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Bobby Short's two memoirs are unfortunately
out of print, but can be obtained through your local library's interlibrary loan
department. For
purchase, try AbeBooks or Bibliofind. Both memoirs, and
the Christie's auction catalog, are owned by Danville Public Library.
Books:
Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc.
The
Personal Property of Bobby Short. London: Christie's
International Media Division, 2005. 86 pgs. The catalog for
Christie's Bobby Short auction of February 16, 2005.
Short, Bobby. Black and White Baby. New York: Dodd, Mead,
1971. 304 pgs. Covers Short's childhood in Danville, Illinois, his early entry
into show business (a two-year stint on the road from ages 12-14) and his return to
Danville to finish high school. For Danville residents or natives, there's vivid
period detail about the town. The title, incidentally, refers to Bobby's youthful appearance in white tie and tails.
Short, Bobby, and Robert G.
Mackintosh. Bobby Short, The Life and Times of a Saloon Singer.
New
York: C. Potter, 1995. 265 pgs. "And when the time came, I left
Danville." So ends Black and White Baby. This book picks up
where the first left off, tracing Bobby's journeyman career which took him to
Chicago, California, New York, Paris, and London, culminating in a 36-year
tenure at Manhattan's Cafe Carlyle.
Periodical Articles:
There have been many articles written about
Bobby Short throughout the years, ranging from minor puff pieces to full-blown critical
profiles. If you live in the Danville, Illinois area, the best single source is a
clippings file maintained by the Public Library's Reference
Department. Included below is just a sample of what has been published.
Aronson, Steven M. L. "Bobby
Short at the Villa Manhattan." Architectural Digest 48, (October
1991): 168-171. Bobby's life in the South of France, where he spent every summer.
Balliet, Whitney. "The
Human Sound."
The New Yorker 46, (Dec 26, 1970): 28-35. An early profile.
Bridges, Hudson. "Along the
Avenues: Bobby Short at the Carlyle." Gourmet (September 1986): 22+
A
detailed, sophisticated profile.
Merli, Melissa. "Bobby
Short -- Truly a Class Act." News-Gazette, May 23, 2004, pg.
C-1. Reminiscences by the author about seeing Short perform at the
Cafe Carlyle, and comments by Short about his career.
Phillips, Pat. "Danville Native Short to End Run at Carlyle." News-Gazette,
May18, 2004, pg. B-10. About the final season of Short's 36-year
tenure at the Carlyle.
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