“DEVIL WITH THE BLUE DRESS,” was a song that was written by William “Mickey” Stevenson and Shorty Long in 1964. The song would be the very first single Motown Records inaugurated for their new subsidiary label, SOUL, that same year. Shorty Long’s tenure while at Motown produced 8 singles and two albums, ‘Here Comes Da Judge’ and ‘The Prime Of Shorty Long,’ the latter LP posthumously released after his death in 1969. Long’s two biggest singles were “Function At The Junction,” having reached the #4 position on the R&B chart in 1966. His biggest hit was in 1968, when his single, “Here Comes Da Judge,” peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #8 and also hit #4 on the national R&B chart. Incidently, “Devil With The Blue Dress” never made the Billboard chart. Tragically, Shorty Long died on June 29, 1969. He was 29. (Source: Wikipedia; All Music) DETROIT FREE PRESSMonday, June 30, 1969
“YOU’VE REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME,” was a song written and composed bySmokey Robinsonof theMiracles. The single became the 10th single the Motown group released to hit the Billboard Hot 100, having peaked #8 in February 1963. The single also hit the #1 position on the U.S. R&B chart that year. In 1963,the Beatles recorded their cover-versionof the Smokey Robinson composition. Their Motown-titled song cover was released as an album track, one of three Motown compositions that was included in their U.S. 1964 Capitol Records LP, ‘The Beatles Second Album.’