Guitar Shorty was born David William Kearney on September 8, 1939 in Houston, Texas and raised in Kissimmee, Florida by his grandmother. He began playing guitar as a young boy, excited by the sounds of B.B. King, Guitar Slim, T-Bone Walker and Earl Hooker. Guitarist/vocalist and blues legend, Guitar Shorty is a man of the people. Between his blistering, rocked-out guitar work and his fierce, soulful vocals, the power of his music is unmatched, and the perceptive and meaningful lyrics unique among modern bluesmen. Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Shorty has been electrifying audiences for five decades with his supercharged live shows and his incendiary recordings.
Released in 1991, “My Way Or The Highway” received the Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Foreign Blues Album Of The Year". In 2007, Guitar Shorty was honored with the Blues Music Award for “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year” for “We the People”. We are honored to have him back for an encore performance this year.
"Defiant, electric blues with piercing intensity and raw venom that’ll leave your ears singed" --Chicago Tribune
