- 313Recommend It!
- 4,411views
Big Band in the Sky
May 2005
Fradley Garner
Fradley Garner is an American freelance writer, editor and translator based in Denmark.Robert Waltrip Short was a child prodigy, one of a family of 10 Depression-era children, who basically taught himself to play piano and sing, At age 10, he entertained at a party in Chicago. Two years later, he was doing one-night stands at Chicago hotels, and then in New York. He returned to his native Danville in 1938 to continue his grade school education, graduating from high school while still performing in clubs.
Short was featured at the Blue Angel in New York, and at west coast clubs. In the 1950s and '60s he worked the Paris circuit. But the elegant baritone's longest residency began in 1968 at the Café Carlyle on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where for half the year he continued to work into 2005, the club's 50th anniversary. He had homes in Manhattan and Southern France "Over the years, wrote The New York Times, the performer "transcended the role of cabaret entertainer to become a ... symbol of civilized Manhattan culture. A visit to the Carlyle became a "must stop for the characters in Woody Allen's New York films. Short's CDs include the Benny Carter Songbook on the MusicMasters label and an album with Marian McPartland on Jazz Alliance.
Ted Brown, an unpredictable disk jockey from the golden era of WNEW-AM radio in New York and host of WNBC's "Monitor in the early 1970s, died March 20 in Manhattan. His age was believed to be about 80. He was a contemporary of William B. Williams and, later, of Jonathan Schwartz. On the air, Brown was famous for stunts. One April Fool's Day, he substituted the Rolling Stones for Sinatra records. To dramatize the dangers of alcohol, he would get drunk on the air. "We enjoyed disc jockey Ted Brown," said NJJS member George Gaelwood. "Once on July 4th, he said he was going to drink a fifth on the 4th, and he did — on the air!"
Reader comments and obit tips are always welcome.
