OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Title: Bobby Short Papers

Collection Dates: 1908-2006

Extent and Forms of Material: 13.3cubic feet, (34 document boxes)

Creator: Bobby Short (Robert Waltrip Short)

Abstract: Bobby Short was a singer and pianist whose career spanned seven decades. An interpreter of American popular music, he became a performer in childhood and remained active until his death. He is best known for his more than 35 years as performer-in-residence at the Hotel Carlyle’s Café Carlyle in New York City. This collection contains personal papers and photographs as well as business papers, musical materials and photographs relating to Mr. Short’s career as a performing artist.

Repository: Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. archivescenter@si.edu 202 633-3270 www.americanhistory.si.edu/archives

Collection Number: AC0946

Processing Note: Processed by Anne Morgan Jones, 2006-2007; supervised by Franklin A. Robinson, Jr. and Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, archivists.

INFORMATION FOR USERS OF THE COLLECTION

Conditions Governing Access: This collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an “as needed” basis, as resources allow. Researchers must use photocopies of scrapbooks due to the fragility of the originals, unless special access is approved.

Technical Access: Listening to sound recordings requires special appointment; please inquire.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use: The Archives Center does not own exclusive rights to these materials. All requests for permission to use these materials for non-museum purposes must be addressed directly to the Archives Center. Collection items are available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.

Preferred Citation: [title and date of item], Bobby Short Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, box number X, folder number XX, digital file number XXXXXXXX

IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLLECTION

Administrative/Biographical History: Bobby Short (Robert Waltrip Short) was born to Rodman and Myrtle Short on September 15, 1924, in Danville, Illinois. He was one of six surviving children. As part of the town’s relatively small African American community, the Short family maintained a middle-class standard of living, even during the Great Depression. Rodman Short pursued several occupations but spent most of his life as a coal miner in West Virginia and was seldom at home. Myrtle Short, a domestic worker, was a fastidious housekeeper who expected a high standard of deportment in her children. In Bobby Short’s first memoir, Black and White Baby, he wrote: “Except for our color, we conformed in almost every degree to the image of the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant—in our manners, our mores, and our way of life.” Music was an important part of that life; many members of the extended family played instruments or sang, some professionally. Short first played a song by ear at the family upright piano when he was four years old and began his life-long love affair with words and music. Church, school, vaudeville, and minstrel shows provided his earliest musical influences and repertoire; his innate musicality and enthusiasm enabled him to become a skilled performer at an early age. By the time he was ten years old, he was playing and singing in local night spots and as far away as Indianapolis. At twelve, he was playing in vaudeville, at times billed as “the Miniature King of Swing.” At thirteen, he returned to Danville, attended high school, and after graduating in 1942, left his home town to begin his professional life in earnest.

Short spent the 1940s and early 1950s as an increasingly successful entertainer in sophisticated night clubs and jazz venues in Chicago and other Midwestern cities, California, and New York, as well as Paris and London. While his early repertoire featured novelty songs and boogie-woogie, as he matured he embraced the standards of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and other notable composers and song writers. He enthusiastically promoted the work of African American composers such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. His encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs, both the well-known and the obscure, gave his performances a freshness that delighted his audiences.

In 1956, Short moved to New York City, taking up residence in a Carnegie Hall studio apartment. His career as a “saloon singer” (his words) continued in New York and in frequent visits to the Midwest and California. He appeared in theatrical roles and began recording for Atlantic Records. In 1968 his concert at Carnegie Hall with Mabel Mercer led to his engagement at the intimate Café Carlyle at the Hotel Carlyle. He remained there, playing for six months of the year, for the rest of his life. His performances at the Carlyle made him a darling of society and an icon of sophisticated New York style. In the early 1970s his album “Bobby Short Loves Cole Porter” introduced him to a larger audience; he published his first memoir, Black and White Baby, in 1971.

Short recorded numerous albums, earning several Grammy nominations. He appeared on radio and television, occasionally acted on stage and was seen in small roles in several films. He produced “Black Broadway,” a theatrical review featuring many veteran performers he had long revered; he was instrumental in the revival of Alberta Hunter’s career. Four Presidents--Nixon, Carter, Clinton and Reagan--invited him to perform at the White House. When he was not at the Café Carlyle, he traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, appearing in both night clubs and symphony halls. Success enabled him to purchase a villa in the south of France. His second memoir, Bobby Short, the Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, was published in 1995. Short earned many awards and honors during his lengthy career and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 1999. He died in New York on March 21, 2005.

Sources: Short, Bobby. Black and White Baby, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company,1971.

Short, Bobby (with Robert Mackintosh). Bobby Short, the Life and Times of a Saloon Singer, New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1995.

Scope and Content: This collection consists of personal materials relating to Mr. Short’s childhood, family, and friends as well as business materials relating to his career as a performer. These include photographs, correspondence, business documents, periodicals, musical materials, manuscripts and awards. Most of the material is arranged chronologically. The container list is detailed as to the type and date of the materials.

Series 1, Personal Materials, circa 1908-2005. This series is divided into four subseries: Subseries 1, Early Life in Danville, Illinois; Subseries 2, Awards, Honors, and Milestones; Subseries 3, Personal Ephemera and Miscellaneous Publications; and Subseries 4, Original Artworks owned by Bobby Short.

Subseries 1 includes poems written in childhood and two high school annuals. Subseries 2 includes numerous citations and awards as well as three Grammy nominations. Subseries 4 contains small prints and sketches as well as larger works by various artists.

Series 2, Correspondence, circa 1950-2005. This Series is dividedinto three subseries: Subseries 1, Personal Correspondence; Subseries 2, Correspondence with Celebrities and Notable People; and Subseries 3, Business Correspondence and Related Materials. The material is arranged chronologically.

The material in Subseries 1 and 2 consists of letters, telegrams, invitations, and notes.

Series 3, Photographs, circa 1908-2005. This Series is divided into six subseries: Subseries 1, With and ofFamily and Friends; Subseries 2, With Celebrities and Notable People; Subseries 3, Other Performers, Notable People, and Autographed; Subseries 4, In Performance; Subseries 5, Publicity, Fashion, and Advertising; and Subseries 6, Photographs of Artworks Depicting Bobby Short.

Subseries 1 contains a number of early family photographs and early photographs of Bobby Short. Subseries 1 and 3 include photographs by Carl Van Vechten. Subseries 1 and 5 include photographs by Horst, Hurrell, and Scavullo. Subseries 4 contains photographs of Bobby Short in performance, both alone and with others.

Series 4, Contracts and Related Documents, 1953-2005. This series is divided into five subseries: Subseries 1, Appearances in the United States and Foreign Countries; Subseries 2, Film, Radio and Television Appearances; Subseries 3, Print, Radio and Television Advertising; Subseries 4, Licensing Proposals; and Subseries 5, Union and Labor Department Documents.

Subseries 1 is arranged as follows: Hotel Carlyle Contracts; United States Contracts arranged alphabetically by state. These are followed by foreign contracts arranged alphabetically by name of country.

Series 5, Programs, Publicity, and Promotion, 1956-1996. This series is divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Programs for Performances by Bobby Short; Subseries 2, Newspaper Clippings and Magazines; and Subseries 3, Promotional Materials.

Subseries 1 consists primarily of programs for performances at concert halls. Subseries 2 consists largely of newspaper and entertainment magazine notices from the 1950s and 1960s. Subseries 3 includes flyers, announcements and table cards.

Series 6, Special Events, 1963-2003. This series consists of materials relating to special events such as charity benefits and anniversary celebrations at which Short performed or was otherwise involved. Several of these events benefited the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Series 7, Musical Materials, circa 1920s-1995. This series consists of a variety of materials relating to music; publications, sheet music, lyrics, recording contracts, album covers, and two 45 rpm recordings. Song lists, discographies, and articles about music are included.

Series 8, Theatrical Productions as Producer or Investor, 1979-1988 This series consists of contracts and performance materials for productions for which Bobby Short acted as a producer and/or investor. Programs, correspondence, and publicity materials are included; also partnership documents and financial statements.

Series 9, Manuscripts, Research, and Publishing Materials, circa 1954-1997. This series is arranged in two subseries: Subseries 1, Writings: Bobby Short; Subseries 2, Writings: Others.

Subseries 1 includes a partial manuscript for Black and White Baby and research and other materials for a proposed volume, Black Lady Singers, that was not written. Subseries 2 consists of miscellaneous writings by others including a partial script for a play, Tinsel Town, and a film script, Johnny Twennies.

System of Arrangement: The papers are arranged in nine series.

Series 1, Personal Materials, circa 1908-2005
Subseries 1, Early Life in Danville, Illinois, 1924-1942
Subseries 2, Awards, Honors and Milestones, 1964-2005
Subseries 3, Personal Ephemera and Miscellaneous Publications, 1937-2002
Subseries 4, Original Artworks Owned by Bobby Short, 1841-1990s
Series 2, Correspondence, circa 1938-2005
Subseries 1, Personal Correspondence, 1950s-2004
Subseries 2, Correspondence with Celebrities and Notable People, 1962-2004
Subseries 3, Business Correspondence and Related materials, 1938-2005
Series 3, Photographs, circa 1908-2005
Subseries 1, With and of Family and Friends, circa 1908-2005
Subseries 2, With Celebrities and Notable People, circa 1953-1990s
Subseries 3, Other Performers, Notable People, and Autographed, circa 1920s-1990s
Subseries 4, In Performance and Related Subjects, circa 1940s-2001
Subseries 5, Publicity, Fashion, and Advertising, circa 1930s-2000s
Subseries 6, Photographs of Artworks Depicting Bobby Short, circa 1960s-1990s
Series 4, Contracts and Related Documents, circa 1953-2005
Subseries 1, Appearances in the United States and Foreign Countries, circa 1953-2005
Subseries 2, Radio, Television, and Film Appearances, 1978-2000
Subseries 3, Print, Radio and Television Advertising, 1976-1997
Subseries 4, Licensing Proposals, 1984-2000
Subseries 5, Union and Labor Department Documents, 1981-2005
Series 5, Programs, Publicity, and Promotion, 1956-1996
Subseries 1, Programs for Performances by Bobby Short
Subseries 2, Newspaper Clippings and Magazines
Subseries 3, Promotional Materials
Series 6, Special Events, 1963-2003
Series 7, Musical Materials, circa 1920-1995
Series 8, Theatrical Productions as Producer or Investor, 1979-1988
Series 9, Manuscripts, Research, And Publishing Materials, circa 1954-1997
Subseries 1, Writings: Bobby Short
Subseries 2, Writings: Others

Acquisition Information:
Bequeathed to the Smithsonian Institution by Bobby Short.

Related Artifacts:
Objects (2006.0071): awards, clothing, medals, and a music portfolio, including thirteen sound recordings (1984.0134), are housed in the Division of Music, Sports, and Entertainment, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Access Points:

Subject/Names
Astor, Brooke
Bacall, Lauren
Bach, Jean
Bachrach, Bert
Bailey, Mildred
Baker, Josephine
Bankhead, Tallulah
Bennett, Robert Russell
Bennett, Tony
Birmingham, Stephen
Blake, Eubie
Bolcom, William
Bricktop, [Ada Smith DuConge]
Bruce, Lenny
Bruce, Virginia
Bull, Clarence Sinclair
Café Carlyle
Caine, Michael
Cab Calloway
Carroll, Barbara
Carroll, Diahann
Carter, Jimmy
Carter, Rosalind
Channing, Carol
Clinton, Bill
Clinton, Hillary
Colbert, Claudette
Coward, Noël
Dahl, Arlene
Damone, Vic
Damrosch, Walter
Dinkins, David
Duke, Vernon
Ellington, Duke
Ertegun, Ahmet
Ertegun, Nesuhi
Eula¸ Joe
Jamie Farr
Fairbanks, Douglas Jr.
Feyer, George
Ford, Gerald
Ford, Betty
Goodman, Dodie
Gray, Joel
Grubb, Davis
Hackman, Gene
Marvin Hamlisch
Hampton, Lionel
Hart, Kitty Carlisle
Hildegarde
Hines, Gregory
Hirschfeld, Al
Holiday, Billie
Horne, Lena
Horst
Hotel Carlyle
Hunter, Alberta
Hurrell
Kachaturian, Armen
Kaufman, Elaine
Keller, Grete
Kempner, Nan
Kennedy, Edward
Kilgallen, Dorothy
Koch, Mayor Ed
Kravitz, Lenny
Krementz, Jill
Kukla, Fran and Ollie
Lane, Burton
Laine, Cleo
Lawrence, Gertrude
Lindsay, John
Lollobrigida, Gina
Lutcher, Nellie
McCarroll, Louise
McGavin, Darren
McPartland, Marian
Mailer, Norman
Martin, Mary
Meehan, Danny
Mercer, Johnny
Mercer, Mabel
Merkin, Richard
Meyers, Hazel
Minnelli, Liza
Moore, Phil
Nichols, Mike
Nixon, Richard
Nixon, Pat
Norman, Jessye
O’Connor, Carroll
O’Connor, Donald
O’Connor, Patrick
Penn, Irving
Peters Sisters
Porter, Cole
Price, Leontyne
Razaf, Andy
Reagan, Ronald
Reagan, Nancy
Redmond, Don
Reddy, Helen
Reed, Rex
Risko
Rorem, Ned
Ross, Steve
Sablon, Jean
Sands, Diana
Scavullo, Francesco
Schatz, Arthur
Sinatra, Frank
Smith, Liz
Sondheim, Stephen
Steele, Danielle
Stutz, Geraldine
Sullivan, Maxine
Swift, Kay
Switt, Loretta
Warhol, Andy
Warrick, Ruth
Welch, Elizabeth
Wilkins, Roy
Wing, Toby
Wright, Cobina
Wyatt, Lynn

Subject/Topical
American music
Piano
Singing
Nightclubs
Cabaret
Entertainment
Vaudeville

Places
New York (N.Y.)
Danville, Illinois ( Ill.)
Los Angeles ( Calif.)
Chicago ( Ill.)

Form/Genres
Contracts and business material
Correspondence-20th century
Telegrams
Photographs
Press and publicity material
Musical material
Manuscripts
Passports
Drawings
Paintings

Occupations
Pianists
Singers
Recording artist

CONTAINER LISTING

archivescenter@si.edu
Revised: April 2, 2008