Guitar Shorty at Terra Blues & New Album Review: Bare Knuckle

Guitar Shorty has quietly become a legend in his own time. But recently, he's been building a buzz with new fans. It's nice to see he's finally getting the recognition he deserves.

While most of the songs on his previous albums have showcased this bluesmaster's guitar artistry, his latest release, Bare Kuckle, has something for everyone.

Guitar Shorty recently said: "There are only seven blues songs" Well, he's come up with an eighth! All the tracks on Bare Knuckle showcase Guitar Shorty's blues-y guitar, backed by excellent studio musicians, but the album branches out with more than just blues. Maybe that's why it immediately shot up to #3 on the blues chart.

Shorty seems very focused on this album. And, each song offers a different sensibility, from blues to bluesrock, to blue-abilly rock, to other styles, all showing what Guitar Shorty can do at his versatile best.

The lead track: "Please Mr. President" (Lay Some Stimulus on Me) is slated to be a modern anthem, with lyrics that will resonate with people struggling to make ends meet(but done with Shorty's typical sense of humor).

The album doesn't just focus on trendy topics, however. Bare Knuckle includes a number of classic blues songs, such as : "You Done Me Wrong" (...you just want money....I just can't make enough money for you) and "Betrayed." And Shorty softens to a sexy, blues-a-billy beat for the love song, Texas Woman and steps up the pace on "Get Off." Bad Memory, showcases Guitar Shorty's emotional and raw, guitar artistry. "Neverland" shows off a syncopated, Santana-ish vibe. There is so much more to discover on this Alligator Records album, nicely produced by veteran Los Angeles-based songwriter and bassist Wyzard, who also contributes lyrics on some of the tracks.

Guitar Shorty doesn't just play the guitar, it becomes an extension of him. He makes the instrument bend to his will: making it cry, sing, wail, scream, and talk. And he cries, sings, wails, screams and talks right along with his favorite guitar ("Red"), adding snippets of rap, and chat, and sometimes using his body to play the guitar. When Shorty sings, he's doing it with every molecule of his body. You can't mistake his bold, raw, intense, personal, and hard driving style. When you've heard Guitar Shorty you will remember his unique sound, forever.

It has been said that no album can capture the raw energy and intensity of Guitar Shorty in person, but this video clip of Guitar Shorty in action, jamming with his new band, at Terra Blues a few weeks ago, is a good start. You see Shorty starting out slow, and by the end of the vid he's rocking the stage!

Alison Blackman video of Guitar Shorty at Terra Blues, April 2010

Terra Blues in NYC's Greenwich Village is a fairly intimate place to hear a blues band. At the performance I attended this April 8th, Shorty played a few songs from Bare Knuckle, mixed in with lots of his fan's, favorites. He did his signature walk around the audience, delighting people by stopping right in front of them and playing...for a bit...before walking to the next table. He manages to do this without missing a bit, while chatting with fans, posing for photos, sometimes dancing, and now and then leaving the venue, altogether (see my photos and reports from the Turning Point on April 17, 2009 and February 28, 2008 . The new band, minus a keyboard player, needs a bit of practice with Shorty and with each other, but they did a credible job and will only get better and better.

Will Bare Knuckle be another award-winning album for Guitar Shorty? My guess is...YES! Visit Guitar Shorty's web site to learn more, hear more, and get sales points for the songs! Also check out Alligator Record's Web Site. And visit Alison Blackman's You Tube Channel to see more Guitar Shorty Videos, live from Terra Blues, plus Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, The Dempseys, and more!

Guitar Shorty Rocks the House in Rockland County!

Last night my friends and I went to see Guitar Shorty at at club in Piermont New York. We have been following Shorty for more than 14 years. In fact, when we all had "important" birthdays, we hired Shorty and his band to play for us at a private party, amazing our guests and winning him dozens and dozens of new, instant fans. That's me next to Shorty, laughing hysterically. It was such an amazing experience! We hope to repeat our private concert with more friends and fans, in the not-too-distant future.

*photo by Alison Blackman

Guitar Shorty, whose real name is David Kearney, was born in Houston, Texas. He began playing guitar as a young boy, and when he moved to Tampa, Floria, when he was just 17, Kearney won a slot as a featured guitarist and vocalist in Walter Johnson's 18-piece orchestra. Since he was young and shorter than the rest of the band, the club owner dubbed in "Guitar Shorty," Soon, Shorty was playing with many of the greatest-of-the-great blues musicians, but he credits Willie Dixon with having a huge influence on him and his recording career. The photo above is Shorty performing by walking around in the crowd, last night.

In the early years, Shorty met guitarist/vocalist Guitar Slim, famous for his his athletic antics onstage. Shorty started doing backflips and other showy moves onstage. In fact, you can see a young Shorty on the Gong Show (which he WON) doing backflips and standing on his head. Watch celebrity judge Jaye P. Morgan's face while Shorty is performing, and hear her predicition that Shorty will be a star "if your head holds out!"


Shorty's life hasn't always been a bed of roses, but it hasn't just been "tough breaks and bad decisions" as the "Story of his life", either." He moved to Seattle and married Marsha Hendrix, Jimi's stepsister. Hendrix loved his Shorty and it's common knowledge that while Jimi was in the army (believe it or not) he would go AWOL from his Army base in order to catch Shorty's area performances. Shorty was a big influence on Jimi. "I hear my licks in Purple Haze and Hey Joe. He told me the reason he started setting his guitar on fire was because he couldn't do the back flips like I did." recalls Shorty.

*photo by Alison Blackman

In 1990, while on tour in England, Shorty recorded an album called: "My Way Or The Highway" which received the Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Foreign Blues Album Of The Year" He received a W.C. Handy Award nomination for Blues Album of the Year for WATCH YOUR BACK in 2005. His latest album, "We the People" incorporates a new band and more rock rhythms featuring Shorty's signature "screaming" guitar. The latest interest in Shorty has landed him on Itunes and other online points of purchase where new, younger fans can learn about Shorty's music.

The photo above shows Shorty with his new bass player.

Shorty's new band has only been playing together for less than a dozen gigs. They all expressed their enthusiasm about what an honor it is to with with the great, Guitar Shorty. It was interesting to me to see the way he queued the various band members and how the personality of even some of his biggest hits have changed with the infusion of new views and talent in his backup band.

Last night, Shorty played a few songs from We The People, including the title track, "We the People," along with favorites such as "Hey Joe" and "Jody." After listening to some of these songs for years, it was evident that his new band members, all from Texas, added a more "Texas roadhouse" sound to the blues numbers, and make the more rock-oriented numbers fresh and modern, but still blues-y.

Shorty played until way past midnight, and even though it was a Wednesday and a work or school day for nearly everyone there the next day, virtually no one left the building. Shorty still walked around the crowd, playing in front of them. We have seen him actually leave the building and not come back for 15 minutes, while the band and the audience wonders: "where's Shorty?" We once witnessed Shorty leaving the building in a snowstorm, walk around the place, and come back in covered with snowflakes! Last night it was cold, and Shorty didn't go outside, but he still played the guitar with his teeth and other body parts!

Shorty has three web sites. The oldest is http://www.guitarshorty.org but the new one is even better: http://www.guitarshorty.com and he is also soon to launch, http://www.guitarshorty.biz You can get his tour dates, news, and purchase cds and T-shirts (the newest, featuring the "We The People" Tour is great)!

If you haven't ever heard of Guitar Shorty, now you have...so go out and get his albums and check him out in person if he comes to your town. You'll be very, very glad you did.