Song mentioning specific dancer: Shorty George

[Eileen C Bauer]

While looking through my albums (alas, my only CDs are filled with data, not
music *sigh*) for another post, I came across a Count Basie anthology put out
by time-life. One of the song titles caught my eye - it's just called "Shorty
George", apparently done around 1937. While I haven't had a chance to listen
to it yet, here is what the liner notes say about it:
"On Harlem dance floors, hepcats used to do a step called the Shorty George,
but to touring Basie musicians, Shorty was a fictitious (let us hope)
character who stepped in when they stepped out. Here the surrogate sweetheart
sparks filre from Harry Edison's trumpet, ... etc"
The '(let us hope)' is actually part of the liner notes. The 'etc' part was
comments on the musicians' ... performance.

I wonder if Basie named a song after Frankie Manning, too?

-Eileen

[Victor Eijkhout]

In article <DEKq4...@world.std.com> e...@world.std.com (Eileen C Bauer) writes:

> While looking through my albums (alas, my only CDs are filled with data, not
> music *sigh*) for another post, I came across a Count Basie anthology put out
> by time-life. One of the song titles caught my eye - it's just called "Shorty
> George", apparently done around 1937.

There is also a song from that time frame 'Arthur Murray taught me dancing
in a hurry' :-) I think I 've seen it on another disc from that Time Life
series. Artie Shaw's brother, whose name now escapes me, would be my best guess.

> I wonder if Basie named a song after Frankie Manning, too?

Probably not.

Of course there are plenty of songs about Bill "Bojangles" Robinson'
--
Victor Eijkhout
405 Hilgard Ave ............................ `The effect is a movie that seems
Department of Mathematics, UCLA .......... to suggest that even the LAPD ought
Los Angeles CA 90024 ........................ to stop being a bunch of wussies
phone: +1 310 825 2173 / 9036 ............... and start acting like real cops.'
http://www.math.ucla.edu/~eijkhout/ [from a review of Judge Dredd]

[Victor Eijkhout]

In article <EIJKHOUT.9...@jacobi.math.ucla.edu> eijk...@jacobi.math.ucla.edu (Victor Eijkhout) writes:

> There is also a song from that time frame 'Arthur Murray taught me dancing
> in a hurry' :-) I think I 've seen it on another disc from that Time Life
> series. Artie Shaw's brother, whose name now escapes me, would be my best guess.

Oops. Blunder. I was thinking of Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy's brother.

[David Drysdale]

Eileen C Bauer (e...@world.std.com) wrote:
: While looking through my albums (alas, my only CDs are filled with data, not

: music *sigh*) for another post, I came across a Count Basie anthology put out
: by time-life. One of the song titles caught my eye - it's just called "Shorty

: George", apparently done around 1937. While I haven't had a chance to listen

: to it yet, here is what the liner notes say about it:
: "On Harlem dance floors, hepcats used to do a step called the Shorty George,
: but to touring Basie musicians, Shorty was a fictitious (let us hope)

^^^^^^^^^^
: character who stepped in when they stepped out. Here the surrogate sweetheart

: sparks filre from Harry Edison's trumpet, ... etc"
: The '(let us hope)' is actually part of the liner notes. The 'etc' part was
: comments on the musicians' ... performance.

Odd. Shorty George Snowden was by no means fictional, at least according
to Frankie Manning and also other sources. As I recall, he was around
a little bit before Frankie, was known for winning dance marathons and
the like, is occasionally credited as having invented the term Lindy Hop,
and did a move which was the inspiration for Frankie creating the first
airstep. Sadly, I think it says in the Stearns' "Jazz Dance" book that he had
to give up dancing in later life because his feet had been pounded to mush.

: -Eileen

David

[Mark Anthony Balzer]

eijk...@jacobi.math.ucla.edu (Victor Eijkhout) writes:
>There is also a song from that time frame 'Arthur Murray taught me dancing
>in a hurry' :-) I think I 've seen it on another disc from that Time Life
>series. Artie Shaw's brother, whose name now escapes me, would be my best
>guess.

That song was mentioned (lyrics are even given) in the book:

My Husband, Arthur Murray
by Kathryn Murray
1960, pub. by Simon and Schuster

Mark