Little Richard

A very popular American recording artist, songwriter, and musician, whose performances thrilled his fans, was born as Richard Wayne Penniman and became known as Little Richard. He was most popular in the mid-1950s and played a mix of music which included rock, soul, and funk. He has been inducted in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. For unique vocalization and an irresistible beat, his song “Tutti Frutti,” from 1955, has been included in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, in 2010.

Little Richard joined up with Dr. Hudson’s Medicine Show in 1948, performing “Caldonia,” and the following year, in 1949, he began performing at a local Macon nightclub called the Tick Tock Club in Georgia. He joined Buster Brown’s Orchestra, and while performing with them he started using the name, Little Richard. After performing with different vaudeville groups, Little Richard recorded a blues ballad title “Every Hour,” and it became his first single and a great hit in the Georgia area.

Then came his song, “Tutti Frutti,” which was released as a single in November of 1955, and it became a hit rising to number two on Billboard’s Rhythm and Blues Best-Sellers.

Little Richard’s next single, “Long Tall Sally,” in 1956 became a number one hit on the R&B chart, and got on the Top Ten charts in both the U.S. and England. It went on to sell over a million copies. Little Richard began to perform in package tours all over the U.S. He was a very energetic performer who would drive his audience into a frenzy.

During one of his performances at Baltimore’sRoyal Theater in June of 1956, there were some fans who had to be restrained from jumping off of a balcony. Little Richard had nine hits in the U.S. in 1956 and five in England. Hits like: “Slippin’ and Slidin'," “Rip It Up,” “Ready Teddy,” “The Girl Can’t Help It,” and “Lucille."

He got brief roles in movies like Don’t Knock the Rock, Mister Rock and Roll, and The Girl Can’t Help It. In 1957, he continued to be successful with international hits, “Jenny, Jenny” and “Keep A-Knockin'." Another super hit was, “Good Golly Miss Molly."

Little Richard came out with his first album, Here’s Little Richard, in 1957 and it reached number 13 on the Billboard Top LPs. He settled down in a mansion in Los Angeles, California. In October of 1957, he went on a package tour of Australia with entertainers Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. Returning to the states, he stated that he had received a calling from God and enrolled at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama to study theology. He formed the Little Richard Evangelistic Team in 1958 and traveled about the U.S. preaching. He began to record gospel and recorded songs like “He’s Not Just a Soldier” and “Crying in the Chapel.” The gospel single, “He Got What He Wanted,” reached the Top 40 in the U.K.

In 1962, Little Richard toured in Europe and performed gospel. During the second show, he and his organist performed “Long Tall Sally” and got rave reviews from fans. That same year, The Beatles opened for Little Richard at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. Returning to the states he recorded six rock and roll songs with the Upsetters under the name “World Famous Upsetters,” so that he would be able to keep his options in the ministry open.

He returned to the U.K. and had The Rolling Stones as an opening act. When this tour ended he starred in his own special The Little Richard Spectacular for Granada TV. In 1964, he recorded five songs, among them “Bama Lama Bama Loo,” which hit the Top 20 in the U.K.

His single, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On," was performed on TV on the show, Shindig!. Jimi Hendrix joined the Upsetters band in September of 1964, and with great success, Hendrix, Billy Preston, and Little Richard recorded the soul ballad, “I Don’t Know What You’ve Got (But It’s Got Me)." This became a number 12 R&B hit. His album, Little Richard’s Greatest Hits: Recorded Live!, put him back on the pop charts.

In 1977, Little Richard returned to Evangelism and released a gospel album, God’s Beautiful City, in 1979. He took a role in the movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills and recorded the soundtrack, which was a faith-based rock and roll song “Great Gosh A’Mighty." With the great success this brought, he released the album, Lifetime Friend, with songs that had a message in rhythm and included a gospel rap track. Little Richard’s life was dramatized in the biopic Little Richard and focused on his popularity, religious conversion, and his return to secular music. In his 80s, he continued to perform and headlined at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas during the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend in March of 2013. Even though he is no longer active, his music lives on and he is a young, 86 years old.