In late 1955, Richard recorded the bawdy “Tutti Frutti,” with lyrics that were sanitized by a New Orleans songwriter. Little Richard left home to join a minstrel show run by a man known as Sugarloaf Sam, occasionally appearing in drag. His father beat the boy and derided him as “half a son.”
Penniman was performing with bands by the age of 14, but there were problems at home over his sexual orientation. The tug-of-war between his upbringing and rock ‘n’ roll excess tormented Penniman throughout his career. The family was religious, and Little Richard sang in local churches with a group called the Tiny Tots. He was ostracized because he was effeminate and suffered a small deformity: his right leg was shorter than his left. Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, during the Great Depression, one of 12 children. “I am the architect of rock ‘n’ roll!” Little Richard crowed at the 1988 Grammy Awards as the crowd rose in a standing ovation. The flamboyant singer claimed he paved the way for Elvis, provided Mick Jagger with his stage moves and conducted vocal lessons for McCartney. When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986, he was among the charter members with Elvis Presley, Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke and others.įew were quicker to acknowledge Little Richard’s seminal role than Richard himself. The Beatles’ Paul McCartney imitated Richard’s signature yelps - perhaps most notably in the “Wooooo!” from the hit “She Loves You.” Ex-bandmate John Lennon covered Richard’s “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” on the 1975 “Rock and Roll” album. It was highlighted by Richard’s memorable call of “wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.”Ī string of hits followed, providing the foundation of rock music: “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly.” More than 40 years after the latter charted, Bruce Springsteen was still performing “Good Golly Miss Molly” live. It was 1956 when his classic “Tutti Frutti” landed like a hand grenade in the Top 40, exploding from radios and off turntables across the country. “Little Richard was great on every record.” “Little Richard? That’s rock ‘n’ roll,” Neil Young, who heard Richard’s riffs on the radio in Canada, told biographer Jimmy McDonough. In his personal life, he wavered between raunch and religion, alternately embracing the Good Book and outrageous behavior. He sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering, from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie.