Shorty Long | |
---|---|
Birth name | Frederick Earl Long |
Born | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | May 20, 1940
Died | June 29, 1969 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | (aged 29)
Genres | R&B, soul |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano, organ, drums, harmonica, and trumpet |
Labels | Tri-Phi/Harvey, King, Soul/Motown |
Frederick Earl "Shorty" Long (May 20, 1940 – June 29, 1969) was an American soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer for Motown's Soul Records imprint. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980. [1]
Long was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and came to Motown in 1963 from the Tri-Phi/Harvey label, owned by Berry Gordy's sister, Gwen, and her husband, Harvey Fuqua. [2] His first release, " Devil with the Blue Dress On" (1964), written with William "Mickey" Stevenson, was the first recording issued on Motown's Soul label, a subsidiary designed for more blues-based artists such as Long. [2] While this song never charted nationally, the song was covered and made a hit in 1966 by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. [2] Long's 1966 single "Function at the Junction" was his first popular hit, reaching No. 42 on the US Billboard R&B chart. Other single releases included "It's a Crying Shame" (1964), " Chantilly Lace" (1967), and "Night Fo' Last" (1968). [3]
Long's biggest hit was " Here Comes the Judge" which in July 1968 reached No. 4 on the R&B chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. [4] The song was inspired by a comic act on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In about a judge by Pigmeat Markham, whose own " Here Comes the Judge" – a similar song with different lyrics – charted three weeks after Long's, also in July 1968, and reached No. 19 on Billboard. Long's 1969 singles included "I Had a Dream" and " A Whiter Shade of Pale". He released one album during his lifetime, Here Comes the Judge (1968). [5]
Long played many instruments, including piano, organ, drums, harmonica, and trumpet. He acted as an MC for many of the Motortown Revue shows and tours, and co-wrote several of his tunes ("Devil with the Blue Dress On", "Function at the Junction", and " Here Comes the Judge"). Long was the only Motown artist besides Smokey Robinson who was allowed to produce his own recordings in the 1960s. [3] Marvin Gaye, in David Ritz's biography Divided Soul: The Life & Times of Marvin Gaye, described Shorty Long as "this beautiful cat who had two hits, and then got ignored by Motown." [6] Gaye claimed he "fought for guys like Shorty" while at Motown, since no one ever pushed for these artists. When Holland-Dozier-Holland came to Gaye with a tune, he stated, "Why are you going to produce me? Why don't you produce Shorty Long?" [6]
On June 29, 1969, Long and a friend drowned when their boat crashed on the Detroit River in Michigan. [7] Stevie Wonder played the harmonica at his burial, and placed it on his casket afterwards. Writer Roger Green's epitaph stated: "So there endeth the career of a man who sang what he wanted to sing – everything from the blues to romantic ballads, from wild and crazy numbers to a utopian vision of Heaven on Earth. Short in stature but big in talent, he entertained and amazed us, and finally he inspired us." [8]
Motown released Long's final album, The Prime of Shorty Long, in November 1969, five months after his death. [5] [9]