Shorty Ranger was born Edwin Haberfield in Kempsey NSW on 9th October, 1925 and grew up in Nulla Nulla Creek, a neighbour of the legendry Slim Dusty who recorded the famous song “Winter Winds” in 1957, a song written by Shorty in 1942, fourteen years earlier at the ripe old age of 17 years.
Shorty changed his name in 1943 around the same time Slim Dusty changed his from Gordon Kirkpatrick.
In 1944 Shorty sang on Dick Fair’s Australia’s Amateur Hour “It’s All Now Over You’, Shorty has associated with Slim throughout his career and co-wrote a number of songs with Slim such as “My Old Aussie Homestead”, “Somebody’s Mother” & “Paper Boy”
In 1948 Shorty & Slim headed off to Sydney and then head back home to the farm. Shortly after, Shorty started singing solo.
The year 1950 saw Shorty, aged 27, meet his future wife, 22 years old Ruby Jane Magee at a concert at Taylor Arms. They were married on 4th September, 1952 and had six children- four boys and two girls.
Shorty sang on the Tim McNamara Show at the Sydney Town hall in 1951, came second and won a cup along with his first record deal (with Rodeo Records) but was pipped at the post by the great Reg Lindsay.
Shorty & Buddy Williams formed a business relationship in 1969 when Buddy recorded a full album of Shorty Ranger compositions and titled the album “Buddy ‘N’ Shorty” which was later renamed “Big Banana Land” (after one of the tracks on the album)
In August & September, 1974, Shorty & Ruby join Buddy Williams in Birdsville For the Buddy Williams Country & Western Troupe. Their tour goes to such places as outback Queensland, Carpentaria and the far north coast of Australia with Shorty being offered a recording contract with Hadley Records in 1976 and in 1977 Shorty was inducted into the Hands Of Fame in Tamworth.
In 1978 Shorty released a gospel album called “Heaven Country Style” with one of his songs, “In God’s Hands”, co-written by Jim Wesley, winning him an award in 1979 for the professionals in the “Barcoo Bush Ballads Awards”
Though the song “Rye Whiskey” was originally recorded in 1951 on Rodeo records, Shorty re-recorded it on Hadley records in 1980. He also formed “Wildwood Records” in the same year, which has been renamed “Wildwood Music”
In 1983 Shorty recorded his sixth album at Hadley records and in 1993 was inducted into the Roll Of Renown at Tamworth and in the year 2000 Shorty & Lee Kernaghan performed “Winter Winds” at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
Lee Kernaghan released “Winter Winds” and in 2003, Shorty received an Aria Award for it. The song went to number one and Lee had a “Gold” made and sent it to Shorty as well. Shorty also received the “Order Of Australia Medal” (OAM) the same year.
Shorty donated a stool, made from the biggest cedar trees grown in the world, (which just happened to come from Nulla Creek) to McCleay River Historical Society in 2004.
Shorty Ranger has written over 800 songs and has been recorded by such artists as Slim Dusty, Buddy Williams, Reg Lindsay, Reg Poole, Dusty Rankin, Rick & Thel, The Singing Kettles, Lindsay Butler, Barry Thornton and many, many more too numerous to mention.
Shorty Ranger passed away on 22nd June 2007
He will be sorley missed by all
