By
Erika Cox
Little Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon,
Georgia on December 5, 1932. He was one of twelve children
in his family. His grandfather and two uncles were
preachers, his father a bartender and seller of bootleg
whiskey. As a child, Little Richard sang gospel music and
learned how to play the piano in a neighborhood church.
He grew up
listening to Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald because
“that’s all my parents listened to” stated Richard. He
longed to find music that was louder and more expressive,
so as a young teenager he left home to perform as a singer
in Doctor Hudson’s Medicine Show, a small circus that
traveled through the South at that time. He later joined a
band called B. Brown and the Orchestra performing songs in
small clubs around Georgia and Florida. He was becoming
known as “Little Richard” and displaying his flamboyant
six-inch high hairstyle, known as the pompadour.
Of course, B. Brown and the Orchestra were way too lame
for Little Richard and eventually he began traveling with
minstrel shows and carnivals. He often would appear
dressed to impress and in full Little Richard style,
wearing evening gowns, pancake makeup and fake eyelashes.
After traveling around performing in various shows and
learning certain piano techniques and styles from skilled
piano players in New Orleans, Little Richard down on his
luck sent a demo tape of a rhythm and blues song and
mailed it to Specialty Records in Los Angeles. Afterward,
he went back to Macon and washed dishes where he waited
several long months to hear from Specialty. Finally,
Specialty Records called Richard and had him come to New
Orleans to record several sessions, after a string of
mediocre recording sessions all of sudden out of the clear
blue sky Little Richard improvised on a song he had been
singing during breaks. He jumped on the piano and started
strumming intensely and with the studio band following
behind him Tutti Frutti was born.
Tutti Frutti
was one of his most popular and successful songs. During
his time with Specialty records Little Richard recorded a
long list of popular songs like: “Long Tall Sally”,
“Slippin and Slidin”, “Ready Teddy” and “Good Golly, Miss
Molly”.
Despite the enormous success Little Richard felt he could
not escape his religious calling and the sin he was
engulfed in, so in 1957 he left the industry altogether
and withdrew into religious study, evangelism, and gospel
singing. Little Richard says this calling and decision
came when he was in an airplane and saw a horrifying dream
of his ending, he prayed to God to keep the plane afloat
and once on the ground Little Richard threw all of his
jewelry into the harbor in Sydney, Australia vowing to end
his evil ways. Some accounts mentioned a few years later
Little Richard returning to that same harbor to retrieve
all of his precious jewelry. Seven years in 1962 Little
Richard returned to the recording studio in full bloom and
his familiar distinctive style.
Little Richard’s drag queen style along with his
high-strung energy performance made him an emerging star
and well-respected Rock and Roll artist lasting throughout
the years. His energy and performance style is equal to
none with Jerry Lee Lewis running a close second. His
music and style has influenced other artists. He brought
energy and outlandishness to Rock and Roll giving it
something different, giving it that high sprung energy and
fun like no other artist. His songs like Tutti Frutti are
simple tunes but they carry an enormous amount of energy
and fun that audiences of all ages love. His songs are
significant to rock and roll and are true rock and roll
songs many artists covered his songs gaining popularity
from his music but it is only right that Little Richard
was eventually credited for all of his work and is known
for these great rock and roll songs not anyone else. He
has been in movies and has worked with many current
artists.
Little Richard has said over and over again that he is the
true King of Rock and Roll and perhaps there is truth to
that.
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