Little Richard

Little Richard, stage name of Richard Wayne Penniman, (Macon, Georgia, December 5, 1932-Tullahoma, Tennessee, May 9, 2020) He was an American singer-songwriter, humorist, and pianist considered one of the most influential and important pioneers in rock and roll history and an influential figure in music and popular culture for seven decades.

His most famous work dates from the mid-1950s, when his dynamic music and charismatic showmanship laid the foundation for rock and roll. His music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, such as soul and funk. He influenced numerous singers and musicians in all musical genres, from rock to hip hop; His music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations to come, and his performances and headlines propelled his career right into the mix of American popular music.

He has been honored by many institutions. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its first group of inductees in 1986. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2015, he received a Rhapsody Award & amp; Rhythm Award from the National Museum of African American Music for his key role in shaping popular music genres and helping end the racial divide on the music charts and at concerts in the mid-1950s by significantly changing American culture. His & # 34; Tutti Frutti & # 34; (1955) was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2010, which declared that his "unique vocalization over the irresistible rhythm heralded a new era in music."

His first recordings in the 1950s were a mix of blues and rhythm and blues, heavily influenced by gospel, but with such a skill that they decidedly marked a new kind of music. He is considered and nicknamed the & # 34;architect & # 34; of rock and roll, although the color of his skin separated him from the glory achieved, among others, by Elvis. He is also considered "The Preaching King of Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues and Soul".

Some of her best-known works are Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally.

Biography

Early Years

From a humble family, the son of a moonshine whiskey distiller, he was the fourth of twelve children, spending his childhood closer to his mother than to his stern father. Thanks to her, he received piano lessons. He himself said “I came from a family that didn't like rhythm and blues. Pennies From Heaven by Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald was all he could hear." Belonging to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, he learned gospel music in Pentecostal churches in the southern United States.

At the age of 15, his father kicked him out of the house, scandalized by his dalliances with homosexuals. Free from family oppression, he releases his repressed passions and dedicates himself to singing in bars, slums or simple street corners, to earn a living. Luckily, a white couple, Ann and Johnny Johnson, took him out of that world and allowed him to continue developing his musical skills on stage at Tick Tock, the club they ran. ^{[ citation needed ]}

1950sː success

Richard in 1957

In 1951, he won a local contest and was invited by the record company RCA Records, with which he recorded eight singles that never quite caught on.

The year 1952 was eventful for Little Richard. He met Sugarfoot Sam, performing in his vaudeville numbers. He soon went on to perform with the Tidy Jolly Steppers in the state of Alabama, but soon after left them to be a soloist with J.L. Heath's band, with whom he performed around Georgia. He met Billy Wright, who proposed to record a record, already under the name of Little Richard. A few months later, his father was assassinated.

In 1953 he decided to form his own group, with the name of The Upsetters and in 1954 he recorded various songs on a new record label, Peacock, but without achieving notable results. Working as a dishwasher at the Macon bus station and seeing that his career was stagnant, he decided in 1955 to send a demo to Specialty Records. Six months later came Specialty's response for a recording session in New Orleans, on the condition that he agree to leave his group to be accompanied by prestigious musicians. The first sessions weren't quite convincing, but during a break in one of those sessions, Richard began to sing impromptu & # 34; Tutti Frutti & # 34;, a lewd and obscene song that he had been singing at the performances of him. Changed lyrics "Tutti Frutti, good, booty / If it don't fit, don't force it / You can grease it, make it easy" ("Tutti Frutti, good little ass / If it doesn't go in, don't force it / you can grease it, to make it easier") to "Tutti frutti, all rooty, a-wop-bop-a-loon-bop-a-boom-bam-boom" because the record producer, Roberte Bumps Blackwell, considered it excessive (also, "Tutti-frutti" was slang for "gay"). Furthermore, Dorothy La Bostrie (his composer of him) found those verses to be unacceptable.

The song, with its onomatopoeic "Womp-bomp-a-loom-op-a-womp-bam-boom!", became a model for many other little future songs by Richard, playing his piano, with Lee Allen on saxophone and his relentless rhythm. In the years that followed, Richard had several more hits: "Long Tall Sally", "Slippin' and Slidin'", "Jenny, Jenny" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly". His frenetic style can be seen in films such as Don't Knock the Rock (1956) and The Girl Can't Help It (1956), for the which he sang the title songs, written by Bobby Troup.

Despite the primal sound of their music, their singles were carefully selected, as can be seen in the triple album The Specialty Sessions, which included different versions. As an example of their craft, he and Blackwell rehearsed the verse from "Long Tall Sally", "He saw Aunt Mary coming and he ducked back in the alley" (He saw Aunt Mary coming and crouched behind the alley) for a whole day until he considered he had reached the desired precision. He was ripped off, initially successfully by "white" radio networks, especially through Pat Boone. This fact possibly favored the spread of Little Richard's fame.

In 1956 he bought a mansion in Los Angeles, California, and returned to play with his old group (The Upsetters).

1960s

Little Richard stopped his musical career suddenly in 1957, during a tour of central Australia; he renounced his rock and roll way of life. It seems that his decision had to do with the accidental fire of one of the engines of the plane in which he was traveling with his group. After landing, he removed four diamond rings valued at about $8,000 from his fingers and threw them into the Hunter River. He entered a Christian college in Alabama to study theology and became a Pentecostal minister. While his record label, Specialty Records, released some new songs based on old recording sessions, Richard did very little musically, just a few gospel songs in the early '60s.

Richard in 1966

In 1962 he returned to an enthusiastic reception on his UK tour. The Rolling Stones, who admired Richard even before they had a recording contract, and the Beatles, also admirers of his, supported him. He came to accompany the Beatles on their tour of Hamburg. In 1982, Paul McCartney said:

The first song I sang in public was "Long tall Sally" by Little Richard. When the Beatles started, we acted with him in Liverpool and Hamburg. For me, he's one of the kings of rock and roll. He is also a great guy, whom I now consider my friend." He also inspired the legendary Deep Purple singer, who dedicated the song "Speed King" to the album In Rock

Paul McCartney

Since then, Little Richard has periodically worked in films, has released the occasional single or two, and has endured as one of the great and legendary pioneers of rock and roll. His life seemed as if he had always gone from one extreme to another. In 1964 he returned to the stage recording new versions of his hits; in the 70s his sexual excesses and drugs caused his church to reject him. Finally, after the death of one of his brothers, Little Richard reorganized his life: he cleansed his system of drugs, became a doorstep Bible salesman, and returned to his church.

1980s

Little Richard in a presentation at the Oscars of 1987.

He returned full-time at the end of the 1980s, saying he came to fulfill what God intended him to be: Little Richard. He still had his minister's license. However, and occasionally, he celebrated weddings (including those of Cyndi Lauper, and Bruce Willis-Demi Moore).

In 1986 he appeared in the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills, scoring his first big hit with the song "Great Gosh-a-Mighty!", which led to to a resurgence in popularity. Also in this year, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened, Richard was listed among the first artists. His pioneering contribution to the genre has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

In 1991 he participated in a brief role playing himself, in a chapter of the TV series Colombo (Ep.58, Colombo and the death of a rock star)

2000s and late years

Richard in concert, towards 2010.

In 2005 he was working on other R&B and soul hits. Along with singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, she released the single titled "I Have A Dream"; (I Have a Dream), the proceeds of which went to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Also in 2005 he appeared, along with stars such as Madonna, Iggy Pop, Bootsy Collins, and The Roots, in a commercial for North American television, promoting the Motorola ROKR phone.

He also appeared in an episode of The Simpsons (season 14 episode 7) playing himself.

On August 20, 2017, the YouTube channel "2020 Visión" He uploaded a video mentioning the singer's date of death, blinking his eye showed the day, month, and year. He died at the age of 87 on May 9, 2020, according to Rolling Stone magazine. He had faced various ailments for several years. Reverend Bill Minson, a close friend of the artist, confirmed the death to AFP. His cause of death was reported as bone cancer.

Awards and awards

• In 1990, Little Richard was honored with a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• In 2004, the magazine Rolling Stone placed Little Richard in the ranking of the top 100 artists.

Discography

Studio Albums

• 1956 - Cast a Long Shadow
• 1957 - Little Richard, Vol. 1
• 1957 - Little Richard, Vol. 2
• 1957 - Little Richard, Vol. 3
• 1957 - Here's Little Richard
• 1959 - The Fabulous Little Richard
• 1960 - Clap Your Hands
• 1960 - Pray along with Little Richard, Vol. 1
• 1960 - Pray along with Little Richard, Vol. 2
• 1962 - King of the Gospel Singers
• 1963 - Sings Spirituals
• 1964 - Sings the Gospel
• 1964 - Little Richard Is Back (And There's A Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On!)
• 1965 - The Wild and Frantic Little Richard
• 1967 - The Explosive Little Richard
• 1970 - The Rill Thing
• 1971 - Mr. Big
• 1971 - The Second Coming
• 1973 - Right Now
• 1974 - Talkin' 'Bout Soul'
• 1992 - Shake It All About

Simple

Compilations

• 1965 - Little Richard's Greatest Hits
• 1967 - Rock N Roll Forever
• 1969 - Good Golly, Miss Molly
• 1969 - Little Richard
• 1970 - Rock Hard Rock Heavy
• 1970 - Little Richard
• 1970 - Well Alright!
• 1972 - Dollars
• 1972 - The Original
• 1972 - You Cant Keep a Good Man Down
• 1973 - Rip It Up
• 1975 - Keep Knockin'
• 1976 - Sings
• 1977 - Now
• 1988 - Lucille
• 1999 - The Original British Hit Singles 1956-1964

Live records

• 1966 - The Incredible Little Richard Sings His Greatest Hits – Live!
• 1974 - Recorded Live
• 1976 - Little Richard Live
• 1996 - Shag on Down by the Union Hall