Ellington Jordan was originally from Los Angeles but moved to Detroit to start his music career.[2] He began playing music in Detroit in the 1960s and collaborated with various local soul and funk musicians as a songwriter and sideman.[3][4] In 1967 he co-wrote the blues song "I'd Rather Go Blind" for Etta James, based on his recent experiences in prison.[5] The song was later covered by many artists including Rod Stewart and Beyonce.[5]
In the late 1960s Jordan recorded as a one-man psychedelic funk act called Fugi, and released the song "Mary Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip" on Cadet Records (a subsidiary of Chess Records) in 1968.[1] A full album of the same title was recorded, but was not released until 2005.[6] It included Fugi's own version of "I'd Rather Go Blind".[5] He was backed on the album by Black Merda, who were later signed to Chess at Jordan's suggestion.[4] As Fugi, he signed with 20th Century Records in 1972 for a possible new album, though it was never released.[6]
Jordan left music for several years and eventually relocated to Fresno, California.[2] In 1994 he released a rap-oriented album called The Cold-Blooded City They Call the ‘No’ locally in Fresno under the Fugi name.[2] In the early 2000s, interest in his music was revived when fans of lesser-known early funk music rediscovered "Mary Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip", and he benefited from his association with Black Merda when that band experienced a similar resurgence in popularity.
In 2005, the full album Mary Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip was released for the first time by Tuff City,[6] and in the same year he released the new neo-soul album Almost Home.[7] Jordan returned to occasional live performances, and collaborated with former members of Black Merda on new material in 2016-17.[8] He died at age 80 in Fresno on June 18, 2020.[2]
