ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 17, 2001
By Steve Newton
Hordes of rock guitarists have been influenced by Jimi Hendrix, but only a few would claim that he was influenced by them. According to Guitar Shorty’s latest bio, in the ’60s Hendrix would go AWOL from the U.S. Army in order to catch Shorty’s gigs at venues like the Web in L.A. and the Black and Tan in Seattle.
Of course, it helped that the guitarist—real name David Kearney—had married Hendrix’s stepsister.
“Jimi learned a lot from me,” says Kearney on the phone from his home in North Ridge, California. “And I was in the [Hendrix] family there for a little over five years. In fact, he’s the uncle of my daughter, Tammy.”
If it’s true that the guitar legend used to risk court-martial checking out Guitar Shorty shows, maybe that’s where Hendrix picked up his wild performance style. Kearney himself learned how to entertain a crowd by watching Guitar Slim, the Mississippi bluesman noted for the 1954 R&B hit “The Things That I Used to Do”.
“I saw him take a guitar and run on out in the crowd with about a 150-foot cord,” explains Kearney. “Then his valet would bring him back on his shoulders, and he’d get on the bandstand and lay down on the floor and kick up his heels. When I saw him do that, I said, ‘If he can do that, I can turn flips!’ ”
Before long, Kearney—who plays the Yale on a double bill with Canadian roots great Colin Linden on Wednesday (May 23)—was turning somersaults, doing backwards flips, and standing on his head, all while churning out some serious blues-rock licks. The headstands served him well during a stint on the wacky ’70s TV program The Gong Show.
“When I did the audition for the show,” Kearney recalls, “everybody said, ‘Shorty, you’re gonna win this, ain’t no problem.’ I said, ‘Oh no, I don’t think so, but at least I’m gonna give it a shot.’ Then [Gong Show host] Chuck Barris asked me what kind of work I did, and when I told him I was a truck driver, he just looked at me and started laughin’.
“He said, ‘Shorty, you’re not foolin’ me, I know that you are a professional. But after all this mess that I’ve been looking at and listening to, it’s about time we brought something in to break it up a little bit.’ So he kept me on it, and when I finished the show, I got 15 points plus. [Gong Show panelist] Jaye P. Morgan told me I was gonna go a long ways on my head.”
To hear the full audio of my 2001 interview with Guitar Shorty subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can also eavesdrop on my uncut, one-on-one conversations with:
Dave Martone, 2020
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, 2006
Joss Stone, 2012
Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, 2005
Jack Blades of Night Ranger, 1984
Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, 1992
Colin James, 1995
Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, 1998
Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, 1983
Ed Roland of Collective Soul, 1995
Taj Mahal, 2001
Tom Wilson of Junkhouse, 1995
Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, 2003
David Lindley, 2002
Marty Friedman of Megadeth, 1991
John Hiatt, 2010
Nancy Wilson of Heart, 2006
Jeff Golub, 1989
Moe Berg of the Pursuit of Happiness, 1990
Todd Rundgren, 2006
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, 2001
Steve Earle, 1987
Gabby Gaborno of the Cadillac Tramps, 1991
Terry Bozzio, 2003
Roger Glover, 1985
Matthew Sweet, 1995
Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, 2003
Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars, 2001
John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, 1995
Steve Hackett from Genesis, 1993
Grace Potter, 2008
Buddy Guy, 1993
Steve Lynch of Autograph, 1985
Don Wilson of the Ventures, 1997
Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, 1998
Trevor Rabin of Yes, 1984
Albert Lee, 1986
Yngwie Malmsteen, 1985
Robert Cray, 1996
Tony Carey, 1984
Ian Hunter, 1988
Kate Bush, 1985
David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, 1984
Jeff Healey, 1988
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, 1996
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, 1993
Colin Linden, 1993
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 1995
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, 1986
Elliot Easton from the Cars, 1996
Wayne Kramer from the MC5, 2004
Bob Rock, 1992
Nick Gilder, 1985
Klaus Meine of Scorpions, 1988
Jason Bonham, 1989
Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, 1991
Joey Spampinato of NRBQ, 1985
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, 2003
Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, 2003
Steve Kilbey of the Church, 1990
Edgar Winter, 2005
Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, 1990
Randy Hansen, 2001
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, 1984
Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam, 2007
Jimmy Barnes from Cold Chisel, 1986
Steve Stevens of Atomic Playboys, 1989
Billy Idol, 1984
Stuart Adamson of Big Country, 1993
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, 1992
Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule, 1998
John Bell of Widespread Panic, 1992
Robben Ford, 1993
Barry Hay of Golden Earring, 1984
Jason Isbell, 2007
Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, 1991
Joe Satriani, 1990
Vernon Reid of Living Colour, 1988
Brad Delp of Boston, 1988
Zakk Wylde of Pride & Glory, 1994
John Sykes of Blue Murder, 1989
Alice Cooper, 1986
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, 1985
John Doe, 1990
Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, 1992
Myles Goodwyn of April Wine, 2001
John Mellencamp, 1999
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1999
Kenny Aronoff, 1999
Doyle Bramhall II, 2001
Jon Bon Jovi, 1986
Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, 1992
Randy Bachman, 2001
Little Steven, 1987
Stevie Salas, 1990
…with hundreds more to come