Sportsong of the Week #61

"The Louisville Lip (He's the greatest)​"

Eddie Curtis

1971

Tonight at ISFFA, where Art Loves Sport curated a sportart exhibition, part of the program is an Ode to Muhammad Ali. To get in the mood already Sportsong of the Week #61 is 'The Louisville Lip' from 1971 by Eddie Curtis.

Memphis singer-songwriter Eddie Curtis used a funky blues track to tell Ali's story, with digs at Floyd Patterson, Liston and other Ali foes. The song came out in 1971, soon before Ali lost to Joe Frazier in 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden, quickly dating some of the lyrics: "He's the greatest, he's the greatest," Curtis chants, "don't you know it, Joe Frazier."