Singer and pianist Richard Wayne Penniman, better known as Little Richard, is one of the most audacious, seminal, and hysterical performers of 1950s rock 'n' roll. With his flamboyant costumes, a six-inch high pompadour, and feral stage antics, Richard's performances unleashed the ecstasy of his gospel roots coupled with sexual innuendo, giving rock 'n' roll its first zany artist. His intensity strongly impacted his audience. Black and gay, Richard was uncompromising in his image, with its roots in drag-queen revues, travelling medicine shows, church, and clubs. A symbol of rebellion, Richard became one of the first black artists to have enormous crossover appeal in both the American and British pop audiences and to foster the transformation of black R&B to rock 'n' roll. His songs have become staples in the rock 'n' roll repertoire. Richard's recording output for Specialty, in slightly more than a two year span, produced his most noteworthy recordings as well as the greatest number of hits, including three number one songs that peaked on the R&B chart and four songs in the Top Ten pop chart.
Richard was born December 5, 1932 (some sources give 1935 as his birth date) in Macon, Georgia, to Charles, a bricklayer, and educator Leva Mae Penniman. His upbringing was religious, conservative, and strict. His effeminacy and the physical defect of his right leg being shorter than his left set him apart from the rest of his peers. His mother put Richard in a charismatic Baptist church in Macon in the hopes of changing his homosexual behavior though he was raised Seventh Day Adventist. At the age of 13, Richard was banished from his home because of his homosexuality and became estranged from his parents. Richard constantly struggled with piety and profaneness in his professional career.
His early musical influences were primarily gospel. Richard wanted to become a gospel singer like Brother Joe May, one of his early influences, but singing for the Lord was shortlived. He then appeared at the local Tick Tock club. By the ninth grade, he had dropped out of school and joined a travelling medicine show, where he sometimes wore a dress and danced with the chorus girls. In 1951, at the age of 15, Richard recorded several blues sides for RCA in the style of bluesman Billy Wright, his mentor. He then moved to Houston and recorded with the Tempo Toppers (a vocal group) and the Duces of Rhythm (an instrumental back-up group) and with the Johnny Otis band. At the suggestion of Lloyd Price, Richard sent a demo to Specialty Records. Specialty teamed Richard with producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, who was conscious of current audience's musical taste.
Blackwell was successful in producing a sound that had not been heard on records previously. Richard became one of the first rock 'n' roll artists to take songs consisting of senseless sounds, disjointed phrases, and images and make them into commercially viable songs. Richard also used the technique of scatting (singing wordless syllables to improvised melodies) in his songs. On "Tutti Frutti," Richard whooped and scatted, demonstrating his gospel roots. The song climbed to number two on the Billboard R&B chart and number 17 on the pop chart. Several seminal hits followed, including "Long Tall Sally," "Slippin' and Slidin' (Peepin and Hidin')," "Rip It Up," "Lucille," and "Good Golly Miss Molly." Richard appeared in three films—Don't Knock the Rock, The Girl Can't Help It, and Mr. Rock & Roll.
In late 1957, at the very pinnacle of his career and in the midst of a tour of Australia, Richard shocked the musical world by announcing that he was abandoning music to pursue theological studies and would never sing rock 'n' roll again. He enrolled in Oakwood College, a Seventh Day Adventist school in Huntsville, Alabama, and from 1958 to 1962, recorded only gospel music. In 1962, Richard toured the United Kingdom with Sam Cooke; initially singing gospel that did not go over well with the audience, he switched to rock 'n' roll and was a smashing success.
In 1963, Richard worked with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He recorded rock 'n' roll between 1964 and 1976 with mixed results on several labels including VeeJay, Modern, and OKeh. In the mid-1970s, Richard returned to the church again, becoming an evangelist and Bible salesman. He once again relinquished his strict religious adherence and in 1986 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He resumed performing secular music in a more subdued fashion and had a successful part in the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which included the MCA single "Great Gosh A'Mighty." Richard is a rock 'n' roll personality who has garnered acceptance from the mainstream and appears on chat shows, and videos and as a presenter of music awards. Richard is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his hometown of Macon has named a boulevard in his honor. While having uncompromisingly exposed himself and vacillated between God, rock 'n' roll, and sex, Richard leaves an outstanding legacy of music and performances that assures him a prominent place in rock 'n' roll history.
Little Richard
Further Reading:
Hildebrand, Lee. Stars of Soul and Rhythm & Blues. New York, Billboard Books, 1994.
White, Charles. The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock. New York, Da Capo, 1994.
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