Musician Singer. Born Robert Waltrip Short in Danville, Illinois, he was a self-taught pianist, worked in vaudeville as a child, sang in clubs and on radio in Chicago. By the 1950s, he had matured into a sophisticated singer-pianist and played the most exclusive nightclubs from Los Angeles, New York to Paris. A three-time Grammy nominee, he remained irrevocably devoted to the “great American songbook” and recorded over 40 albums. He also appeared in the movies “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Splash,” along with the television miniseries “Roots” and “In The Heat of the Night.” As an ambassador of vintage songs, he played the White House for presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton. In 2003, he celebrated his 35th anniversary at his piano in the Cafe Carlyle Hotel, New York. Cause of death, leukemia at age 80.

Musician Singer. Born Robert Waltrip Short in Danville, Illinois, he was a self-taught pianist, worked in vaudeville as a child, sang in clubs and on radio in Chicago. By the 1950s, he had matured into a sophisticated singer-pianist and played the most exclusive nightclubs from Los Angeles, New York to Paris. A three-time Grammy nominee, he remained irrevocably devoted to the “great American songbook” and recorded over 40 albums. He also appeared in the movies “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Splash,” along with the television miniseries “Roots” and “In The Heat of the Night.” As an ambassador of vintage songs, he played the White House for presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton. In 2003, he celebrated his 35th anniversary at his piano in the Cafe Carlyle Hotel, New York. Cause of death, leukemia at age 80.

Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith