Shorty Long

Frederic Long (n. 1940 m. 1969, USA), artista eclettico e pluristrumentista, effettua le prime incisioni per la Tri - Phi di Harvey Fuqua, nel 1961. Quando l'etichetta viene assorbita dalla Motown i dischi di Long appaiono sulla sussudiaria Soul. Autore della maggior parte dei brani (che mescolano un R&B imparentato con il soul di Memphis al Detroit sound e al funky, con una dose di umorismo che ricorda Coasters, Rufus Thomas e Joe Tex), Shorty è dotato da una voce incisiva, adatta soprattutto a pezzi dalla ritmica marcata. E con tale stile infatti che ottiene successo nelle discoteche, intorno alla metà dei '60 (Devil Whit The Blue Dress, poi ripresa da Mitch Riders e Bruce Springsteen e Function At The Junction); ma è soprattutto Here Comes The Judge che sintetizza la sua capacità di coinvolgere. Nell'anno della sua prematura morte, a causa di un incidente, viene pubblicato THE PRIME OF (SOUL 1969, USA). Ricco di brani originali e personali versioni di Blue Monday e I'm Walkin' (Fats Domino) e A Whiter Shade Of Pale, l'album dimostra l0riginalità di Long rispetto ad altri artisti della casa di Detroit.

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.

Career

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Long came to Motown in 1963 from the Tri-Phi/Harvey label, owned by Berry Gordy's sister, Gwen, and her husband, Harvey Fuqua. 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. While this song never charted nationally, the song was covered and made a hit in 1966 by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Long's 1966 single "Function at the Junction" was his first popular hit, reaching #42 on the national R&B charts. Other single releases included "It's a Crying Shame" (1964), "Chantilly Lace" (1967), and "Night Fo' Last" (1968).
Long's biggest hit was "Here Comes the Judge" which in July 1968 reached number four on the R&B charts and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. 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 number 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).
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. 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." 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?"

Death

On June 29, 1969, Long and a friend drowned when their boat crashed on the Detroit River in Michigan. 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."
Motown released Long's final album, The Prime of Shorty Long, shortly after his death.

Discography

Albums

1968: Here Comes the Judge (LP, SS/SM 709)
1969: The Prime of Shorty Long (LP, SS-719)

Singles

1964: "Devil with the Blue Dress On"/"Wind It Up" (Soul 35001)
1965: "It's a Crying Shame"/"Out to Get You" (Soul 35005)
1966: "Function at the Junction"/"Call on Me" (Soul 35021)
1967: "Chantilly Lace"/"Your Love is Amazing" (Soul 350031)
1967: "Night Fo' Last" (Vocal) /"Night Fo' Last" (Instrumental) (Soul 35040)
1968: "Here Comes the Judge"/"Sing What You Wanna" (Soul 35044)
1969: "I Had a Dream"/"Ain't No Justice" (Soul 35054)
1969: "A Whiter Shade of Pale"/"When You are Available" (Soul 35064)

2:45

MM121.Shorty
Long 1968 - "Here
Comes The Judge"
MOTOWN

John G Byrne

YouTube - Sep 22, 2007

Shorty Long - Devil With The Blue Dress On- 1964 35001 - YouTube

Video for shorty long The Prime of Shorty Long album

▶ 3:21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4EMjdBm7Lk

Sep 24, 2014 - Uploaded by AMNON SUODAI

ORIGNAL VERSION,Frederick Earl "Shorty" Long (May 20, 1940 – June 29, 1969) was an American soul ...

Shorty Long - Function At The Junction - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfy5uN_wt3A

Lyrics

I'm getting ready for the function at the junction
And baby you'd better come on right now
Because everybody's gonna be there
We got people comin' from everywhere

We got Ling Ting Tong from China
Long Tall Sally from Carolina
We got 007, the private eye,
And he's bringin' all the guys from "I Spy"

Come one, come all, we gonna have a ball
down at the function at the junction
And baby you'd better come on right now

We serving egg foo yung and barbecue
having chicken dumplings and kidney stew
having heap big fun till the break of dawn
gonna shake a tailfeather shoot, it's gonna be a run

Hold a shotgun on the rooster, and dare him to crow
how could anybody sleep when they could get out on the floor

Tell him, tell them, tell one and tell 'em all.
Tell 'em 'bout the function at the junction
Tell 'em that they'd better come on right now
Tell 'em 'bout the function at the junction
Tell 'em that they'd better come on right now

Oh the soul brothers, Jitterbugs
Hip cats and fancy hats and
Pretty girls with pretty smiles
All decked out in the latest styles
and Farmer Jim and Guitar Slim and
Betty Boop and ooo-boop-e-doop
and Mohair Sam from Alabam
and Minnesota Fats from Hobo Flats
Breath-takin' Hip-shakin' give it now
Talkin' bout some fascinatin' demonstratin'

They all be gathering here, from far and near
for the Function at the Junction
Brother, you'd better come on right now
Tell 'em 'bout the function at the junction
Sister, you'd better come on right now
Talkin' 'bout a function at the junction
Everybody you'd better come on right now

Songwriters: Edward Holland / Edward / Jr. Holland / Frederick Long / Frederick Earl Long