1940–1969 · American soul singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Frederick Earl ‘Shorty’ Long (born 20 May 1940 in Birmingham, Alabama) came to Motown in 1963 and was handed a distinction almost nobody else got: besides Smokey Robinson, he was the only Motown artist of the 1960s allowed to produce his own recordings. He sang and played piano, organ, drums, harmonica and trumpet, and served as MC for the Motortown Revue tours. ‘Devil With The Blue Dress’ was his debut single and the first record on Motown’s Soul imprint; his one big hit came later, with ‘Here Comes the Judge’ in 1968. He drowned on 29 June 1969, aged 29, when a boat crashed on the Detroit River — Stevie Wonder played harmonica at his burial.