Long Tall Sally

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Written by: Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enortis Johnson, Little Richard
Produced by: Blackwell
Released: March '56 on Specialty
Charts: 19 weeks
Top spot: No. 6

Half of a double-sided hit (the flip was "Slippin' and Slidin' [Peepin' and Hidin']"), "Long Tall Sally" was aimed squarely at pop singer Pat Boone. "The white radio stations wouldn't play Richard's version of 'Tutti Frutti' and made Boone's cover Number One," recalled Blackwell. "So we decided to up the tempo on the follow-up and get the lyrics going so fast that Boone wouldn't be able to get his mouth together to do it!" Recorded at J&M Studios in New Orleans, "Long Tall Sally" was Little Richard's biggest hit. Unfazed, Boone also recorded "Long Tall Sally," taking it to Number Eight.

Appears on: The Georgia Peach (Specialty)

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