LITTLE RICHARD,
1932-2020
Little Richard, an architect of rock ‘n’ roll whose vivacious music and flamboyant style would influence everyone from The Beatles to Prince, has died at the age of 87.
His son, Danny Penniman, confirmed the pioneer’s death on Saturday to Rolling Stone and the New York Times. The cause was cancer.
Born Richard Penniman into a religious family, Little Richard was pure wildness: He pounded the piano, shrieked his way through songs, wore a sky-high pompadour and delivered songs in a sexually suggestive way that defied the demure mores of the 1950s.
Over the course of less than three years—October 1955 to May 1958—Little Richard released a dozen singles that would define the early years of rock & roll: “Tutti Fruitti,” “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” “Lucille,” “Rip It Up,” “Ready Teddy,” “The Girl Can’t Help It” and “Keep A-Knockin’” among them. He had 14 songs go Top 10 R&B during that span.
His music would be covered by The Beatles, who opened shows for him in Europe in 1962, the Everly Brothers, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Elvis Costello and others.
A native of Macon, Ga., he impressed Sister Rosetta Tharpe when he was 14 that led to him leaving school and working as a musician in various local and touring bands. He secured his first record deal with RCA in 1951 after winning a local talent show. He styled his stage persona and look on several musicians, among them Roy Brown, Billy Wright and Esquerita, the South Carolina pianist and singer who mixed a pumped-up gospel sound with outrageous lyrics and a look that included a pompadour, sunglasses and heavy makeupo.
After five years of making records for RCA and Peacock that went nowhere, he worked as a dishwasher while shopping for a new deal. Specialty Records founder Art Rupe heard the demo of “Tutti Frutti”—Lloyd Price had suggested that Richard sent it to him— and brought Little Richard to New Orleans to record. The song went Top20 on the pop chart.
The follow-up, “Long Tall Sally,” was his biggest hit, reaching #6. As the string of hits piled up, Little Richard was as steady a hitmaker as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry.
Still, as popular as he was, radio targeted to white audiences skipped over his records to play Pat Boone’s covers of “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally,” pushing those records higher up the charts than the originals.
Penniman gave upon rock & roll and turned to gospel music after a series of events had him convinced he should become a minister. He made his first gospel album, God Is Real, in 1959.
He bounced back and forth between rock & roll and gospel, making his first return to secular rock in 1964 as Beatlemania was gripping the world. In the 1970s, Little Richard was one of the first artists to do well financially working the oldies circuit while recording new music for Reprise; in the middle of the decade he returned to gospel.
In the 1980s and ‘90s, Little Richard appeared in films and TV shows and toured, releasing his final album, Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka, in 1992.
Little Richard was of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1993, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Grammys. He is also in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
RIP Little Richard, a very sad loss. My thoughts are with his loved ones.
— Jimmy Page (@JimmyPage) May 9, 2020
It’s Little Richard’s songs that pioneered rock’n’roll. I got to hear him and his band at the Newport Lounge in Miami and boy were they good. pic.twitter.com/JXgahhJAfk
When you speak of the innovators of Rock & Roll, stop with all the “One of...” crap when speaking of this man. A TRUE innovator was he. Nothing (outside the church) sounded, looked or felt anything like him before him. RIP to the one and only Little Richard. pic.twitter.com/5X5vOvCVm2
— Christian McBride (@mcbridesworld) May 9, 2020
A couple weeks ago I randomly decided to read up on the legendary Little Richard on wiki. I learned then about how he developed The Beatles and saved The Rolling Stones pic.twitter.com/lUEvYG1Mew
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 9, 2020
Sadly, Little Richard passed away today. A founding Father of Rock And Roll, his contributions simply can’t be overstated. I had the honor of meeting Richard in his later years and was awed by his presence. He told me, “I am the architect of Rock And Roll.” Amen! ..Rest In Peace. https://t.co/ceQuNU6pkF
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) May 9, 2020
Rest In Peace To One Of The True Creators Of Rock And Roll. This Is The Commercial I Directed With Little Richard And Michael Jordan, 1991. pic.twitter.com/51bEV1eYKB
— Spike Lee (@SpikeLeeJoint) May 9, 2020
I interviewed Little Richard some years ago he was awesome. There has been anything close to his volcanic explosion of talent into forming Rock and Roll in the 1950s. I knew Andre Harrell and first met him mopping a HarlemWorld floor in 80, worked with his artists. Rest in Beats pic.twitter.com/4M7YjfosZP
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) May 9, 2020
I’m very sorry to hear about Little Richard. He was there at the beginning and showed us all how to rock and roll. He was a such a great talent and will be missed. Little Richard’s music will last forever.
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) May 9, 2020
Love & Mercy, Brian pic.twitter.com/kcak6Rf4Re
I just heard the news about Little Richard and I’m so grieved. He was my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do.
— Bob Dylan (@bobdylan) May 9, 2020
From 'Tutti Frutti' to 'Long Tall Sally' to 'Good Golly, Miss Molly' to 'Lucille', Little Richard came screaming into my life when I was a teenager. I owe a lot of what I do to Little Richard and his style; and he knew it. He would say, 'I taught Paul everything he knows'. pic.twitter.com/96bOzphhs8
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 10, 2020
I thank him for all he taught me and the kindness he showed by letting me be his friend. Goodbye Richard and a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop.' - Paul McCartney
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 10, 2020
