Little Richard
Richard Penniman a/k/a Little Richard was a rock & roll legend and one of its originators. Born in Macon GA, he grew up in a highly religious family; his father was both a church deacon and a whiskey bootlegger. This exemplified the push-and-pull between the sacred and sensual world, which would become a recurring theme in Richard's life. As a young performer he had experience in both fields. In Macon he was employed to sell refreshments at shows; this led to his befriending gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe and giving his first paid performance with her at age 14. He learned piano around this time, taking a cue from Ike Turner's pounding keyboard on "Rocket 88." By 1949 he'd dropped out of tenth grade to perform with a travelling medicine show. Here he first encountered the flamboyant showmen who performed in drag; Richard adopted this and the winking sexual ambiguity would become key to his persona-and a barrier breaker in the mainstream music world. Richard's first recordings were for RCA in 1953 and in more of a jump-blues vein; there weren't hits outside of Georgia. Two years later he auditioned for the Specialty label at singer Lloyd Price's suggestion; he was signed and brought to New Orleans to record. He chose the innuendo-heavy song "Tutti Frutti" which he'd performed on the road; songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie was brought in to sanitize the lyrics. Both this and the followup "Long Tall Sally" were chart-toppers and became rock & roll classics. Richard was now a full-fledged rock & roll star, drawing screaming girls at his concerts despite the gay subtext. The next two years brought a string of further hits-"Rip It Up", "Lucille," "Keep A-Knockin'", "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "The Girl Can't Help It" (the title song to one of the first notable rock movies)-each of them a rock & roll cornerstone. Faced with numerous personal stresses-the racism he encountered on tour, royalty conflicts with Specialty, and a short-lived marriage-he retired from rock for the first time in late 1957. He studied theology at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, and for the next four years made only gospel records, singing in a baritone voice entirely different from his rock vocals. In 1962 he toured England, but when audiences began booing his all-gospel sets he impulsively began doing the rock & roll hits instead. This led to a triumphant comeback tour in the UK, which partly included the Beatles as opening act (They would cover many of his songs after becoming stars). He returned to recording rock though scored only one minor hit, 1965's "I Don't Know What You've Got (But It's Got Me)"-notable mainly for featuring guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who played in Richard's band before going solo. Despite stays with various labels including Warner/Reprise in the '70s, Richard never returned to the charts. But he remained a beloved entertainer for decades to come, making frequent TV appearances, touring often, and moving into movies. In 1986 he appeared in Paul Mazursky's comedy "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," scoring a soundtrack hit with "Great Gosh A-Mighty" (written and produced by his one-time protégé Billy Preston). In 1991 he even recorded a children's album for Disney. Multiple health problems including a heart attack and hip replacement surgery led to his retiring in 2013; in 2019 there was a movement underway to install a statue in Macon while he is still alive. Little Richard, who was known to have been in ill health for several years, died of boine cancer on May 9, 1987. He was 87.
Photos
Little Richard
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
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94% |
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Little Richard: I Am Everything | Self | $130.9K | 2023 |
No Score Yet |
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REVIVAL69: The Concert that Rocked the World | Self | - | 2022 |
No Score Yet |
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Little Richard | Executive Producer | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hollywood Rocks and Rolls in the 50s | Self | - | 1999 |
52% |
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Why Do Fools Fall in Love | Self | $12.5M | 1998 |
20% |
|
The Pickle | President (Character) | $45.6K | 1993 |
No Score Yet |
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The Naked Truth | Airborne Mustard Lover (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet |
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Sunset Heat | Brandon (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
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Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | Unknown (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
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Goddess of Love | Alphonso (Character) | - | 1988 |
No Score Yet |
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The Purple People Eater | Mayor (Character) | - | 1988 |
77% |
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Down and Out in Beverly Hills | Orvis Goodnight (Character) | $60.2M | 1986 |
No Score Yet |
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The Little Richard Story | Unknown (Character) | - | 1980 |
No Score Yet |
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Catalina Caper | Self | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mr. Rock and Roll | Self | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet |
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Don't Knock the Rock | Unknown (Character) | - | 1956 |
TV
Credit | ||||
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85% | 76% | The Simpsons | Himself (Guest Voice) | 2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sesame Street |
Music Performer, Guest |
1994-1996 1998 2000 2002 |
60% | No Score Yet | Muppets Tonight | Guest | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | NightMan | Jubilee Jones (Guest Star) | 1997 |
25% | No Score Yet | Homeboys in Outer Space | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Drew Carey Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Crew | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Baywatch | Maurice (Guest Star) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | 91% | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1994 |
No Score Yet | 80% | Full House | Self | 1994 |
No Score Yet | 80% | Columbo | Little Richard (Guest Star) | 1991 |
71% | 89% | Miami Vice | Marvelle Quinn (Guest Star) | 1985 |