Little Richard
Little Richard (born
Richard Wayne Penniman,
December 5,
1932 in
Macon,
Georgia) is an
American singer,
songwriter, and
pianist, and an early pioneer of
rock and roll. As in the case with a number of other early rockers, fans have proclaimed Richard as "The Real King of Rock 'n' Roll" (in reference to the deceased
Elvis Presley, who's known by the moniker "The King of Rock 'n' Roll").
One of twelve children, Little Richard was raised in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church and learned
gospel music in
Pentecostal churches of the
U.S. South. His early recording career in the
1950s was a mix of
boogie-woogie music and
rhythm and blues, heavily steeped in
gospel music, but with a heavily accentuated back-beat, funky rhythm, raspy-shouted vocals, and breathlessly delivered
lyrics that marked a decidedly new kind of
music that would become known as Rock 'n' Roll.
Early years
Inspired by Gospel greats, such as
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whom he referred to as his "favorite singer" when he was a child (she invited him to sing a song with her onstage in
1944, after she heard him sing her hit "Strange Things Happening Everyday"),
Marion Williams (from whom he got the "whoooo" in his vocal), and
Mahalia Jackson, singer,
songwriter and
pianist Little Richard had begun recording songs for the Peacock Records label between
1951 and
1954, including "Little Richard's Boogie," which included a sample of his
boogie-woogie style that was about to be unleashed on
America. These records sold poorly and Penniman had little success until he sent a demo tape to
Specialty Records on
February 17,
1955, where it fell into the hands of
Robert Blackwell aka
Bumps Blackwell. Blackwell arranged for a recording session in
New Orleans, when, during a break, Little Richard began singing an impromptu recital of "
Tutti Frutti", in his
trademark raspy, shouted vocal style, while pounding out a boogie-woogie based
rhythm on the piano. Blackwell had a good ear for a hit, and was blown away by what he heard, so he had Little Richard record it. However, in order to make it commercially acceptable, he had the lyrics changed from "tutti-frutti, good booty" to "tutti frutti, aw rooty." (
Tutti-frutti was a
slang term meaning a
gay male and
booty means "buttocks").
The song, with its introductory "Womp-bomp-a-loom-op-a-womp-bam-boom!", became the model for many future Little Richard songs, with its driving piano,
saxophone solo by
Lee Allen and its unrelenting beat. In the next few years, Richard had several more hits, including "
Long Tall Sally", "Slippin' and Slidin'", "Jenny, Jenny" and "
Good Golly, Miss Molly". His frantic performing style can be seen in such period films as
Don't Knock the Rock (
1956) and
The Girl Can't Help It (also 1956), for which he sang the title song, written by
Bobby Troup.
Despite the raw sound of his music, the
singles were carefully put together, as documented on the three-volume album
The Specialty Sessions, which include many false starts and variations. As an example of Richard's craftsmanship, he and Blackwell rehearsed the line from "Long Tall Sally", "He saw Aunt Mary coming and he ducked back in the alley" for a full day until he achieved
machine-gun precision.''
Gospel years and later career
Little Richard quit the
music business suddenly in
1957, while on tour in
Australia, after the launch of the
Russian rocket '
Sputnik', which he took as a sign from God to change his wayward habits. Richard then enrolled in
Oakwood College in
Huntsville, Alabama and became a Pentecostal
minister. While Specialty Records released a few new songs based on past sessions, Richard recorded only gospel music in the late-
1950s and early-
1960s. He performed Gospel material on the Gospel circuit with artists who inspired him, such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and won the praises of Mahalia Jackson for his Gospel recordings. During this time, he did not perform his early rock hits, turning his back on 'rock 'n roll.'
In
1962, Little Richard returned to performing rock music with an enthusiastically received tour of
Europe. During that year, his opening act was a then unknown band called
The Beatles. The next year, his opening band was a then unknown
Rolling Stones. Little Richard then introduced an unknown artist by the name of Maurice James as part of his band. Maurice James, who was to become known as
Jimi Hendrix, once said that he "wanted to do with his guitar what Little Richard did with his voice."
Little Richard largely ignored his calling to the ministry from the early 60's through
1977. He returned to the ministry in the area of evangelism and recorded more gospel music, when Charles White's critically acclaimed 1984
biography The Life and Times of Little Richard brought Richard back into the public eye.
Mick Jagger proclaimed on the cover, "Little Richard is
King."
As detailed in White's biography (
2003 revision, pg. 221), Richard's dilemmacame to a head again while recording the soundtrack to the
1985 hit
movie "Down and Out in
Beverly Hills," so he enrolled his old friend
Billy Preston to help him write a song with
spiritual lyrics that would sound like Rock 'n' Roll. The result was a song called "Great God A'Mighty," which he changed to "It's A Matter of Time", reflecting the conflict in his mind. He once said, "I believe that there is good and bad in everything. I believe some Rock 'n' Roll music is really bad, but I believe there is some not as bad. I believe if the message is positive and elevating, and wholesome and uplifting, this makes you think clearly. If it's not then is not good even in Gospel." The song became his first hit in over a
decade and became part of a Little Richard 'messages in rhythm' album entitled "Lifetime Friend" released by WEA in
1986. Little Richard called his new music "message music" and he said, "my mother died not long ago and it was only a few months before she died that she made me promise that I'd stay with the Lord. I have contentment and peace of mind, which is more important than anything. I am going to stay with God and just travel around."
Since then, Little Richard has been a popular guest on
television, in
music videos,
commercials and movies. He has also remained in high demand as a recording artist, contributing tracks to
tribute albums, such as
Folkways: A Vision Shared (
"The Rock Island Line") (
1989) and
Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to Johnny Cash ("Get Rhythm") (
2002) and duets with
Jon Bon Jovi,
Elton John,
Tanya Tucker,
Solomon Burke,
frank zappa and
Jerry Lee Lewis.
In the
1980s, Little Richard began receiving recognition for his pioneering contribution to popular music. In
1986, when the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened, Little Richard was among the first group of inductees. He then received a honorary Lifetime Achievement
Grammy Award in
1993 from the
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In
1994, he received the Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In
1997, he received the American Music Award of Merit. In
2002, Little Richard, along with
Bo Diddley and
Chuck Berry, were awarded the first
BMI Icon Award as founding fathers of rock music. In
2003, he was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Little Richard has occasionally performed celebrity weddings (most notably those of
Cyndi Lauper and of
Bruce Willis/
Demi Moore and
Bruce Springsteen.)
In
1994, Little Richard provided the voice of a
parody character of himself in the now closed
Epcot attraction at
Disney World. It was known as
Food Rocks, with Little Richard voicing a
pineapple named Richard.
In
1995, Little Richard performed "
America the Beautiful" at the beginning of
WWE's 10th annual
WrestleMania event at the
Los Angeles Sports Arena. However, with closer inspection, it is evident that Little Richard was
lip-synching.
In
2000, a made-for-TV
bio-pic,
Little Richard, was televised, starring
Leon in the title role. Leon was nominated for an
Emmy Award for his performance.
Richard attended the
Democratic National Convention in
2004. In
2005, Little Richard appeared, along with such luminaries as
Madonna,
Iggy Pop,
Bootsy Collins, and
The Roots' in an American
TV commercial for the
Motorola ROKR phone.
Most recently, Little Richard has been working hard with other
R&B and
Soul greats and contemporaries on a charity single written and produced by singer/songwriter
Michael Jackson titled, "
From the Bottom of My Heart". Proceeds from the single, set for a
Christmas release, will go to victims of
Hurricane Katrina.
In
January 2006, Little Richard gave the eulogy and preached
Wilson Pickett's
funeral. He continues to evangelize, distributing a
born-again Christian booklet entitled "Finding Peace Within" to fans, as he tours around the world performing his classic music, as well as Gospel songs in his original rocking style.
Away from the stage, Little Richard has recently begun appearing in a set of humorous commercials for
Geico automobile insurance, which debuted in
July 2006.
Albums
* 1957:
Here's Little Richard (Specialty)
* 1958:
Volume 2 (Specialty)
* 1959:
The Fabulous Little Richard (Specialty)
* 1960:
Clap Your Hands* 1960:
Pray Along with Little Richard, Vol. 1* 1960:
Pray Along with Little Richard, Vol. 2* 1962:
King of the Gospel Singers* 1963:
Sings Spirituals* 1964:
Sings the Gospel* 1964:
Little Richard Is Back And There's A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On! (Vee-Jay)
* 1964:
Greatest Hits (Vee-Jay)
* 1965:
The Wild and Frantic Little Richard (Modern)
* 1965:
The Incredible Little Richard Sings His Greatest Hits Live! (Modern)
* 1967:
The Explosive Little Richard (Okeh)
* 1967:
Greatest Hits: Recorded Live! (Okeh)
* 1967:
Rock N Roll Forever* 1969:
Good Golly Miss Molly* 1969:
Little Richard* 1969:
Right Now* 1970:
Rock Hard Rock Heavy* 1970:
Little Richard* 1970:
Well Alright!* 1970:
The Rill Thing (Reprise)
* 1971:
Mr. Big* 1971:
King Of Rock And Roll (Reprise)
* 1972:
Southern Child (Reprise, unreleased)
* 1972:
The Second Coming (Reprise)
* 1972:
The Original* 1972:
You Cant Keep a Good Man Down* 1973:
Rip It Up* 1974:
Talkin' 'Bout Soul * 1974:
Recorded Live* 1975:
Keep a Knockin'
* 1976:
Sings* 1976:
Little Richard Live* 1977:
Now* 1988:
Lucille* 1992:
Shake It All About* 1996:
Shag on Down by the Union Hall*Hamm (1979).
Yesterdays. Cited in Middleton, Richard (1990/2002).
Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0335152759.
*White, Charles. (2003).
The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography. Omnibus Press. (Note: Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marion Williams references and quote - pg. 17. Spiritual conflict/resolution reference and quotes - pg. 221).
