1) Guitar Shorty w… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists with the name 'Guitar Shorty':
1) Guitar Shorty was American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter David William Kearney (born on 8 September 1934 ; died 20 April 2022) who was known for his explosive guitar style and wild stage antics.
2) Guitar Shorty was American acoustic blues guitarist John Henry Fortescue (born on 24 January 1923; died 26 May 1976).
I. Guitar Shorty (born David William Kearney on 8 September 1934 ; died 20 April 2022), was an American blues guitarist. Due to both his musical talents and performing stage antics such as somersaults and back flips, he has been considered "among the leading live acts on the blues scene."
Shorty was born in Houston, Texas but grew up mainly in Kissimmee, Florida, where he began playing the guitar at an early age and began heading a band not long after. During his time in Tampa Bay, Florida, he received his nickname, Guitar Shorty, when it mysteriously showed up on the marquee of the club he was playing as The Walter Johnson Band featuring Guitar Shorty. He steadily began to garner accolades from his peers and, at the age of 16, he joined the Ray Charles Band for a year. He then recorded his first single in 1957, "You Don't Treat Me Right", under the direction of Willie Dixon when Dixon saw him playing with the Walter Johnson orchestra. Eventually, he would join Guitar Slim's band and move to New Orleans, Louisiana.
While in New Orleans, Shorty also fronted his own band which played regularly at the Dew Drop Inn where he was joined by special guests such as T Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner and Little Richard. Not one to stay in one place long, Shorty next moved to the west coast at 19 in order to play with Sam Cooke. He played up and down the west coast and Canada until he met his future wife, Marcia, in Seattle, Washington. His new wife turned out to be the half-sister of Jimi Hendrix, who attended several of Shorty's gigs and possibly being influenced by Shorty. Jimi was so enthralled with Shorty’s playing, he attended several of Shorty's gigs in the Seattle area. As Shorty’s popularity grew, he recorded three singles for the Los Angeles-based Pull Records label in 1959.
In 1985, he released his first album On the Rampage on Olive Branch Records. Shorty soon got a record deal with New Orleans based Black Top Records. Topsy Turvy, his first on Black Top, came out in 1993. The album featured some fresh new songs as well as remakes of three classic numbers from his Pull days back in 1959. He released two more albums on Black Top in the 1990s. When Black Top folded in 1999, Shorty moved to Evidence Music, and released I Go Wild! in 2001.
In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "Don't Let It Go (Hold On To What You Got)". He joined Alligator Records in 2004. His album that year, Watch Your Back and his 2006 album We the People both charted on the Billboard Top Blues Albums at numbers eleven and twelve, respectively. Billboard said of We The People, "it’s difficult to imagine that he ever tracks a better album than this one."
An Alligator Records CD ' Bare Knuckles was released in March 2010. He was then based out of Harlingen Texas where he met an up and coming guitarist named Sal Gomez. He mentored the guitarist and brought him on with his road band from 2010 until 2012. Sal left a lasting impression on Guitar Shorty for some of the more modern techniques he applied with the standard playing of blues guitar. "He is a baaaaaaaaaad boy" was frequently said by Guitar Shorty at most of the shows Sal played. Guitar Shorty's guitar is named Red.
Shorty made an appearance on Chuck Barris' Gong Show, winning first prize for performing the song "They Call Me Guitar Shorty" while balanced on his head. Shorty and his wife eventually settled in Los Angeles, California. By the 1990s, Shorty started to record his own studio albums, starting with the UK-based JSP Records release My Way or the Highway in 1991, which won him a W.C. Handy Award and garnering him interest from labels in the United States. His 2004 album Watch Your Back and his 2006 album We the People have seen his best work yet with both charting on the Billboard magazine Top Blues Albums at numbers eleven and twelve, respectively.
Official Site
2) Guitar Shorty was American acoustic blues guitarist John Henry Fortescue (born on 24 January 1923; died 26 May 1976).
He recorded for Trix in 1972 and 1973. Besides his Trix recordings, Shorty recorded at least two sides for Savoy in 1952, as "Hootin' Owl".
In the original liner notes to Trix LP 3306, William Bentley claims that Shorty always tuned his guitar to EAEGBE, and always played with a slide on his little finger, though he didn't always use it in a given song.
His recordings can be accompanied by humming, whistling (he was a great whistler), scat singing, falsetto passages, a vocal imitation of a harmonica solo, and spoken asides in which he often does several different voices playing different parts.
Story of My LIfe
Guitar Shorty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I leave my heart open but it stays right here empty for days
She told me in the morning
She don't feel the same about us in her bones
It seems to me that when I die
These words will be written on my stone
The ground beneath my feet is open wide
The way that I've been holdin' on too tight
With nothing in between
The story of my life, I take her home
I drive all night to keep her warm and time
Is frozen (the story of, the story of)
The story of my life, I give her hope
I spend her love until she's broke, inside
The story of my life (the story of, the story of)
Written on these walls are
The colors that I can't change
Leave my heart open
But it stays right here in it's cage
I know that in the morning now
I see us in the light upon a hill
Although I am broken, my heart is untamed, still
And I'll be gone, gone tonight
The fire beneath my feet is burning bright
The way that I've been holdin' on so tight
With nothing in between
The story of my life, I'll take her home
I drive all night to keep her warm and time
Is frozen (the story of, the story of)
The story of my life, I give her hope
I spend her love until she's broke, inside
The story of my life (the story of, the story of)
And I've been waiting for this time to come around
But baby running after you is like chasing the clouds
The story of my life
I take her home
I drive all night
To keep her warm and time
Is frozen
The story of my life I give her hope (give her hope)
I spend her love until she's broke (until she's broke inside)
The story of my life (the story of, the story of)
The story of my life
The story of my life (the story of, the story of)
The story of my life
The song "Story of My Life" by Guitar Shorty is a reflective track that explores love, loss, and the passage of time. The lyrics communicate a sense of sadness and resignation, as the singer reflects on his relationship and the uncertain future that lies ahead. The line "Written in these walls are the stories that I can't explain" suggests that the memories and experiences of the past are always present, even if we cannot articulate them fully.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "The story of my life," emphasizing the idea that every person has a unique narrative that shapes their identity. The lines "I drive all night to keep her warm and time is frozen" and "I spend her love until she's broke inside" both suggest a kind of desperation and intensity in the singer's feelings, as he tries to hold onto the woman he loves despite the obstacles they face.
Ultimately, the song is a poignant reflection on the complexities of human relationships, and the ways in which our experiences shape us over time. It's a powerful reminder that even when we feel alone or lost, our stories and our connections to others are what ultimately give us meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Written in these walls are the stories that I can't explain
My past is full of secrets and experiences that I cannot put into words
I leave my heart open but it stays right here empty for days
I am vulnerable and open to love, but I often feel alone and unfulfilled
She told me in the morning She don't feel the same about us in her bones
She confessed that she no longer loves me with the same intensity she used to
It seems to me that when I die These words will be written on my stone
This heartbreak is so significant that it will be a defining part of my life and legacy
And I'll be gone, gone tonight The ground beneath my feet is open wide The way that I've been holdin' on too tight With nothing in between
I am falling apart and losing my grip on reality, love, and life, and there is nothing to hold on to
The story of my life, I take her home I drive all night to keep her warm and time Is frozen (the story of, the story of) The story of my life, I give her hope I spend her love until she's broke, inside The story of my life (the story of, the story of)
My life is a cycle of taking and giving love, of devotion and heartbreak, and of love and losses that all revolve around the same story
Written on these walls are The colors that I can't change Leave my heart open But it stays right here in it's cage
My life is full of sadness, regret, and longing that I cannot change, and my heart is locked in a cage of fear and pain
I know that in the morning now I see us in the light upon a hill Although I am broken, my heart is untamed, still
Despite my brokenness and despair, I can still see the beauty of love and hope, and my heart remains free and wild
And I've been waiting for this time to come around But baby running after you is like chasing the clouds
I have been hoping for a chance to love someone again, but it feels as futile and impossible as trying to catch the clouds
The story of my life I take her home I drive all night To keep her warm and time Is frozen The story of my life I give her hope (give her hope) I spend her love until she's broke (until she's broke inside) The story of my life (the story of, the story of) The story of my life The story of my life (the story of, the story of) The story of my life
My life is a series of moments, emotions, and experiences that are all part of the same narrative, and it revolves around my love, my heartbreak, my hope, and my pain.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: HARRY STYLES, LIAM PAYNE, LOUIS TOMLINSON, ZAIN MALIK, NIALL HORAN, JAMIE SCOTT, JULIAN BUNETTA, JOHN RYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind