"Shorty George" Snowden

    Some say 'Shorty George' is credited with renaming the Breakaway the Lindy Hop at a dance contest in 1927 at the "Inn at the Park" aka Madison Square Garden contests (later to be named Harvest Moon Ball) with 'Mattie Purnell', and later would do it again at the Manhattan Casino (some say the Rockland Palace ballroom) in New York in July of 1928. Snowden's name also applies to a dance step called the Shorty George (a.k.a. Boogie Walks,) which was originally said to be the Baltimore Buzz...

    Shorty George danced at the Savoy Ballroom in New York and like Chic Webb was titled the 'King of the Savoy'. His dance troupe The

'Shorty George Trio' would inspire many dancers as well as lead to other dance troupes, namely the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers in the 1930s. Shorty and his dancers would later dance in many shows at the Cotton Club and Small's Paradise with Small's eventually becoming his home base.

    'Snowden danced up to the early 1940's, but had to retire his dancing due to bad knees and feet caused by his dancing. And as far as I know (was told) he passed away due to emphysema sometime in the 1970's / 1980's (not verified.) Fred Astaire paid homage to Shorty by using the song "Shorty George" in two of his films, "Cover Girl" and "You Were Never Lovelier" and also sung the version in "Gilda." However the song was not written for this Shorty George.

    'note: I have also listed the various Shorty George songs and artist's because many of you have e-mailed me asking for variations to the original so to save us both the time of having to search them out on Amazon, I have added them here.

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