Biography
Born Edwin Haberfield on 9 October 1925 in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, Shorty Ranger died on 22 June 2007. His childhood unfolded on a farm at Nulla Nulla Creek directly beside the property where Slim Dusty’s family lived. The two first encountered each other at school and soon formed a close bond rooted in a shared passion for music. Drawn especially to the songs and yodels preserved on discs by Wilf Carter and Tex Morton, they set their sights on a professional singing career. After mastering the guitar they began performing locally as a duo, appearing briefly under the names Buddy Bluebird and Buddy Blackbird. Throughout the 1940s the pair ventured farther afield to Adelaide and Sydney, yet commercial success remained elusive. Although their professional paths diverged in 1951, the friendship endured for decades. That same year Shorty secured both public recognition and a contract with Rodeo Records after winning a national talent contest staged by Tim McNamara, while Slim Dusty advanced toward worldwide acclaim.
Shorty wed in 1952; the arrival of the first of his four sons and two daughters the following year prompted him to place family responsibilities ahead of touring. From the middle of the 1950s into the early 1970s he curtailed live appearances, issued occasional recordings, and devoted most of his energy to composition. In 1969 the veteran Australian performer Buddy Williams, who eventually cut nearly fifty of Shorty’s songs, paid tribute with the album Buddy And Shorty. Once his children had grown, Shorty resumed a fuller schedule of performances and studio work after 1973, releasing six albums on the Hadley imprint and twelve more on his own Wildwood label. A stroke and subsequent illness caused by exposure to pest-control chemicals hampered him during the late 1980s, yet he recovered sufficiently to receive the Songmaker Of The Year award at the 1989 Tamworth Country Music Awards. In 1992 he marked fifty years in country music by sharing a stage with his longtime friend Slim Dusty. Health worries prompted another brief hospitalisation in August 1994; a serious road accident followed in October, but by December he was already preparing his first CD.
Since 1942 Shorty Ranger had written more than 360 songs, many subsequently recorded by fellow artists. The 1943 composition “Winter Winds” became his most recognised work, serving as his signature tune and benefiting from Slim Dusty’s 1957 recording. Now regarded as an Australian country classic, the song earned Shorty a gold award in 1992. Additional honours included a Golden Guitar and repeated recognition as a Pioneer Of Country Music; in 1993 he was inducted into the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.
Shorty wed in 1952; the arrival of the first of his four sons and two daughters the following year prompted him to place family responsibilities ahead of touring. From the middle of the 1950s into the early 1970s he curtailed live appearances, issued occasional recordings, and devoted most of his energy to composition. In 1969 the veteran Australian performer Buddy Williams, who eventually cut nearly fifty of Shorty’s songs, paid tribute with the album Buddy And Shorty. Once his children had grown, Shorty resumed a fuller schedule of performances and studio work after 1973, releasing six albums on the Hadley imprint and twelve more on his own Wildwood label. A stroke and subsequent illness caused by exposure to pest-control chemicals hampered him during the late 1980s, yet he recovered sufficiently to receive the Songmaker Of The Year award at the 1989 Tamworth Country Music Awards. In 1992 he marked fifty years in country music by sharing a stage with his longtime friend Slim Dusty. Health worries prompted another brief hospitalisation in August 1994; a serious road accident followed in October, but by December he was already preparing his first CD.
Since 1942 Shorty Ranger had written more than 360 songs, many subsequently recorded by fellow artists. The 1943 composition “Winter Winds” became his most recognised work, serving as his signature tune and benefiting from Slim Dusty’s 1957 recording. Now regarded as an Australian country classic, the song earned Shorty a gold award in 1992. Additional honours included a Golden Guitar and repeated recognition as a Pioneer Of Country Music; in 1993 he was inducted into the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.