysia. Appearances at major festivals like The Monterey Bay Blues Festival, The San Francisco Blues Festival and The King Biscuit Blues Festival brought him to larger and larger audiences. At the 1998 Chicago Blues Festival, Guitar Shorty opened for his old boss Ray Charles and thrilled an audience of thousands with his jaw-dropping stage show.

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