I use Fannie Farmer's recipe with butter (instead of shortening) and buttermilk. Mine always comes out light, tall and fluffy. The trick is not to overwork the dough. Light hand just like making pie dough. You should still see a few pieces (pea size) of butter when you roll/pat the dough down before cutting. Happy baking!
Here's her recipe.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...Biscuits-40048