He also championed African-American composers of the same period such as Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, presenting their work not in a polemical way, but as simply the obvious equal of that of their white 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 (And a Bottle of Beer)" or Gershwin and Duke's "I Can't Get Started." Short stated his favorite songwriters were Ellington, Arlen and Kern, and he was instrumental in spearheading the construction of the Ellington Memorial in New York City.
He was born in Danville, Illinois, United States, where one of his school classmates was Dick Van Dyke. He began performing as a busker after leaving home at the age of eleven for Chicago, with his mother's permission.
He started working in clubs in the 1940s. In 1968 he was offered a two-week stint at the Café Carlyle in New York City, to fill in for George Feyer. Short (accompanied by Beverly Peer on bass and Dick Sheridan on drums) became an institution at the Carlyle, as Feyer had been before him, and remained there as a featured performer for over 35 years. There, a combination of traits – his seemingly effortless elegance; his vocal phrasing (perfected, as was that of Frank Sinatra, at the feet of Miss Mabel Mercer, with perhaps also some help from Ethel Waters); his talent for presenting unknown songs worth knowing while keeping well known songs fresh; his infectious good cheer; and his resolute, self-disciplined professionalism – earned him great respect and made him tremendously popular. Bobby Short was generous with his impromptu all-night performances at his various favorite cafes and restaurants. He was a regular patron at Ted Hook's Backstage, located at Eighth Avenue and Forty-Fifth Street.
1972: Short sings theme song in James Ivory's film Savages.
1976: Short sings and appears in a commercial for Revlon's perfume "Charlie."
1985: Short sings and appears in the beginning portion of the Misfits of Science theme song.
1986: Short appears in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters. Then Allen used his recording "I Happen To Like New York" for opening title of Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993).
1991: Short stars as blues musician Ches Collins on the TV series In the Heat of the Night in which he sings the title track, Sweet, Sweet Blues.
1994: Short reprises his role as blues musician Ches Collins on the TV series In the Heat of the Night.
1999: Short appears in the Movie "Man of the Century"
2000: The Library of Congress designates Short a Living Legend, a recognition established as part of its bicentennial celebration.
2003: Short sings and plays piano in at least one episode of 7th Heaven on TV.
2004: Short announces he will end his regular appearances at the Café Carlyle by the end of the year, in favor of touring, traveling and spending time with friends.
2005: Short dies of leukemia at New York Presbyterian Hospital on March 21, 2005, aged 80 and is buried in Atherton Cemetery in Danville, Illinois, the city of his birth.
The Sidewalks of New York
Bobby Short Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Old brown wooden stoop,
On a summer's evening,
We formed a merry group;
Boys and girls together,
We would sing and waltz,
While the "Ginnie" played the organ
On the sidewalks of New York.
[Chorus]
East side, West side,
All around the town,
The tots sang 'Ring-a-Rosie',
'London Bridge is falling down!
Boys and girls together,
Me and Mamie O'Rorke,
Tripped the light fantastic
On the sidewalks of New York.
That's where Johnny Casey,
And little Jimmy Crowe,
With Jakey Krause the baker,
Who always had the dough,
Pretty Nellie Shannon,
With a dude as light as cork,
First picked up the waltz step
On the sidewalks of New York.
[Chorus]
Things have changed since those times,
And some are up in "G,"
Others are wanderers.
But all feel just like me,
They would part with all they've got,
Could they but once more walk,
With their best girl and have a twirl,
On the Sidewalks of New York.
[Chorus]
Bobby Short's "The Sidewalks of New York" depicts a nostalgic return to the simple pleasures of youth on the streets of New York. The song is a celebration of the multi-faceted culture of the city, with its diverse music, people, and architecture. Short sets up the scene with Casey's house, an old wooden stoop where a group of young men and women gather on a summer's evening to dance and sing to the tune of an ice cream truck's organ. The chorus highlights the joy and innocence of childhood as the tots sing nursery rhymes like 'Ring-a-Rosie' and 'London Bridge is falling down!'
The second verse recalls the memories of the characters that once filled the streets of New York with their unique personalities. The song mentions Johnny Casey and little Jimmy Crowe, two young boys who were always creating mischief, and Jakey Krause the baker, who always had the dough to spare. There is also a mention of Pretty Nellie Shannon, who danced with a man as light as a cork. These characters represent the free-spirited and creative youth who found joy in the simple things in life in the city.
The third and final verse of the song recognizes that time has passed, and things have changed. While many have moved on or passed away, the memories of the streets of New York stay with them. They wish to relive those golden moments of youthful exuberance and simplicity with their best girl by twirling and dancing to the tune of the same old ice cream truck song.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in front of Casey's,
We gathered in front of Casey's building
Old brown wooden stoop,
The building had an old, worn-out wooden doorstep
On a summer's evening,
It was an evening in summer
We formed a merry group;
We came together to enjoy each other's company
Boys and girls together,
Both boys and girls were present
We would sing and waltz,
We sang and danced the waltz
While the "Ginnie" played the organ
The organ was played by a woman called Ginnie
On the sidewalks of New York.
We were dancing on the sidewalk in New York City
East side, West side,
All around the city
All around the town,
Everywhere we went
The tots sang 'Ring-a-Rosie',
Children sang Ring-a-Rosie
'London Bridge is falling down!
And also London Bridge is falling down
Me and Mamie O'Rorke,
I and my friend Mamie O'Rorke
Tripped the light fantastic
Danced with grace and agility
On the sidewalks of New York.
On those same New York sidewalks
That's where Johnny Casey,
Johnny Casey was also there
And little Jimmy Crowe,
As well as Jimmy Crowe
With Jakey Krause the baker,
And the baker, Jakey Krause
Who always had the dough,
Who always had plenty of money
Pretty Nellie Shannon,
Also, a woman named Nellie Shannon
With a dude as light as cork,
And a man who was very light on his feet
First picked up the waltz step
Learned how to dance the waltz for the first time
On the sidewalks of New York.
On those New York sidewalks
Things have changed since those times,
Many things have changed from those times
And some are up in "G,"
Some of us are now successful
Others are wanderers.
Others may be aimlessly traveling
But all feel just like me,
But we all feel the same
They would part with all they've got,
We would give up everything we have
Could they but once more walk,
If only we could walk once again
With their best girl and have a twirl,
And dance with our significant other
On the Sidewalks of New York.
On those same New York sidewalks
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TOMMY COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind