Little Richard's first recording, "Tutti Frutti", became a hit of the century in 1955. With his
early songs he revolutionized pop culture and initiated the triumphal march of rock 'n' roll.
To this day, critics, fans and even musicians themselves argue about who is the true King
of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley (1935-1977) and Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022) are often cited
as legends. But perhaps it was also the man who went on stage and introduced himself to
the audience as: "Little Richard, King of the Blues ... and the Queen, too!"
Little Richard was everything but not ordinary. From the beginning of his career he was
confident, shining and always more then just one of many "innocent" artists of his time.
He came to be more than that, and exactly that he would become.
Little Richard grew up in poor circumstances with eleven siblings in Macon in the east
coast state of Georgia; his real name was Richard Wayne Penniman. His family was conservative and very religious, with his mother belonging to a free church and his father preaching in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was particularly popular with African-Americans and where ecstatic dancing and singing often took place at church services.
When Little Richard was 14 years old, the gospel and blues singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe
(1915-1973) became aware of the talented singer and pianist during a tour stop in Macon.
She invited him to perform in the supporting program of her concerts. At this time, the teenager repeatedly clashed with his father over his homosexual tendencies, which is
why he was soon kicked out of the family home.
Little Richard later would tell about the difficulties which came with his sexuality.
"I was one of the first gay people to come out. But God told me Adam should love Eve -
not Steve,"
Little Richard said in a 1982 TV interview with TV presenter David Letterman.
Encouraged by the performances with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, he joined several touring
artist troupes in the USA. These included "medicine shows", where alleged miracle cures were sold - flanked by so-called freak entertainment. Little Richard often performed as a
drag queen under the name Princess LaVonne and got to know other queer artists such
as Esquerita, who helped him to refine his extroverted stage presence.
Little Richard scored a hit of the century with his very first studio recording "Tutti - Frutti"
(1955).
Many consider the single with its rapidly strummed piano and provocative chorus
("A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!") to be the big bang of the rock 'n' roll era.
However, the success of the song had an inglorious side that revealed the systematic discrimination of black artists: the record label Specialty Records had signed
Little Richard under miserable conditions compared to white artists.
Neither the million-selling and widely covered "Tutti Frutti" nor his subsequent hits
brought Little Richard the financial security he deserved. This also explains why,
decades later, when his career was fading, the musician found it necessary to sell
Bibles in television commercials.
After parting ways with Specialty Records in 1959, Little Richard decided to take a break
from his music career for several years.
According to the biography "The Life and Times of Little Richard" (1984) written by
Charles White, he wanted to change his "dissolute and dissolute" life - and underwent
three years of training to become a preacher.
Later he would turn to commercially unsuccessful experiments with gospel music.
However Little Richard made a successful comeback as a rock musician in 1964.
In the meantime, more and more
young bands dominated the charts, citing Little Richard as a decisive influence -
above all two groups from Great Britain: The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
Little Richard's records in the 1960s and 1970s unfortunately were not as commercially successful as his early albums.
However, his live performances always remained explosive and extravagant.
When he died in 2020 at the age of 87, numerous music greats paid tribute to him as an idol: from Bob Dylan to Stones singer Mick Jagger - all praised Little Richard for what he was:
An idol and one of the greatest revolutionaries of early Rock 'n' Roll.
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