Perhaps the best person to express the influence of Little Richard on popular music was the man himself.
“When I sing my songs, you can’t sit still,” Richard said during a British television interview. ‘Your big toe will shoot up in your boot.”
He was not shy about his contributions to the genre – and rightfully so. The rock and roll pioneer, who was among the first class of artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, passed away early Saturday morning. He was 87.
His son, Danny Jones Penniman, confirmed the music icon’s passing to Rolling Stone – which was the first outlet to report the singer/songwriter/pianist and popular entertainer’s death after a battle with cancer.
He spent the last few years of his life in seclusion and stayed out of the spotlight – a stark contrast to the decades he spent as a pop culture personality and an originator of the music that would be later became known as rock and roll.
“I am the originator – I am the original king of rock,” Richard said during more than one interview. ‘I am the undisputed king and can’t nothing take my throne. I am the creator, the originator and the emancipator.”
If the late Chuck Berry was rock music’s architect, then Richard was the genre’s interior designer. Yes, he added flare with his fashion, hair and makeup, but beyond the over the top personality was a musical genius and unparalleled performer.
The chord progressions found in his early singles for Specialty Records – including “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Jenny, Jenny” provided the musical framework that is still evident in the genre 70 years after he originally played them on the piano while his preacher grandfather conducted offering at his small church in Macon, Georgia.
“I was playing ‘Tutti Frutti’ and nobody knew it,” Richard said during a BBC television interview.
He broke the mold with his processed hair, makeup and flare during the ultra-homogenized era of the early 1950s. He paved the way for authenticity – and androgyny – and countless musical artists who went on to become icons owe him a tremendous debt. There would have been no Prince without Little Richard. There would have been no David Bowie without Little Richard. There would have been no Michael Jackson without Little Richard. Before Boy George, there was Little Richard. The hair bands of the 1980s with their rouged cheekbones, smokey eyes and hair teased to the ceiling would not have had the liberty to do so had this black man from Macon, Georgia who unapologetically leaned into a freedom of expression unseen by anyone at the time – black, white or other.
And today, Little Richard’s influences can be found in the likes Billy Porter and Harry Styles.
He was born Richard Penniman, the third of a family of 12 children born to an extremely religious family in Macon, Georgia.
He played piano in the family church and worked full-time as a dishwasher at the Greyhound Bus station in his hometown.
“I had washed so many plates,” he said. “I was just tired.”
Legendary songwriter and producer Bumps Blackwell – who launched the careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Sam Cooke and more – got a hold to an early demo tape and put him in the studio.
“Tutti Frutti” made him a star in 1955.
The Civil Rights Movement was in its infancy when Little Richard exploded onto the popular music charts. Even as a star, he felt the sting of racism.
“Do you know that Elvis Presley and Pat Boone sold more records with ‘Tutti Frutti’ than I did,” Richard said. “And I wrote it and sung it [first].”
By 1960, he had given up music to devote himself to Christ again. It would be the first of several times where his faith pulled him out of secular music.
When he stepped back into secular music in the early 1960s, he showcased his instinct for recognizing icons in the making. For his European tour, a young unknown band named The Beatles were his opening act.
And his band included Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Billy Preston.
“That’s’ the reason I’m the king, all of them came from me,” Richard said in a 1972 interview with British television ahead of the historic performance at Wembley Stadium where he shared the bill with Chuck Berry for “The London Rock and Roll Show.” Footage from that epic 13-hour concert was used for the Robert Abel and Sidney Levin musical documentary “Let The Good Times Roll.”
His talent and charm were as over-the-top as his dress. In the 70s, 80s and 90s he was an extremely popular act on the oldie’s music circuit as well as a sought-after guest on late night talk shows. He was guaranteed to draw laughter for his quick wit and flamboyant presence. He also starred in several commercials and was featured on television shows and films.
In 1986 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1990, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1993, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
He announced his retirement from music in 2015. In a rare 2017 interview with Christian network 3ABN – which turned out to be one of his final public appearances – he revealed that he had recommitted his life to Christ.
